The next chapter in the Ronda Rousey reign of domination will take place Saturday night in Melbourne, Australia, as she faces Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193.
Rousey’s career dominance has been well-documented, with 11 of her 12 victories in th…
The next chapter in the Ronda Rousey reign of domination will take place Saturday night in Melbourne, Australia, as she faces Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193.
Rousey‘s career dominance has been well-documented, with 11 of her 12 victories in the promotion coming in the first round of action. But she’ll face a test Saturday she hasn’t faced before, going up against one of the most decorated fighters in the history of women’s mixed martial arts.
Let’s take a look at the odds and predictions for the main event.
Rousey has constantly gone up against some of the most feared women in the bantamweight division and overcome them without much of an issue. You may have heard this before, but this time it’s true: Rousey has never faced anyone quite like her next opponent.
That’s because the 34-year-old Holm is as decorated as any fighter in the history of women’s MMA. Out of her whopping 38 fights, 33 have ended in victory, with only two losses. She’s lost just one time in the last 11 years.
Most of those victories have come as a boxer, which presents a new sort of challenge to Rousey and goes up against undoubtedly her only weakness—standing and striking. But when it comes to mixed martial arts, she can’t come close to matching what Rousey has done.
Take a look at the numbers Rousey has put up in the promotion, per ESPN Stats & Info:
It’s pretty spectacular that her career in the Octagon has not even spanned 30 minutes, while Holm has fought for that long in a number of fights. That just goes to show how dominant Rousey has been.
With that said, UFC President Dana White sees this as her toughest challenge to date, per CBS Sports’ Lyle Fitzsimmons.
“This is the biggest challenge Ronda has faced,” White said. “When you look at her combat sports experience, it’s not even close. She’s had three times the number of fights.”
Even though Holm is a perfect 9-0 in mixed martial arts, she hasn’t shown the level of dominance in submission that will even worry Rousey. All of her MMA fights have spanned more than one round, which Rousey can only say about one of her fights.
When it boils down to it, Rousey is impossible to stop once the fight gets on the ground. Holm may be able to delay the inevitable for a few minutes due to her striking prowess but not long enough to get out of the first round unscathed.
Prediction: Rousey wins via first-round submission
One of the most anticipated spectacles in mixed martial arts has finally arrived, as Ronda Rousey gears up to defend her women’s bantamweight title against Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193.
Despite the main event featuring the most dominant name…
One of the most anticipated spectacles in mixed martial arts has finally arrived, as Ronda Rousey gears up to defend her women’s bantamweight title against Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193.
Despite the main event featuring the most dominant name in the sport and a vaunted veteran trying to dethrone her, it’s just the final course of a scintillating fight card.
With that in mind, let’s look at the entire card and how to catch all of the action before further breaking down the Rousey-Holm spectacle.
UFC 193 Main Card
Main Event TV Info and Live Stream
Rousey vs. Holm
As if any fight featuring Rousey doesn’t generate enough attention, she and Holm only upped the intrigue for Saturday’s clash with some weigh-in dramatics.
Both fighters stepped onto the scale and tipped it at 134 pounds on the dot. They subsequently stepped up for their pre-fight picture, with each supposed to raise her fists toward the other and stand still.
That didn’t quite happen. Holm stepped in a little too close for Rousey‘s comfort, then pushing and shoving ensued that led folks to believe the fight might happen right there. SportsCenter captured a photo of the moment:
Holm will have her real shot at Rousey come Saturday night in the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. And if UFC President Dana White‘s comments are any indication, it will be her hardest opponent to beat yet.
Sure, Rousey has fought 12 times and won all of them. But none have come against the 34-year-old who is decorated with championships in virtually every major promotion outside of UFC.
Holm‘s amount of fights throughout her career could be to her advantage against Rousey, White told CBS Sports’ Lyle Fitzsimmons.
“This is the biggest challenge Ronda has faced,” White said. “When you look at her combat sports experience, it’s not even close. She’s had three times the number of fights.”
Holm has had exponentially more experience in the Octagon than Rousey, whose 12 fights hardly span half an hour of time. In 11 of those, she’s won in the first round, and her opponent hasn’t made it past a minute in eight of them.
But Holm isn’t your average Rousey opponent, as she’s well-versed in the sport—perhaps more so than Rousey. That doesn’t take anything away from Rousey‘s incredible power and submission dominance but should still put her on alert.
Holm will do well to extend the fight past the minute mark and avoid getting taken down in the early goings, but she won’t be able to delay the inevitable. Rousey gets her to the canvas in the middle of Round 1, submitting her with ease to preserve her title as the best fighter in the sport.
Prediction: Rousey wins via first-round submission.
Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm clash in the Octagon for the main event of UFC 193, capping a spectacular fight card that will give the Melbourne, Australia mixed martial arts fans plenty to rave about.
The intense Friday weigh-in dramatics only set the st…
Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm clash in the Octagon for the main event of UFC 193, capping a spectacular fight card that will give the Melbourne, Australia mixed martial arts fans plenty to rave about.
The intense Friday weigh-in dramatics only set the stage for Rousey-Holm in the women’s bantamweight title showdown even more, but that’s only the last fight of a jam-packed card filled with some of UFC’s best. Take a look below for the full breakdown as well as predictions.
UFC 193 Main Card, Projected Winners
Fight to Watch
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm
I mean, is there really any question?
Sure, there may be multiple championship bouts on the card with a scintillating women’s strawweight battle just before. There’s also some well-established heavyweights among the main card, including Mark Hunt, Antonio Silva and the seven-foot “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve.
But those are all mere appetizers for the Ronda Rousey show.
Once again, Rousey gets ready to step into the Octagon as an unbelievably huge favorite—a 1-19 favorite on Odds Shark, to be exact. Holm has just 12-1 odds to mount the upset, and it’s not hard to see why.
Out of Rousey‘s 12 fights in the UFC, she’s won all in convincing fashion. Oh, and 11 of those have come in the first round. In that span, she’s hardly spent half an hour in the ring—the same time some men’s title fighters spend on a single fight.
Hardly anyone expects Holm to mount the upset, but she’s not backing down as UFC president Dana White‘s Twitter showed:
Despite the theatrics during weigh-ins, Rousey undoubtedly has a lot of respect for one of the most decorated fighters in women’s mixed martial arts. The 34-year-old Holm is known for her standing-and-striking prowess.
Her 33-2 record that includes championships in practically every promotion outside of UFC displays that. But that’s not to say Rousey hasn’t heated things up and made it personal between the two leading up to this one, as Fox Sports UFC showed:
Aside from the personal jabs and all the weigh-in drama, the fact remains—Holly Holm will have to step into the Octagon with Ronda Rousey, and the results won’t be pretty.
It won’t be long-lasting, either. As Rousey has proven throughout her career, even when foes try to avoid getting in tight where she can punish them, that’s only delaying the inevitable.
Holm has the smarts to make this a one- to two-minute fight, but that’s about all she’ll be able to do before Rousey takes her out.
Prediction: Rousey wins via submission in first round
Featuring two women’s title fights at Etihad Stadium on Saturday—or Sunday, if you’re in Australia—UFC 193 is making history in professional sports.
As one of the few professional sports leagues that features female athletes on a truly equi…
Featuring two women’s title fights at Etihad Stadium on Saturday—or Sunday, if you’re in Australia—UFC 193 is making history in professional sports.
As one of the few professional sports leagues that features female athletes on a truly equivalent platform, the UFC has already made history a few times. First, when women debuted in the promotion by headlining a pay-per-view at UFC 157 in 2013, and then again when The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 featured a co-ed cast, with Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate as the coaches. Now, Rousey defends her title against world champion boxer Holly Holm, while Joanna Jedrzejczyk faces Valerie Letourneau in a strawweight bout.
Although it took 20 years, with UFC President Dana White famously saying we would “never” see women in the UFC, when the company finally did come around, it was the full 180 degrees. The UFC dove right in, treating the success of women in the promotion as a given rather than a risky investment and having Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche as the main event for their debut.
It was a laudable decision, and as White has also famously said, he credits it entirely to Rousey(Warning: Video contains strong language). In 2012, three months before women debuted in the UFC, he told Ariel Helwani, “I’m putting my toe in the water, and I’m checking it out. There’s no doubt, for people who say, ‘Oh, this is the Ronda Rousey show,’ f–king right it is. You’re absolutely right. I’m not trying to shy away from that and say, ‘Oh no, we’re getting into women’s MMA.’ This is the Ronda Rousey Show.”
Now, less than three years later, the two title fights headlining UFC 193 are for the two women’s divisions in the promotion. And it’s in an arena with a capacity of 70,000—potentially breaking UFC 129’s record attendance.
The inclusion of women in the sport has come a long way in what seems like a short time. Via telephone, retired UFC fighter and current Invicta matchmaker Julie Kedzie reflected on the journey and the significance of UFC 193.
“I think it’s huge,” Kedzie said. “It’s been a two- or three-year span. And now, not just one female fight headlining a card, but two, and it happens to be in a huge arena. Just the fact that (Ronda Rousey has) transcended, what she’s brought to the division…the fact that we get to see people who are at the top of their divisions, in the top of their craft, who happen to be women, I think, is really, really significant to the whole sport. I think it shows how much can be accomplished in such a short period of time. And how much more we can do.”
Rousey is a phenomenon, to be sure. She’s racking up accolades and making history left and right, and she’s paved the way for fans to discover other high-level female fighters. Rousey hasn’t done it alone, but Kedzie feels she’s accelerated the furthering of women’s MMA.
“I think that back in the day, when the powers that be and the big wigs didn‘t have any interest in female fights, because they’d only seen maybe a handful, and they didn’t think they could make money off it,” Kedzie said. “It really does go back to what Rousey has done star power-wise, and how she’s been able to cross so many genres and bring everything together, and show how much money there is in really good, solid divisions of fighting. It really is the Rousey effect. She’s done something amazing.
“And it’s not to say all the other women haven’t. It just happens to be what she’s done, the attention she’s gotten, the power that she has, to open the door. And the talent that’s coming after her is really, really fantastic. I mean, Jedrzejczyk, I would watch her fight every day. And we wouldn’t have seen her in the UFC if it hadn’t been for Rousey.”
With UFC 193, we’re seeing doors open for more than just undiscovered MMA fighters.
“Before there was always maybe a little bit of a stop sign, but now every little girl at home who wants to be a female fighter, or active female fighters, can realize not only can they get into the UFC, which was unheard of five years ago, now they can headline a UFC,” Kedzie said. “Now, they can be the one bringing that attention and selling out arenas.
“It’s hugely significant for women’s MMA, because every time a female fight goes on (television), especially in the UFC because it’s such a big platform, some young woman or some girl gets the inspiration to keep going.
“The power of possibility is amazing. And that kind of hope and that kind of encouragement, from seeing something in action, can’t be understated. It’s huge.”
UFC 193 is showing the world something we’ve never seen before. It’s a considerable gesture for a sport that has historically been fairly exclusionary toward women. And it’s an important part in the far-reaching implications of women in televised combat sports events—contributing to the eventual dissolution of gender roles.
“(MMA) is something that is accessible to everybody, and everybody has a drive to either see it or be a part of it,” Kedzie said. “It’s not, ‘every little girl wants to be a princess’ anymore. It’s every little girl gets to decide whether she wants to put on her princess gear or she wants to put on boxing gloves.”
Or both, I suggested.
“Yeah exactly! It’s a really, really nice thing to see. Back in the day, women weren’t encouraged to be educated, (because) they’d get the vapors, or they can’t read too many books because it’s bad for their little brains. Then it was like ‘oh, women can’t fight, it’s against their nature.’ That’s not true. It’s in some women’s natures to read all the books and some women’s natures not to,” Kedzie said.
“It’s in some men’s natures to read all the books, and (some) not; some men really want to beat the s–t out of people and some women really want to beat the s–t out of people. And I think that it’s really cool that we’re finally acknowledging that it’s a human drive. Not a male or female drive.”
For Kedzie, who started fighting professionally in 2004, the admission of women into the UFC has affected her personally. She said she “bawled (her) eyes out” when Rousey and Carmouche walked to the Octagon at UFC 157. But UFC 193 holds a particular significance for her.
“I was with Holly Holm in her beginning in MMA, and I was her boxing sparring partner for some of her pretty big boxing fights. And now, the fact that she’s fighting on the biggest stage in the world, for the biggest title in the world for women, all eyes on her—basically I’m going to be tearing my hair out, freaking out, screaming at the television,” Kedzie said. “To see somebody that I’ve worked so closely with get the shot of a lifetime, it just makes my heart swell up.”
Kedzie—and rightly so—seems to view the significance of UFC 193 as, in part, dividends from her journey, from toiling in the early days of contemporary women’s MMA to her current position in the industry.
“It makes it that much more amazing that women are in the UFC because people in my generation of fighters kept working, we kept pushing,” she said. “And so now, there’s this huge thing, where these women are on the biggest stage in the world and they’re headlining, and not only that, one of them is somebody who I was there for her first MMA fight.”
While Kedziedidn‘t offer predictions, she did have this to say about the matchup: “I have tremendous faith in Holly Holm. I absolutely 100 percent believe Holly Holm has the ability to beat Ronda Rousey. … Holly has probably the best footwork you’re going to see. Strength-wise, and athleticism-wise, I think that she’s going to be one of the better athletes that Ronda’s faced.
“Technique-wise, I think her boxing is extremely good. It’s exciting to see somebody not stay in the pocket, get in and out and move around. And I think that could work really, really well against a very overwhelming fighter like Rousey. …(Holm) is not somebody to be bullied.
“I think what Rousey has going for her, which is really great, is her ability to get into the situation very, very quickly. She doesn’t wait on the outside, she doesn’t check to see what’s going on, she engages immediately,” Kedzie said. “(Rousey) is an amazing technician. Her ground game is out of this world and her transitions are genius. The Cat Zinganoarmbar was amazing, it was mind-blowing to me. The way she can evolve on the fly with her transitions is really good.”
While you can typically find Kedzie on Twitter where she live-tweets events, we probably won’t see much of her for this card.
“I think 193 is going to be so significant to me that…I’ll probably actually stay away from Twitter that night,” she said. “Because I’m going to be gripping the couch and crying and yelling. Because that’s what I always do when my friends fight. To see my friend compete for the biggest title in the world of MMA, just…yeah. I’m going to have a really hard time communicating with people that night.”
The main card for UFC 193 kicks off Saturday at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT on PPV.
Ronda Rousey has established herself as one of the most dominant athletes in sports. Now the question is, When she will actually get challenged? The answer will be at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, if Holly Holm has her way.
The former boxer is the l…
Ronda Rousey has established herself as one of the most dominant athletes in sports. Now the question is, When she will actually get challenged? The answer will be at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, if Holly Holm has her way.
The former boxer is the latest opponent who is hoping to come up with a game plan to trouble the UFC women’s bantamweight champion. Simply surviving the first round, which has only happened once in Rousey‘s 12 career fights, is an accomplishment. Winning would be a true shocker.
With that in mind, let’s check out all of the important viewing information for the event, which will occur Sunday in Australia and Saturday night in the U.S. That’s followed by a closer look at the biggest key to victory for each fighter.
The biggest mistake Rousey can make is going too far out of her element to prove a point. In this case, that would mean getting caught up in a boxing match in order to prove her striking ability against somebody with a deeper background in that facet of combat.
While there’s no doubt the 28-year-old MMA superstar has improved in that area, it doesn’t represent her best path to victory. That type of match would make Holm far too comfortable, something Rousey‘s opponents can rarely, if ever, say.
Her coach is still confident she would win under those circumstances, though. Edmond Tarverdyan discussed preparing for that possibility, as noted by Michael Martinez of UFC.com.
“We’re ready for everything, but if the question is, does Ronda need to prove that she’s a boxer? I hope (Holm) does box with us because Ronda can box,” Tarverdyan said. “Ronda has knockout punching power in both hands. It doesn’t matter which hand she touches you with, it’s dangerous.”
It’s hard to dispute those comments given Rousey‘s improvement, as highlighted by the fact she’s won three of her past four fights by knockout rather than her patented armbar submission. She’s become a more well-rounded fighter to increase her advantage over everybody else.
That said, the bottom line remains the same. Rousey is the overwhelming favorite regardless of how the fight ends up playing out. But Holm‘s chances, however small, are greater if the bout turns into a pure striking encounter rather than a grappling contest.
Holm: Defend Early and Slow the Pace
Quite simply, most of the important keys for Rousey‘s recent opponents have been rendered immediately null and void. She has won her last three bouts in a combined 64 seconds by taking control from the opening bell and quickly ending things.
Holm must be prepared for that initial aggression. Everything else is secondary to surviving those first 30 seconds. She needs to exert a strong defensive showing to prevent the champion from getting in prime position to lock in the armbar or deliver the fight-ending punches.
If Holm can accomplish that, then the focus can shift toward the other elements of her game plan. One of them is trying to slow down the pace of the fight by maintaining distance and utilizing her power effectively when Rousey tries to move in.
That would allow her to potentially push the fight into the second or third round. Miesha Tate fought Rousey tough until the 58-second mark of the third round in their second matchup. Nobody else has survived the first, but that’s not what the challenger is really focused on, per Martin Rogers of USA Today.
“I am not coming to try to last longer than Ronda’s other opponents,” Holm said. “I am coming to win. (People) think I am not going to do it—I am going to try to prove you (all) wrong.”
Ultimately, she doesn’t feature nearly as many weapons as Rousey does, which means everything would need to go perfect for Holm to back up those words with a massive upset. But if she survives the initial barrage and can fight at her desired pace, she’ll at least test the champion like few others have.
UFC 193 marks the promotion’s first trip to Australia, so it’s fitting the red carpet is getting rolled out, with Ronda Rousey putting her bantamweight championship on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm on Saturday night.
Rousey’s …
UFC 193 marks the promotion’s first trip to Australia, so it’s fitting the red carpet is getting rolled out, with Ronda Rousey putting her bantamweight championship on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm on Saturday night.
Rousey’s fights have become legendary because of how quickly they end. The champion has won her last four bouts in a total of two minutes and 10 seconds. Holm is more methodical, winning her first two UFC fights by decision, so the contrast in styles makes for an interesting main event dynamic.
UFC 193 Fight Card
Fighter to Watch: Holly Holm
Holm gets the spotlight as the fighter to watch simply because there doesn’t seem to be any hype around her, despite challenging for Rousey’s title. The 34-year-old from New Mexico has two UFC fights under her belt, including one in the semi-main event at UFC 184, which Rousey headlined.
The only “problem” with Rousey’s dominance is it’s left UFC with few challengers to throw at her. Just going over the official UFC fighter rankings, the only fighters ahead of Holm who haven’t fought Rousey are Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena.
However, Holm is ranked seventh on that list of women’s bantamweight fighters. There was speculation before the bout was announced that Rousey would get a third fight against Miesha Tate, who had already lost to the champion twice.
Tate has given Rousey the biggest challenge of her career, taking their bout at UFC 168 into the third round. It’s the only time in 12 fights that Rousey has needed more than one round to win a match.
As for why UFC opted to go in a different direction, president Dana White told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times that Holm presented a unique challenge for Rousey:
Everyone has jitters in their first fight. Holly came back from that and destroyed a woman who’d looked damn good in her previous fights. When you talk about the possibilities of what Holly can do … she’s a world-class boxer … the Holly Holm fight for Ronda is way more intriguing.
All eyes in the main event are going to be on Rousey, no one can dispute that. She’s the biggest star in mixed martial arts, and she’s one of the few athletes in any sport whom you have to make a point of watching because she has done such unique and special things.
Holm has a chance to shock the world with no one giving her much of a chance. Odds are heavily skewed toward Rousey, with Odds Shark listing her as a minus-1500 favorite.
Flying under the radar isn’t a bad thing. Holm has no pressure on her, and a victory over Rousey will make her an instant superstar.
Fight to Watch: Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
A fight between two heavyweights who have knockout power is one of the most exciting things in mixed martial arts. There’s a reason the boxing community is yearning for depth in the heavyweight division, because it always makes things more interesting.
Saturday’s main card fight between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva is not going to have title ramifications. Hunt is 41 years old and has lost his last two fights. Silva is 36 years old and has one win since May 2013.
Looking at things from a long-term perspective, Hunt vs. Silva doesn’t pop. Taking the fight as pure entertainment, though, it would be hard for any matchup to top this one.
It also helps that this is a rematch from one of the best heavyweight battles in recent memory: a five-round bloodbath at UFC Fight Night in December 2013 that ended in a majority draw. Silva was later stripped of his fight night bonus and suspended for nine months for failing a post-fight drug test.
As the numbers show, Hunt and Silva are knockout specialists. Silva has some grappling and submission skills in his arsenal, but he wants to stand and trade with an opponent.
Expectations for the heavyweight duel should be high after that first bout. Sequels always face an uphill battle living up to the original, but even if Hunt and Silva don’t match that initial high, their styles mesh so well that it should be extremely entertaining no matter the result.
Main Event Prediction: Rousey def. Holm
It’s hardly a surprise that Rousey is my prediction to win. I was tempted to go against the grain and say it wouldn’t happen until the second round, but even that feels like stretching it.
This is a fight in which some of the numbers can be deceiving, at least on Holm’s side. The challenger has a perfect 100 percent takedown defense rating on UFC.com, which would seem to be a huge advantage because Rousey is at her best working on the ground to get the armbar.
However, Holm’s previous opponent, Marion Reneau, has not been credited with a single takedown attempt in three UFC fights.
According to Andrew Flowers of FiveThirtyEight.com, there is one opening Rousey presents that can work to Holm’s advantage:
If there’s one argument in favor of Holm, it’s that Rousey’s hyper-aggressive flurry of attacks can leave her vulnerable to strikes. And Holm is probably a better striker than anyone Rousey has faced. Rousey’s striking defense stands at only 52 percent — meaning Rousey’s opponents connect half the time. Holm is a better defender, deflecting 69 percent of her opponent’s strikes. In short, when Rousey is not landing blows, she’s liable to be receiving them. Holm will hope to take advantage of this weakness.
Anyone who has seen a Rousey fight, will know she comes out of the gate like a charging bull. It’s almost as if she is so anxious to assert her will that she has to run to the opposite side and start swinging.
That strategy has worked perfectly for Rousey thus far. None of her opponents seem to have any idea what to do with themselves, leaving them open to absorbing strikes and being taken to the ground.
Holm’s biggest problem is that she doesn’t possess true knockout power, despite coming from a boxing background. Her 15 knockouts in 47 fights (38 in boxing and nine in MMA) indicates she is better at methodically wearing down opponents.
Rousey is not the kind of opponent a slow and methodical strategy will work against. The contrast in styles gives the champion a significant edge and will ensure she retains her title in spectacular fashion once again.
The next chapter in the Ronda Rousey reign of domination will take place Saturday night in Melbourne, Australia, as she faces Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193.