MMAmania.com takes you through the “do’s” and “don’ts” for both co-main event participants who battle tonight (Sat., March 5, 2016) inside MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There’s only one championship match taking place at the blockbuster UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which will go down TONIGHT (Sat., March 5, 2016) inside MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. And it doesn’t include Featherweight kingpin Conor McGregor.
Undefeated women’s Bantamweight slugger Holly Holm is out to prove she isn’t a one-hit wonder when she defends her 135-pound belt against gritty wrestler Miesha Tate in the co-main event of the evening. Holm and Tate collide in what should be an interesting styles clash between two of the best female fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA).
“Preacher’s Daughter” is one of of the most gifted strikers in the sport having been a champion in boxing for many years. “Cupcake,” on the other hand, is well-versed in various styles of grappling, and she’s proved it by submitting Dutch submission artist Marloes Coenen in July 2011 to claim her first major title.
Both women will need to show up armed and prepared for any situation. Read on to find out what the keys to victory are for both fighters.
Miesha Tate
1. Timing …
The one attribute, which Holm holds over Tate’s head, is timing and it’s the exact detail she’s going to have to pay extra attention to when plotting out her victory. Holm likes to find her rhythm and most fighters, like Ronda Rousey and Marion Reneau, have allowed this to happen early.
Tate cannot afford that. The ex-Strikeforce champion needs to shake her slow-starting ways and begin to break down the defense of Holm immediately.
However, it needs to be done strategically. You can’t just charge at Holm like a bat out of hell.
We saw how well that turned out, Edmond.
If there’s anything Tate can take from the way “Rowdy” fought Holm is that she must chip away at her. That means pumping the jab and maybe masking a left hook behind it, or perhaps faking a shot and then coming up with an uppercut.
No matter which way Tate implements her gameplan, it must be as precise as the Jackson-Wink MMA representative’s. If it’s not, she’s going to run into more than just a few obstacles.
2. Cut off the cage …
Think about your average Nick Diaz fight. He’s going to try and back you up to the fence and give you no angles to strike. If Tate can do that, she stands a good chance of upstaging Holm.
The Washington native is a very good athlete. In fact, she’s probably one of the more underrated women’s fighters, in terms of athleticism, in MMA. With that being said, Tate needs to be moving forward at all costs because Holm can strike from afar.
In order to do that, it will take timing and solid punching combinations. If possible, Tate should target the body, even the leg, to slow down Holm’s output. She definitely won’t outstrike the dominant kickboxer, but she could very well put a dent in her armor.
3. Implement your wrestling …
It amazes me how most pundits and fans overlooked the fact that Rousey was taken down by Holm in their 135-pound title affair back in November. Indeed it’s quite puzzling, but yet it doesn’t surprise me.
Forget the fact that she took the Olympic bronze medalist in Judo down, but Holm had to first defend the takedown and then exert more strength and energy to get the fight to the ground. The Albuquerque-based Holm is a much more complete fighter than most of us thought and it’s in no doubt thanks to her outstanding team.
That means it will take a complete effort from Tate if she wants to hoist gold in “Sin City.” Lucky for her, she’s no slouch in the wrestling department. Not only was the 29-year-old able to have her way with Coenen on the ground, but she also stifled Olympic wrestler Sara McMann during the later portions of their Jan. 2015 bout.
Tate’s top control is pretty darn tough and she will likely need to try multiple times in order to get this meeting down to the mat. Step three of her gameplan should be searching for the takedown. Once Tate has Holm squared up she should look to initiate a clinch attempt, or takedown, then drop for a single leg or double.
As I said, my best guess is Tate doesn’t snag one on the first try. That’s why I’m going to be looking for dirty boxing and elbows in the clinch. That’s what you do — soften your opponent up, get them tired and strike.
No one ever said becoming champion would be easy.
Holly Holm
1. Uncork the kicks …
This should be a no-brainer. Holm’s best weapons are her kicks and they should be making Tate’s life a living hell as soon as possible.
The 34-year-old needs to send Tate’s confidence down a few notches at the start of this encounter. Holm has learned a lot from her past Octagon outings and heard from the keyboard warriors of the world to boot.
In order to prevent another slow start, why not send a few kicks out early — body or head, it doesn’t matter. Start by gauging the distance and if something doesn’t work, go back to the drawing board. Utilize some of the trademark footwork and defense you showed in the Rousey contest.
Take a page out of big brother Jon Jones’ book and hit the oblique kick to halt the forward pressure of Tate. Whatever Holm does, she cannot be back into a corner. That’s just a no-no.
2. Keep circling …
Outside of her debilitating kicks, Holm’s best asset on offense will be her movement. After all, it embarrassed the heck out of the previously dominant titleholder Rousey.
The one awesome part about being a strong counter striker — with especially good movement — is that you leave the ball in your opponent’s court, giving them two options.
A. He/she will need to formulate a plan from the outside, while you pick them apart, or B., he/she will be forced to enter striking range and deal with what lies ahead.
It may not be the most entertaining route to winning a fight, but if Tate shows up too tentative, then you can kiss her chances of dethroning Holm goodbye. All Holm needs to do is protect herself, not get too overconfident, and she will be fine.
3. Uh, use the straight left …
Need I say more? I mean, Holm busted up the mouth of Rousey with this single punch … and a hard elbow, just a few short months ago.
Tate doesn’t have all that much experience competing against southpaws and although it’s improved, her striking is still a bit robotic. A jab, followed by a left cross, can definitely do the trick if timed right.
Everyone gets caught. It happens, that’s the difference between the very top of the food chain and all the contenders below. Tate’s been a champion before and put forth a ferocious and overwhelming gameplan to earn the strap.
I for one see this fight being a hell of a lot more competitive than Holm’s title win. However, as we said with Rousey, it’s Holm’s fight to lose and with the right gameplan, she should have no problem dispatching Tate.
My prediction: Holm via fourth-round TKO
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