UFC 193: Rousey vs Holm Preview and Tips

It was only January 2011 that UFC president Dana White unequivocally stated that there would ‘never’ be female fighters in the UFC. Fast forward four years and the UFC have two women’s divisions and the sports highest paid and most recognisable athlete is a women. It comes as no surprise then that as the UFC prepares to arrive in Melbourne for the biggest show in the company’s 22-year history that they have chosen two women’s title fights to be the main and co main events. Ronda Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will look to defend their titles on Sunday November 15th in front of a massive crowd at Melbourne’s Etihad stadium.

Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm

Ronda Rousey has transcended the sport of MMA. One of the most dominant female athletes on the planet, she is now also a movie star and feminist icon. In just 12 fights she has managed to become the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw. Her fighting style is quite simple; she uses her Olympic level judo game to force fights onto the ground then transitions to an unstoppable armbar. I feel her striking is a bit overrated; she has power and aggression, but lacks technique or striking defence. However her phenomenal grappling means that her opponents are so worried about the takedown that they leave holes to exploit on the feet.

Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm presents a different kind of opponent for Rousey. She is a 19-time world boxing champion and one of the most decorated female boxers of all time. Since vacating her belts to try her hand MMA, Holm has developed into more of a kick-boxer and tends to fight at kicking range in the UFC. So far in her MMA career, no one has been able to close the distance and take her down, but that is surely about to change on Sunday.

Verdict: In my opinion, Holm has only one way to win and that’s by head kick knockout. There is no way she will survive five rounds to win a decision and I don’t think she has the punching power to knock Rousey out. Holm is very good at keeping her opponent on the outside and I think she can do this for a while, but eventually Rousey will get her hands on Holm, hip toss her to the ground and sink in the finish.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Valerie Letourneau

This will be Jedrzejczyk’s second title defence since capturing the belt from Carla Esparza. A former Muay Thai world champion, Jedrzejczyk is by far and away the best striker in women’s MMA. She always throws in combination and is technically sound with punches, kicks, knees and elbows. She likes to stand just out of range and then explode in with a flurry of strikes. When she has an opponent hurt she is very good at cutting off the angles and backing them into cage to pile on the punishment. Her last three fights have been against opponents who have been looking to take her down, so I am looking forward to seeing how she looks against an opponent who is primarily a striker.

French Canadian Valerie Letournea is riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC and earned this this title shot with an upset victory over Maryna Moroz. She has spent the majority of her career at bantamweight, so she has a massive size advantage in this fight. Like Jedrzejczyk, Letourneau is a primarily a striker, whoever she does not possess the same arsenal as her Polish opponent. Letourneau tends to keep things simple, kicking at distance or trading hooks in the pocket. If she does manage to get this fight to the ground she should have the advantage, but Jedrzejczyk has displayed outstanding takedown defence so far in her career.

Verdict: The only real advantage I see for Letourneau is size, so unless she can outmuscle Jedrzejczyk and force this one to the ground, she is in for tough night. Letourneau is simply not ready for a striker of this calibre. I think Jedrzejczyk will pick her apart early and then turn it on as the fight goes on to force a referee stoppage.

Bet: Rousey by Submission/ Jedrzejczyk by TKO – $2.10 @ Sportsbet