The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, will play host to UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano this Saturday, February 28.
Headlined by the women’s bantamweight championship tilt between incumbent champion Ronda Rousey and undefeated challenger Cat Zinga…
The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, will play host to UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano this Saturday, February 28.
Headlined by the women’s bantamweight championship tilt between incumbent champion Ronda Rousey and undefeated challenger Cat Zingano, the UFC 184 fight card features a total of 11 bouts.
In the co-main event of the evening, highly touted UFC newcomer Holly Holm will put her spotless record on the line against Raquel Pennington. Though this marks Holm‘s promotional debut, an impressive showing may be enough to make her the next title challenger at 135 pounds.
The full UFC 184 fight card is as follows:
UFC 184 Main Card
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
Raquel Pennington vs. Holly Holm
Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
Alan Jouban vs. Richard Walsh
Tony Ferguson vs. GleisonTibau
Prelims on Fox Sports 1
Mark Munoz vs. Roan Carneiro
Roman Salazar vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto
Dhiego Lima vs. Tim Means
Derrick Lewis vs. Ruan Potts
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass
James Krause vs. Valmir Lazaro
MasioFullen vs. Alexander Torres
Join us here when the show begins (7 p.m. ET) for Bleacher Report’s live play-by-play coverage of the entire UFC 184 card.
UFC 184’s main event features the most dominant champion in the UFC today. Ronda Rousey steps back inside the Octagon on Saturday to defend her title against No. 1-ranked contender Cat Zingano.
Zingano earned her title shot with a win over Miesha Tate …
UFC 184‘s main event features the most dominant champion in the UFC today. Ronda Rousey steps back inside the Octagon on Saturday to defend her title against No. 1-ranked contender Cat Zingano.
Zingano earned her title shot with a win over Miesha Tate in April 2013, but injuries and personal tragedies forced her out of action for an extended period of time. In her return, she reclaimed that title shot with a stoppage over Amanda Nunes on September 27, 2014.
Now the bout between the two undefeated fighters is finally set.
Bleacher Report will break down the fight round by round when the referee starts the action. Come back for all the coverage.
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 risin…
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.
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 TyronWoodley 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.
After the injury to Chris Weidman, Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano will take center stage Saturday night in Los Angeles for UFC 184.
Weidman was originally supposed to headline the pay-per-view in a middleweight title bout with Vitor Belfort. Then, the ch…
After the injury to Chris Weidman, Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano will take center stage Saturday night in Los Angeles for UFC 184.
Weidman was originally supposed to headline the pay-per-view in a middleweight title bout with VitorBelfort. Then, the champ got hurt in training and had to bow out. Belfortdeclined to fight LyotoMachida for the interim belt, which meant Rousey and Zingano would get top billing instead.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole argued that this bout could be the tone-setter for the female division in mixed martial arts for years to come:
The Rousey-Zingano fight will attract a horde of celebrities who are coming out to watch what could be the match that, 10 years from now, 25 years from now, 50 years from now, is the one that all other women’s bouts are judged against.
Just as major boxing matches are measured by the standard of Muhammad Ali (31-0, 25 KOs) against Joe Frazier (26-0, 23 KOs) on March 8, 1971, it’s possible that future women’s MMA fights will be judged against Rousey-Zingano.
Given the level of skill for each fighter, there’s a good chance Rousey vs. Zingano could become something special.
The challenger enters with a perfect 9-0 record, with only one of those nine wins going the distance. She’s extremely strong and deadly on her feet. Rousey can’t afford to leave herself open like she has a few times in her previous fights, because one blow is all Zingano needs to turn the tide of a fight.
In addition, Zingano doesn’t tire as the fight goes on, as evidenced by the fact that three of her KO/TKO victories have come in the third round. The longer the bout goes, the more you might favor the challenger.
With that said, getting out of the first round won’t be easy.
Although everybody’s well aware of Rousey‘s dominant MMA record, it’s worth noting just how great she has been so far.
The only person in the world more skilled with the armbar submission might be Chris Jericho.
The best comparison one can make with Rousey is Mike Tyson when he was truly Iron Mike in the late 1980s. No professional athlete since then has had that same kind of aura of invincibility.
And people don’t exaggerate when they say that Tyson’s opponents looked defeated before the fight even began. Prior to Tyson knocking him out in the first round in 1988, Michael Spinks had the look of somebody seconds away from his own execution.
It was one of the few guys who didn’t fear Tyson that finally felled him.
Buster Douglas made no secret that his mother’s death 23 days before he was set to fight Tyson forced him to look at the grand scheme of things and put his title match into perspective.
Anthony Dominic of Columbus Monthly wrote a retrospective piece about that fight earlier this month. In the article, he called attention to the interview in the ring between Douglas and HBO’s Larry Merchant:
“Why did it happen, James?”
“’Cause I wanted it.”
“But why did you win this fight that nobody on this planet—”
“My mother. My mother. God bless her heart.”
After his mother’s passing, Douglas had nothing left to be afraid of in the ring. If Tyson beat him, then so what? That wouldn’t come close to the pain of losing a loved one.
“Fear was the champ’s weapon as much as his punching power and hand speed,” Dominic wrote. “But what did Douglas have to fear? The worst had already happened.”
Zingano has dealt with similar emotional pain in her life.
ESPN The Magazine‘s Allison Glock wrote an in-depth profile of the 32-year-old, chronicling how the death of her best friend in 2001 and husband’s suicide a little over a year ago impacted her outlook on everything. There was also the major knee injury in May 2013 that robbed Zingano a chance of facing Rousey and appearing on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter.
In short, Zingano has faced plenty of adversity.
At the end of Glock‘s article, she drew a parallel to her and Rousey‘s shared experiences, arriving at the conclusion that their past helped make them the fighters they are today:
“You know, her father committed suicide,” Zingano says, alluding to Rousey‘s loss at 8 years old, the same age as Brayden. Zingano glances at the horizon, gives her neck a sharp pop. “I remember when I heard that about her, thinking, ‘Damn, that’s why she’s so good. She made it through that.'” Her lips curl at the corners, the hint of a smile. “If you can survive what we have, what’s a fight?”
When people call Zingano potentially the toughest challenge of Rousey‘s career, it’s not merely promotional hyperbole.
Skill-wise, Zingano is talented enough to push Rousey past the first couple of rounds and potentially to the scorecards. Mentally, she won’t be afraid of the armbar or let Rousey‘s reputation affect her fight strategy. Nothing Rousey can do will compare to the difficulties Zingano has faced.
All of this will sound silly in the event Rousey wins yet again with a first-round submission, but don’t be surprised if Zingano remains in the fight through the late rounds before succumbing to the champion.
Can Cat Zingano really push Ronda Rousey to her limits?
That’s the question being asked at UFC 184. The dominant champion will take on what appears to be her toughest test to date.
Thus far, the judoka has dominated the women’s bantamweight…
Can Cat Zingano really push Ronda Rousey to her limits?
That’s the question being asked at UFC 184. The dominant champion will take on what appears to be her toughest test to date.
Thus far, the judoka has dominated the women’s bantamweight division. Since its creation in the UFC, she has been the reigning champion, dispatching of all her opponents save one in the first round. Like Royce Gracie in the early UFC days, she’s simply miles ahead of the competition.
But staring at her from across the cage Saturday might be a foe worthy of challenging the champion.
Zingano might not have the same name recognition or knack for fight promotion as her UFC 184 opponent, but she does have enough strength, heart and power to make things interesting. That’s more than could be said for most of Rousey‘s opponents so far.
The women’s title fight isn’t the only bout on the card generating some interest. Here’s a look at the entire card along with predictions for the biggest bouts on the card.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
If this fight were happening in 2011, it would be a much bigger deal. In 2015, it’s intrigue largely comes from which of these fighters really has anything left.
Both Koscheck and Ellenberger used to be legitimate contenders in the welterweight division. Now, they’ve combined to go 0-6 in their last six outings.
If the odds are to be believed, Ellenberger should win this fight. He’s the younger of the two. He’s 29, but there are plenty of fighters who fight well into their 30s. Add in the fact that “The Juggernaut’s” losses have come against the current champion, the No. 2-ranked fighter in the division and up-and-coming Kelvin Gastelum, and it’s easy to see why Odds Shark currently has him listed as a 10-19 favorite.
So why pick Koscheck?
Well, the 37-year-old is coming off a 15-month layoff, which the veteran has acknowledged was partially due to burnout.
“Quite a long time off,” Koscheck said, via Anthony Galavizof The Fresno Bee, “but I’ve been at this for quite a long time and I feel like I was in need of a break from this sport. … I felt like I needed to step away after that last loss with Tyron and focus on me and improving my boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and just improving as a mixed martial artist.”
If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a similar refrain to the one 35-year-old Frank Mir sang before his recent bout with Antonio Silva. His layoff led to a rejuvenating first-round finish of “Bigfoot.”
With Ellenberger just three months removed from being submitted in the first round by Gastelum, Koscheck‘s lengthy layoff might be just what the doctor ordered to get him back in the win column.
Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
After months of waiting, accomplished boxer Holly Holm will finally make her UFC debut. The UFC couldn’t have picked a better opponent to welcome her to the Octagon, either.
Raquel Pennington has some cache with casual fans thanks to her stint on The Ultimate Fighter. She also fights a relatively exciting style. Her 4.77 significant strikes landed per minute, according to FightMetric, would be indicative of a fighter who is willing to trade. Her 3.40 significant strikes absorbed is indicative of a fighter not all that willing to evade strikes.
In essence, she’s the perfect fighter for Holm to show off those polished striking skills.
It should be noted that the UFC newcomer doesn’t necessarily have exceptional power. Only nine of her 33 boxing victories came by way of knockout. Pennington’s finished six of seven MMA fights but has never been knocked out.
Expect that toughness to allow Rocky to survive the early rounds, but Holm‘s ability to outstrike Pennington will eventually give way to a third-round finish.
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
This fight could go one of two ways.
The first—which is the official prediction in this space—resembles most of Rousey‘s bouts, with the scowling judoka rushing across the Octagon, blitzkrieging her latest opponent, working her way to the mat and getting the tap within the first three minutes via that signature armbar.
Rousey‘s ability to execute that game plan, combined with Zingano‘s tendency to start slowly, sets up perfectly for that sequence of events to play out.
But should Zingano find a way to survive those early moments of the bout, things will get interesting.
The Alpha Cat’s ability to mount a comeback after a slow start has been evident in her last two bouts. After being outstruck by both Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes in the opening round, she came back and finished them in devastating fashion.
Looking at Rousey‘s body of work, she’s only been beyond the first round one time in her career. Her rematch with Tate wasn’t finished until the third round. If Zingano can get the fight to that point, she might be able to push the champion in ways we haven’t seen.
Then again, Rousey still came out on top against her bitter rival. Even a five-round war with a worthy opponent might not be enough to stop Rowdy’s title reign.
Ever since Ronda Rousey debuted in UFC, nearly two years ago to the day, the big question has been if there is an opponent out there to really challenge her. It hasn’t happened through four fights, but UFC 184 will be the most difficult task to date be…
Ever since Ronda Rousey debuted in UFC, nearly two years ago to the day, the big question has been if there is an opponent out there to really challenge her. It hasn’t happened through four fights, but UFC 184 will be the most difficult task to date because of Cat Zingano’s style.
Rousey’s fighting game has evolved in such a short amount of time. She entered the sport as a one-trick pony, relying on her judo and armbar submission to overwhelm opponents. It’s worked brilliantly because she was so good at that one thing, but it wasn’t a sustainable long-term model.
The undefeated bantamweight champion’s last two wins have come by knockout. Zingano’s strength is in standing and trading punches with opponents, with five of her nine career wins and both victories in UFC coming via TKO due to strikes.
Rousey will enter as the heavy favorite (minus-750, per Odds Shark), as she should given her track record, but this is the first time where it’s plausible to create a scenario where she loses. Here are the storylines to watch on Saturday night.
The Power Game
Rousey and Zingano are accomplished ground and submission experts, but they have taken the necessary steps to become more complete fighters throughout their careers.
The previous knock against Rousey is what would happen if she couldn’t take an opponent down. While she hasn’t needed much time to defeat Sara McMann and Alexis Davis (82 seconds combined), the UFC women’s bantamweight champion has a style that is impossible to figure out.
Basically, Rousey throws all kind of caution to the wind. She explodes out of the corner at the start of each round wanting to hit something, as this synopsis of her bout with Davis shows, via Brian Martin of the Los Angeles Daily News:
“Nine seconds into the fight, Rousey hit Davis with a right hook to the temple, followed by a knee to the body, headlock and throw, and nine straight punches,” Martin wrote. “Fight over. Second-fastest title victory in UFC history.”
It’s tempting for an opponent to try attacking Rousey in the same way, though it’s not conducive to success. Zingano won’t be physically or mentally overwhelmed by anything coming at her on Saturday, as noted by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
When the UFC announced in late 2012 that it would adopt a women’s division, it was a joyous day for Zingano. In the two-plus years since, she’s been through her share of ordeals. She fought her way through an injury first to her right knee and then to her left.
She was an example of perseverance, dedication and commitment to Brayden (her son). Many athletes have to overcome one significant injury. A second one, just as the first has healed, isn’t particularly common.
Rousey intimidates opponents with her ability to talk fast and loud before a match, then uses her speed and strength to intimidate inside the Octagon. Zingano, whose 70″ reach is four inches longer than Rousey’s, can overcome that speed by using her length to stay away from the champion.
By keeping a distance from Rousey, Zingano will be able to land some strikes. That’s not to say it will be enough to win, or keep the champ off her for long, but this fight has the potential to reach the later rounds when it becomes a question of stamina.
Once stamina becomes a factor, all it takes is one solid punch to put an opponent down. Rousey and Zingano have the power to do anything they want.
The Defining Female MMA Fight
On a much bigger level than simply who wins, Rousey vs. Zingano is shaping up to be the fight that defines women’s MMA. At the very least, it will be the biggest event headlined by two females in UFC history. That’s not a long list at this point, but it is a huge step in the right direction.
Per Iole in a separate post on Yahoo Sports, UFC 184 is drawing a crowd the likes of which would normally turn out for one of the mega cards:
The Rousey-Zingano fight will attract a horde of celebrities who are coming out to watch what could be the match that, 10 years from now, 25 years from now, 50 years from now, is the one that all other women’s bouts are judged against.
Just as major boxing matches are measured by the standard of Muhammad Ali (31-0, 25 KOs) against Joe Frazier (26-0, 23 KOs) on March 8, 1971, it’s possible that future women’s MMA fights will be judged against Rousey-Zingano.
Rousey has become one of the biggest stars in UFC, even translating her MMA fame into a part-time acting career in things like Expendables 3 and the upcoming Fast and Furious sequel, but the two cards she has headlined haven’t been blockbusters.
According to MMA Payout, which cites buyrates from Wrestling Observer‘s Dave Meltzer, Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 did 450,000 buys and Rousey vs. McMann at UFC 170 did 350,000 buys. Those are solid numbers, but more on the average side.
Granted, that still speaks well of Rousey’s popularity, since women’s fighting in UFC is still in its infancy and there hasn’t been a strong No. 2 to market behind her.
Zingano isn’t the same kind of crossover star as Rousey, but her resume speaks for itself. She doesn’t want to go around yelling into microphones, offering an opinion on anything and everything.
Yet as Iole noted in his piece, this is just the third time in UFC history that a championship fight features two undefeated competitors. The last one was Rousey’s bout with McMann, but UFC 184 feels different because Zingano is a better opponent and has a better fighting resume.
Whether this becomes the kind of fight that changes women’s MMA won’t be determined until after the fight is over, but all indications prior to the event suggest this is a special moment for females in the sport.
Who’s Gonna Win?
All of the pre-fight storylines are great, but the only thing that matters is which fighter comes out on top. Zingano is the best and most well-rounded fighter Rousey has gone up against in her career. Her combination of size, length and speed are going to drag this out longer than the typical Rousey fight.
As noted by Elias Cepeda of Fox Sports, all of the things that Rousey loves to do are matched by what Zingano loves to do:
Rousey has showed a willingness to stand and bang on the feet with strikes. It’s scored her two KO’s recently, but that approach could also give Zingano a chance at changing the complexion of the fight.
Rousey’s strikes are quick and strong, but she leaves her head in the same place, on the center line, while she throws them. She’s eaten some solid shots to the head as a result, but walked through all the shots.
Eventually, one of those strikes might stun her. Zingano’s striking may be good enough to do the trick.
Anytime your head is stationary in the fighting game, you are vulnerable to a knockout. Rousey isn’t a perfect fighter, though her weaknesses are offset by power and aggression so they haven’t cost her against inferior competition.
If there is an opponent who can defeat Rousey, it’s Zingano.
However, while picking upsets are tempting because getting it right makes you look smart, Rousey is in that rarefied air in sports where you can’t believe she will lose until it actually happens. She’s strong, fights as well as anyone on the ground and uses her striking better now than she has at any point in her career.
Zingano will keep this fight interesting, and it will be the longest match of Rousey’s career, but the champion will retain her crown.
Saturday, Staples Center in Los Angeles plays host to the historic 