Katie Taylor has confirmed that rumours linking her to a potential matchup with Ronda Rousey were never seriously in play, saying the speculation was more of a loose idea that gained traction online than a real matchmaking possibility.
Speaking during an interview, Taylor was asked directly whether a crossover bout with Rousey had ever been genuinely considered. She replied, “I don’t think so. That was something that Brian started.”
Her manager Brian stepped in to clarify how the idea even surfaced, admitting, “It was just a bit of crack, yeah. Just a bit of crack, really. See what kind of legs it would get. Done well, though. Done well.”
According to Brian, the matchup talk was deliberately floated to gauge interest, and the reaction it generated online appeared to be part of the point.
Taylor herself shut down any suggestion that the match was ever close to happening. “No, I wouldn’t say so,” she said, when asked if she could ever see herself sharing a ring with Rousey.
She also made clear where her focus now lies, adding: “This is going to be my last match, so I’m going to set me retiring for the last time. It’s quite surreal, and I thank God for an amazing career. I want to end on a high, though, and that’s very, very, very important that I end my career well.”
Taylor was also asked about Holly Holm’s recent contested decision loss, though she noted she had not personally watched the match. “I heard it was a very controversial decision, but I didn’t actually see the match,” she said.
When pressed on whether a Holm victory could have potentially opened the door to another high-profile matchup, Taylor remained non-committal.
“Possibly, I’m not too sure. I don’t know,” she said, adding that mandatory challengers remain the primary focus in her division regardless of external narratives.
With retirement now firmly on the horizon, Taylor appears intent on controlling the final chapter of her career.
