Saturday, Staples Center in Los Angeles plays host to the historic UFC 184.
There, female fighters carry the card at one of the promotion’s biggest events of the year. The co-main event is a whopper, as Holly Holm—one of the sport’s premier rising names—squares off with Raquel Pennington.
The attention, of course, lasers in on the headline act when Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano step into the Octagon.
While an injury to Chris Weidman helped rearrange the card to its final format, the women involved, along with the wealth of notable bouts on the rest of the card, ensure Saturday will go down in UFC history.
UFC 184 PPV Schedule
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28
Fight Times (ET): Fight Pass at 7 p.m.; Fox Sports 1 prelims 8 p.m.; pay-per-view at 10 p.m.
Location: Staples Center in Los Angeles
Live Stream: UFC.tv
UCF 184 Full Card and Picks
Picks for Top Bouts
Alan Jouban vs. Richard Walsh
The main card touts a bit of intrigue near the beginning of the night when Richard Walsh and Alan Jouban tap gloves and go to work.
Both enter off losses last year, although this is about Walsh, not Jouban.
At 26 years old, Walsh still has a bright future in the sport and needs to put on a show with his advanced striking repertoire in order to generate a fair amount of buzz in order to take the next step.
For Walsh, the spotlight is a chance to place himself on the map.
“2015 is 3-0 Richy Walsh,” he said, per Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com. “I’m going 3-0, fighting on main cards and we’re going to be finishing fights in dramatic fashion. I’m going to fight on home soil for my last two fights, and I just want to make a name for myself and put Australian MMA on the map.”
The 32-year-old Jouban is no slouch in the striking department, either, meaning observers have a rather fun bout on their hands before things get more technical further down the card.
Jouban holds an advantage if things get to the mat, but the younger Walsh is quicker and can evade offensive barrages, pick and choose his spots and take home a decision.
Prediction: Walsh by TKO
Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
“Obscurity” is the best way to describe both Josh Koscheck and Jake Ellenberger right now.
Both are shells of their former selves in the welterweight conversation—both losers of three straight.
Obviously, that sort of talk goes out the window with a victory Saturday. Ellenberger is 29 with something to prove, while Koscheck only looks to further cement his legacy and move toward ending things on a high note.
As Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics.com illustrates in chart form, neither veteran holds a major advantage:
Now for something that doesn’t make a tale of the tape: Koscheck is a mess entering the Octagon for the first time since 2013.
Some may suggest that such a layoff is a good thing. The body heals. So does the mind.
Remember that the Buffalo, New York, native enters after two violent knockouts at the hands of Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler, something that may weigh heavy on his mind in the ring with a talented striker such as Ellenberger.
The bout is one of the night’s more unpredictable, but sometimes it’s the littlest of things that makes all the difference. Ellenberger has his future to fight for, as Koscheck simply attempts to dodge his past.
Prediction: Ellenberger by TKO
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
Saturday is the first time in a long time that Rousey encounters an opponent who actually has a defined way to win—on paper.
Zingano is no joke. She touts a 74 percent strike success and a perfect grappling success tally at UFC.com, meaning she brings a set of offensive balance to the table Rousey doesn’t usually face.
Rousey seems to understand what the relentless, nothing-to-lose Zingano brings to the table, too, as she told Elias Cepeda of Fox Sports:
Cat is different because not only is she undefeated but she has the kind of indomitable spirit that I haven’t seen exhibited by anyone else, at the level that she has. …
She’s been down in fights before, and every single time, she’s come back and finished the other person. And given everything she’s been through lately in her life outside of fighting, I really feel like she’s one of those people that’s impossible to intimidate, so I don’t even try.
Believe it or not, this approach helps Rousey in the best way.
Complacency fells the best of the best. Ask Anderson Silva. The fact Rousey takes her opponent so seriously showcases an ability to ignore her ridiculous showings to date in which her matches hardly lasted four minutes a pop because she’s the best fighter in the promotion.
This is going to be a different flavor of fight for Rousey fans. Zingano‘s knockout power is nothing to toy with, so the first round will likely be a feeling-out phase before Rousey really gets to working at her signature submissions.
So long as Rousey can avoid the knockout shot, things will eventually hit the mat. From there, it’s all Rousey.
Just expect a test for her in a way each opponent has failed to do so far.
Prediction: Rousey by submission
Stats and info courtesy of UFC.com unless otherwise specified.
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