UFC 193 - Rousey vs. Holm Preview
The UFC heads back to Australia tonight for the third stadium show in company history, headlined by the two most dominant women in the UFC today each defending their championships in front of a potential record-setting crowd.
UFC 193 takes place on Saturday night on pay-per-view with the main card airing at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before heading on over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time for more prelim action.
UFC 193 takes place on Saturday night on pay-per-view with the main card airing at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before heading on over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time for more prelim action.
UFC 193: ROUSEY VS. HOLM
Location: Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia
Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Holly Holm
(UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship)
(UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship)
Ronda Rousey has been, arguably, the most dominant champion in UFC history, or at the very least, of the last couple of years. She is undefeated in her career at 12-0, and she has only been out of the first round once in her career. She has scored eight wins in less than a minute, three wins by knockout, and nine wins by submission, with all nine coming by her signature move- the armbar. She has amassed just under 26 minutes of total fight time in her twelve career fights. Everything about her fighting has been dominant.
Holly Holm is 9-0 since moving over to MMA from boxing, where she won 19 world titles in her career while putting together a 33-2-3 career record. She also has some professional kickboxing experience. She was impressive early in her MMA career, winning six of her first seven fights by knockout, leading to negotiations with the UFC. She has been somewhat underwhelming in her two UFC bouts, scoring solid, yet overall unimpressive, wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau. She was selected as Rousey's next opponent, likely before she was fully ready, because it was what Rousey wanted. Holm now has the chance to show she is the one that can dethrone the champion.
But she won't.
Holly Holm is 9-0 since moving over to MMA from boxing, where she won 19 world titles in her career while putting together a 33-2-3 career record. She also has some professional kickboxing experience. She was impressive early in her MMA career, winning six of her first seven fights by knockout, leading to negotiations with the UFC. She has been somewhat underwhelming in her two UFC bouts, scoring solid, yet overall unimpressive, wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau. She was selected as Rousey's next opponent, likely before she was fully ready, because it was what Rousey wanted. Holm now has the chance to show she is the one that can dethrone the champion.
But she won't.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk(c) vs. Valerie Letourneau
(UFC Women's Strawweight Championship)
(UFC Women's Strawweight Championship)
Valerie Letourneau enters UFC 193 on Saturday night challenging Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship. She is doing it on the heels of four straight wins. She has been declared an undeserving challenger by most, but at the same time, they needed someone to challenge Jedrzejczyk, and she was likely the best option available at the time due to injuries and bookings to others. She enters as the biggest underdog in a title fight in history, and a simple $100 bet on her would win you $1,335 if she were to pull off the upset. Quite frankly, she is being counted out before the two women even step foot inside the Octagon. The big question is does she even stand a chance against Jedrzejczyk?
Jedrzejczyk is a different beast, though. She is undefeated in ten career fights, and she is likely the best striker in women's fighting, no matter the weight class. She tees off on opponents, and her dominant win over Jessica Penne in her first title defense in June shows how great her attack is. This is all set up for a showcase win for Jedrzejczyk, and it's only a matter of how long it takes the champion to win.
Jedrzejczyk is a different beast, though. She is undefeated in ten career fights, and she is likely the best striker in women's fighting, no matter the weight class. She tees off on opponents, and her dominant win over Jessica Penne in her first title defense in June shows how great her attack is. This is all set up for a showcase win for Jedrzejczyk, and it's only a matter of how long it takes the champion to win.
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva 2
Depending on who you ask and when you ask them, Mark Hunt and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva were involved in the greatest fight in UFC history when they met each other in December 2013. It was an amazing heavyweight battle that surprisingly went 25 minutes, with over 320 strikes landed between the two of them. They were bloodied and battered, and when all was said and done, the fight ended without a winner. It ended in a draw, in one of those rare occurrences where a draw is determined without a point deduction to factor in.
When you are involved in one of the best fights in history, if you try it again with the same components, rarely does it ever live up to the first fight. Both men are different since that war. Hunt is coming off two straight losses, one of which was a brutal beating at the hands of Stipe Miocic. Silva lost his next two fights in bad fashion, but is coming off a big win over Soa Palelei. At this stage in their careers, it is unsure if either man has much left to give to the top contenders. Both still have that power that can make a difference in the heavyweight division, but their days of challenging for titles are likely long gone. That is why this is a perfect moment for a rematch. They are only going three rounds this time, and I sense a different outcome this time, with a winner truly decided. Who will that be? I like Hunt getting a knockout win.
When you are involved in one of the best fights in history, if you try it again with the same components, rarely does it ever live up to the first fight. Both men are different since that war. Hunt is coming off two straight losses, one of which was a brutal beating at the hands of Stipe Miocic. Silva lost his next two fights in bad fashion, but is coming off a big win over Soa Palelei. At this stage in their careers, it is unsure if either man has much left to give to the top contenders. Both still have that power that can make a difference in the heavyweight division, but their days of challenging for titles are likely long gone. That is why this is a perfect moment for a rematch. They are only going three rounds this time, and I sense a different outcome this time, with a winner truly decided. Who will that be? I like Hunt getting a knockout win.
Rest of Main Card (PPV)
Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker
Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt
Preliminary Card (FS1):
Jake Matthews vs. Akbarh Arreola
Kyle Noke vs. Peter Sobotta
Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante
Richie Vaculik vs. Danny Martinez
Preliminary Card (UFC FIGHT PASS):
Dan Kelly vs. Steve Montgomery
Richard Walsh vs. Steve Kennedy
James Moontasri vs. Anton Zafir
Ben Nguyen vs. Ryan Benoit
Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker
Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt
Preliminary Card (FS1):
Jake Matthews vs. Akbarh Arreola
Kyle Noke vs. Peter Sobotta
Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante
Richie Vaculik vs. Danny Martinez
Preliminary Card (UFC FIGHT PASS):
Dan Kelly vs. Steve Montgomery
Richard Walsh vs. Steve Kennedy
James Moontasri vs. Anton Zafir
Ben Nguyen vs. Ryan Benoit