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Bleacher Report’s UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm Fight-Day Dossier

UFC 193 is upon us, but are you caught up on everything before the action gets underway on Saturday? Bleacher Report has chronicled the preceding week’s events, but if your week has been hectic, you may have missed a story or two. Fear not.
Here is you…

Here is your one-stop shop for the content leading into UFC 193.

UNINTERRUPTED

Ronda Rousey’s Mesmerizing Grappling Training

Ronda Rousey Shows Off How Crazy-Quick Her Hands Are

Ronda Rousey Gets in the Zone Before Sparring

Ronda Rousey Discusses Her Day in Australia

Event Analysis, Opinions and Predictions

UFC 193: Who’s on the Hot Seat in Melbourne, Australia, This Weekend? By Steven Rondina

Holly Holm Can Beat Ronda Rousey, but She’ll Have No Margin for Error by Chad Dundas

Even before she arrived in the UFC, people had Holm tabbed as a potential test for Rousey. Still, it might have been nice to give her a little more time to get her legs under her on the big stage before she earned this title shot. There is a real danger she has been handed her chance at Rousey and bantamweight gold before she really hits her stride in the UFC.

The Complete Guide to UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm by Patrick Wyman

Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva Rematch Can’t Live Up to Their First Epic Meeting by Nathan McCarter

UFC 193: Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva Looking for ‘Sixth Round’ with Mark Hunt by Jeremy Botter

‘That’s what I want the most, is the same fight again. It will be like fighting the sixth round,’ [Silva] said. ‘Winning is the most important thing to me. But the perfect world is to win while putting on a huge fight for the public.’

Daily Fantasy MMA: Best DraftKings Picks for UFC 193 Rousey vs. Holm Card by Brian Mazique

Rousey, Jedrzejczyk Are Massive Favorites, but Prop Bets Are in Play at UFC 193 by Nathan McCarter

How the UFC Made Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor Stars by Patrick Wyman

UFC 193: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Predictions by Scott Harris

Joanna Jedrzejczyk Is Way Too Violent to Be Ronda Rousey by Jeremy Botter

Poor, poor Jessica Penne, the very good fighter who was so excited for a chance at realizing her dream of championship gold. She just couldn’t wait to get in that cage. She didn’t realize she was climbing in there with a woman who would not only beat her beyond recognition but exhibit a special kind of glee while doing so.

UFC 193: USADA’s ‘Prohibited Association’ Clause Unjust for Valerie Letourneau by Mike Chiapetta

The Ronda Rousey Show

Ronda Rousey’s Greatest Hits: The 9 Moments That Defined the UFC’s Biggest Star by Steven Rondina

Ronda Rousey and the 10 Best Female Fighters in MMA History by Scott Harris

Ronda Rousey’s Olympic Conqueror, Edith Bosch, Says She’d Like to Punch UFC Star by Rory Marsden

Ronda Rousey’s ‘Not the Best Boxer in the World,’ Says Freddie Roach by Rory Marsden

Ronda Rousey Comments on Next Step in Career After Holly Holm UFC Fight, More by Matt Jones

UFC 193 Fact or Fiction: Is Ronda Rousey Unbeatable? By Chad Dundas

UFC 193 Primer: The Rowdy Grappling of Ronda Rousey by Sydnie Jones

In the Cage with Ronda Rousey: Opponents Dish on Fighting the Champ by Jonathan Snowden

‘She’s scared and excited and feels like she literally has her life on the line with every fight,’ former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman said. ‘She thinks of it as a fight more than a sport. She sees it as a fight for her life. That’s why she comes out as quickly as she does. I don’t think she necessarily spends that much time thinking about what her opponent is going to do. She has this mindset of ‘this is what I’m going to do.’ There’s not a defensive thought in her head. That’s pretty huge.’

UFC 193 Weigh-in Scuffle

UFC 193 Weigh-in Results: Rousey vs. Holm Fight Card by Nathan McCarter

Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm Skirmish at UFC 193 Weigh-ins, Rousey Then Cuts Promo by Steven Rondina

Ronda Rousey Adds Last-Minute UFC 193 Interest with Weigh-in Drama by Jeremy Botter

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UFC 193 Weigh-in Results: Rousey vs. Holm Fight Card

UFC 193 is almost here. Ronda Rousey is set to defend her bantamweight crown against No. 7-ranked contender Holly Holm in the evening’s main event.
Both women are undefeated and former champions of their respective disciplines. Holm will attempt to sho…

UFC 193 is almost here. Ronda Rousey is set to defend her bantamweight crown against No. 7-ranked contender Holly Holm in the evening’s main event.

Both women are undefeated and former champions of their respective disciplines. Holm will attempt to shock the world by upsetting Rousey. The world is not anticipating a Holm win but rather wondering how quickly she will lose.

And Rousey is not even the biggest favorite on the card. That distinction belongs to Joanna Jedrzejczyk who will defend her strawweight championship against Valerie Letourneau in the co-main event in Melbourne. Eleven more fights fill out the card.

On Friday afternoon, the 26 athletes will hit the scale at 5 p.m. ET. Bleacher Report will have full coverage of the weigh-ins. Check back to find out if everyone comes in on weight for Saturday’s extravaganza.

UFC 193 Fight Card

Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
Robert Whittaker vs. Uriah Hall
Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt
Jake Matthews vs. Akbarh Arreola
Kyle Noke vs. Peter Sobotta
Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante
Richie Vaculik vs. Danny Martinez
Dan Kelly vs. Steve Montgomery
Richard Walsh vs. Steve Kennedy
James Moontasri vs. Anton Zafir
Ben Nguyen vs. Ryan Benoit

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Rousey, Jedrzejczyk Are Massive Favorites, but Prop Bets Are in Play at UFC 193

We’re almost there. UFC 193 is just a couple days away, and it’s that time that like-minded degenerates start looking at the betting lines to plan their moves for the top of the ticket. And for UFC 193 that top of the ticket is severely tilted in one d…

The champions competing at UFC 193—Ronda Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk—are not just favorites or even overwhelming favorites, they are monumental favorites.

The strawweight champion, Jedrzejczyk, meets Valerie Letourneau in the co-main event. Letourneau failed to make The Ultimate Fighter house back when Rousey and Miesha Tate were coaching but has put in a 3-0 record in the organization. That includes one fight at 135-pounds against Elizabeth Phillips.

Rousey‘s opposition is former boxing champion, Holly Holm. She is undefeated in MMA with UFC victories over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau. She skipped over Tate and others to the front of the line in spite of being only the No. 7-ranked contender in the division.

Bleacher Report’s Nathan McCarter and Steven Rondina got together to discuss the betting lines and possible options heading into UFC 193.

Steven: It’s been a long time since the UFC had such a strong crop of champions. Heck, I’d say it’s the most invincible group since the days when B.J. Penn, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Brock Lesnar were all holding UFC gold. The bettors seem to agree, and it’s definitely reflected in the lines for UFC 193. According to OddsShark.com, the Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm is as lopsided as -2000 vs. +1000. The other championship fight, Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau, is pretty much the same, with lines as skewed as -2250 vs. +950.

Obviously, Rousey and Double-J are the favorites heading into UFC 193…but is it just me or are those lines just a tad bit crazy?

Nathan: Based upon the matchups, the odds accurately reflect where we are heading into UFC 193. I suppose some may be a bit surprised by Jedrzejczyk being a bigger favorite than Rousey, but Holm‘s background and style give her a bit more respect than Letourneau.

Letourneau does have a little pop in her punches, but there is nothing to her game that should give Jedrzejczyk any trouble this Saturday. Nothing for the oddsmakers to lessen the gap between her and the champion. The Rousey fight is clearly more intriguing in regards to what will happen, but Joanna Champion’s bout looks to be a pure highlight reel to broaden her scope under the bright light Rousey brings.

Steven: I agree with you, in theory, but -2250 feels absolutely insane for somebody with just ten professional fights. Obviously, it’s easy to buy into Jedrzejczyk (and I’m pretty bullish on her), but I can already see every hindsight extraordinaire saying that she was overrated based on her performances against undersized competition, and there was no reason to expect a lengthy title reign from her. As for Rousey vs. Holm, the real homie Chad Dundas kind of summed up her chances perfectly.

With those kinds of lines, though, there’s no real value in betting outside the props. What’s the play there, do you think? Are you seeing any serious value?

Nathan: That’s a difficult question to answer only because each individual has a different sense of what value is, and it is also relative to the fight itself. Rousey via submission is currently -215. I think that has substantial value for who we are talking about in this fight. Also, the fight getting to Round 2 is +214, and Round 3 is +419. As Patrick Wyman discussed, Holm‘s methodical style puts those props in play. Additional prop bets such as Rousey winning the fight in the second come in at +530 which may be worth a bet. Rousey taking the scrap in the third is at +1300.

The props for Jedrzejczyk-Letourneau aren’t as enticing, but there is still value. Joanna Champion winning by TKO is hanging around at -275 right now.

It comes down to how much of a risk the bettor wants to take.

Steven: I’d agree with you on Jedrzejczyk-Letourneau. There is some intrigue there, specifically looking at props based on which round Jedrzejczyk wins in (Jedrzejczyk winning in Round 2 is sitting at +350, Round 3 at +600 and Round 4 at +850), but I wouldn’t necessarily start making an account on any site to get in on that action.

The most interesting bets for Rousey-Holm, I think, lie in these new (for MMA, at least) minute-by-minute bets. Think Rousey wins in the opening minute? That’s +215. 1:01 through 2:00? +300. That goes all the way up to the final minute of Round 1, which is sitting at a hefty +1450. That’s got to be the play for anybody expecting a first-round win for Ronda, right?

Nathan: I disagree, but I’m also not one to take too specific of a shot. If I can get Rousey by submission at any time within the first round, that is much more favorable, to me, than risking a bet on a 60-second window. Talking specifically about this fight, I worry because of how Rousey may take this fight more slowly due to Holm‘s style.

I do like the round-by-round odds for Jedrzejczyk though. Letourneau can take some shots, and all of Joanna Champion’s bouts have gone past the first round. There’s a strong likelihood that it will go past five minutes.

At the end of the day, it’s all about risk and what the bettor can handle. Given some of the props, I am sure we will see some good success stories come Sunday morning.

(All moneylines are courtesy of OddsShark.com, and all prop bets are courtesy of BestFightOdds.com)

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Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva Rematch Can’t Live Up to Their First Epic Meeting

Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva are going to run it back.
The two ranked heavyweights will clash for the second time this weekend at UFC 193. No. 8-ranked contender Hunt and No. 11-ranked Silva battled back and forth to a majority dra…

Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva are going to run it back.

The two ranked heavyweights will clash for the second time this weekend at UFC 193. No. 8-ranked contender Hunt and No. 11-ranked Silva battled back and forth to a majority draw in December of 2013. It was a favorite fight of the year, and UFC president Dana White was in love with it—so much so that he sported a special Hunt vs. Silva II shirt at the UFC on Fox 9 weigh-ins just a week later.

And then the post-fight drug tests returned, and Silva was popped for elevated testosterone. A development that “ruined” the fight for White.

Regardless of the extracurriculars surrounding the post-fight shenanigans, Hunt vs. Silva was an amazing fight. It has set the bar high for this rematch, and it is a mark they will fail to clear. Why?

The most obvious reason this fight will not live up to the first encounter is that each fight is unique, and it is very difficult to replicate the same results twice. Lightning rarely strikes twice. The two fighters will be making adjustments to their game plans, and that makes the fight different. Their camps are also different. Hunt has been spending time at AKA Thailand with Mike Swick.

Hunt and Bigfoot are also two years—and three fights—older. Hunt has been knocked out by Fabricio Werdum and brutalized by Stipe Miocic. Silva has suffered two knockouts as well at the hands of Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir. That damage takes its toll on a fighter’s career.

It’s not particularly likely that they can withstand the same amount of brutality they went through two years ago.

Then there are differences to the fight itself, the most obvious being that this is a three-round affair, not five like their initial meeting. That singular change alters the fight drastically. Even if the fight is great, it will be cut short and fail to give us the extra two rounds we received in 2013.

Seventy of Hunt’s significant strikes and 55 of Silva’s came in the final two frames. Those two rounds were when the fight went from good to great. Hunt only landed 33 significant strikes in the first three rounds combined. He connected on 53 in the fifth round alone. As for Bigfoot? He scored on 42 significant strikes in the first three rounds while putting up 32 in the fourth.

If the UFC expected this fight to replicate the success of its predecessor, wouldn’t they be promoting the fight better?

The UFC has not featured Hunt vs. Silva II with gusto. It has been left off a lot of promotional materials, and they have even shied away from the quick and easy free Internet hits. The UFC typically posts “free fights” to their YouTube page ahead of events, and they did include a Bigfoot Silva fight—except it was against Alistair Overeem, not Hunt. Why wouldn’t they put that on their account and send it out to the masses via their massive social media following?

It’s because they have doubts about how fun this fight will be, and they don’t see the return on investment coming their way.

I am excited about this fight, but I don’t expect it to be a duplicate of the epic war they gave us previously. You should not either. It is a totally different fight that is only going to go 15 minutes at most, and recent results say don’t expect this to hit the scorecards.

Be prepared for a different, less exciting fight. Hunt vs. Bigfoot II will not be the back-and-forth battle we saw in 2013.

Stats provided by FightMetric.

Nathan McCarter is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He can be found on Twitter.

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Donald Cerrone Gets First Whereabouts Failure Prior to UFC on Fox 17 Title Bid

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has one strike against him per USADA code. The UFC lightweight title contender picked up his first of three allotted whereabouts failures recently.
Cerrone told Tait Fletcher on the Pirate Life podcast of the violati…

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has one strike against him per USADA code. The UFC lightweight title contender picked up his first of three allotted whereabouts failures recently.

Cerrone told Tait Fletcher on the Pirate Life podcast of the violation. Cerrone mentioned that USADA testers showed up at his house, but he had already taken off to Vegas “on a whim”. Under the USADA code, an athlete must contact the organization and file any changes to their whereabouts to avoid a violation.

MMA fans reading this information will not be shocked. In fact, “Cowboy” getting a whereabouts failure may have been the most predictable violation for a UFC fighter under the USADA regulations. Cerrone is a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-type character, and adhering to whereabouts rules is the antithesis of his style.

Under the USADA code, athletes who receive three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period are hit with an anti-doping rule violation. Failures can result from a missed test or a filing violation. Fans of track and field and the Olympics are likely familiar with whereabouts failures and rules. There are currently five USA Track & Field athletes suspended for such violations.

The old USADA rules stated that three failures within an 18-month period were to be considered a violation, but as of 2015 that has been updated to 12 months.

These failures may not seem that important on the surface, but when an athlete gets three within a year that result in a violation, it will turn into a very big deal. This should serve as a warning shot to the UFC roster as it acclimates itself to the USADA process.

The whereabouts failure will not prevent Cerrone from competing at UFC on Fox 17 on Dec. 19. “Cowboy” is slated to challenge for the UFC lightweight championship against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event.

Nathan McCarter is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He can be found on Twitter.

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Vitor Belfort Eyes Rematch with Luke Rockhold Following UFC Fight Night 77 KO

Vitor Belfort disposed of Dan Henderson in Sao Paulo Saturday night, and the 38-year-old already has his eyes set on another rematch.

At the post-fight press conference, Belfort said he has his eye on Luke Rockhold. The former light heavyweight champi…

Vitor Belfort disposed of Dan Henderson in Sao Paulo Saturday night, and the 38-year-old already has his eyes set on another rematch.

At the post-fight press conference, Belfort said he has his eye on Luke Rockhold. The former light heavyweight champion told the media that Rockhold has been “disrespectful.”

The two elite middleweights met in May 2013, when Belfort finished Rockhold in the first round with a highlight-reel spinning back-kick KO. It propelled Belfort to the front of the line for a shot at the middleweight title even though he would have one more fight before getting the title bid. The fight with Rockhold was not without controversy, however.

Belfort was still using TRT at the time, and he was slaying his opposition. If you looked at his physique from then and now, it is almost night and day. Rockhold has long claimed that Belfort has been cheating the game. He called him a fraud at the UFC 187 Q&A session and told Ariel Helwani (h/t Bloody Elbow) that Belfort was still cheating due to how his testosterone results fluctuated leading into UFC 187.

Rockhold is not a fan of Belfort, and that loss is clearly still eating at him. He responded promptly on Twitter that he, too, has his sights set on a rematch with the Brazilian.

Rockhold is scheduled to challenge for the UFC Middleweight Championship against Chris Weidman in December. He may want to focus on that fight before looking at the possible return date against Belfort, but it is still weighing on his mind.

Should Rockhold beat Weidman, Belfort won’t be too far off from a title shot. The rematch between the two bitter rivals would help move the needle, but it would have to wait, as the winner of Yoel Romero vs. Jacare Souza will be next in line. If Weidman retains, an immediate Rockhold vs. Belfort fight will make a lot of sense.

No matter the result of the middleweight title showdown at UFC 194, Belfort and Rockhold seem to be on a collision course. It’s only a matter of time before they step back inside the cage to settle things.

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