UFC 193: Ronda Rousey Versus Holly Holm Fight Preview

UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey makes the 8th defense of her title when she squares off against the UFC’s #7 ranked contender Holly Holm on November 14th, 2015 at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

Breaking Records

Rousey and Holm were supposed to headline the UFC’s year end event at UFC 195 on January 2nd, 2016. But after an injury to UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, the fight was moved forward to UFC 193 where the UFC hopes to break its All-Time attendance record in Australia’s 56,000 seater stadium. The All-Time attendance record in the UFC is 55,724 when Georges St. Pierre fought Jake Shields at UFC 129 in Toronto’s Roger Centre. With the additional seats to be placed in the playing field where the Octagon will sit, UFC 193 could easily beat that record especially since it’s Rousey now headlining the event.

Most Dominant Fighter

Rousey is hailed as the most dominant MMA champion, regardless of gender, in the history of the sport. She is ranked the #1 Womens’ Pound for Pound Fighter in the sport today and of all-time. She is also #4 in the UFC’s list of Pound for Pound fighters, the only female fighter to make the list, and rightfully so. Rousey has been so dominant that only one opponent has gone more than one round with her in 12 MMA bouts. She’s won all 12 bouts by stoppage: 3 by KO and 9 by submission. Her last four title defenses have lasted a total of 130 seconds including a 14-second submission of Cat Zingano at UFC 184.

Champion Boxer

Although undefeated in 9 MMA bouts, Holly Holm will not be the best MMA fighter that Ronda Rousey has ever faced. However, Holm is a former world boxing champion with a record of 33-3-1 with 9 KOs and is widely considered as the best striker Rousey will have ever faced. Holm is 2-0 in the UFC, beating Raquel Pennington by split decision in her debut and then Marion Reneau by unanimous decision last July.

Who Takes This?

Rousey’s never been an underdog before and this one’s not any different. She opened as a -1250 favorite and is currently a bigger -2000 favorite against Holm who is a +1000. While Holm may be an elite striker owed to her world class boxing background, Rousey’s striking has vastly improved in the past two years where she’s won by KO in three of her last four bouts. However, once Rousey takes the fight to the ground, Holm will be in instant trouble due to her inexperience. On the other hand, Rousey’s a submission expert who owns the best armbar submission in the sport. Pundits are picking Rousey to win this fight in the opening round, whether she knocks out Holm or submits her via armbar. Rousey’s just too dominant to lose and if that happens, it will be the biggest upset in the sport’s history.