Cris Cyborg will defend the UFC women’s featherweight belt against Holly Holm at UFC 219 on December 30th, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The bout has been declared as the main event for UFC 219, ending speculation that Irish superstar Conor McGregor is going to make an appearance at the UFC’s final event of the year.

Odds Favor Cyborg

Cyborg won the featherweight belt after easily outclassing Tonya Evinger at UFC 214. The two fought for the vacant title after Germaine De Randamie forfeited the crown after beating Holly Holm at UFC 208. Holm, meanwhile, rebounded from the loss and defeated Bethe Correia in her next fight.

Cyborg is the favorite here at -334 while Holm is the underdog at +250. The line may look surprising to some especially those who say that Holm is moving up in weight to face a bigger Cyborg. But then Holm has fought before at higher weights. She fought as junior welterweight and welterweight as a boxer and kickboxer.

Two Elite Strikers

In MMA, Holly Holm fought as a bantamweight but she moved up to featherweight to face Germaine De Randamie at UFC 208 for the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title. Holm lost that bout but controversially so, because she was on the receiving end of punches after the bell at the end of rounds two and three.

Cyborg vs. Holm is a battle between two elite strikers and when you have two powerful ladies like these squaring off against each other, all it takes is one strike to win the fight. Holm is the more disciplined fighter between the two and is slightly longer in reach. She has never been knocked out in her MMA career, but she also has never faced a monster like Cris Cyborg before.

On Another Level

Cyborg puts on a relentless pace and won’t stop until she sees her opponent down and out.

We saw some of her striking weaknesses when she sparred Olympic champion Claressa Shields and knowing that Holm is a world champion boxer you think she’d have Cyborg’s number in the stand up. Not only does Cyborg have to watch out for Holm’s punches, but she also has to be wary of Holly’s kicks. Holm uses leg kicks better than any fighter in the sport.

But Cyborg is on another level in terms of power and aggression. It’s these that’s going to make the difference here. Both fighters are going to land their shots in this fight. Each will have her moments and despite the power between these two, it’s hard to see a quick ending.

Both are durable and have good defense so this fight is likely going to go past round three. After the midway point though, Cyborg’s power and pressure should wear down Holm. If she doesn’t get a late stoppage, Cris Cyborg is going to win this by unanimous decision.