The UFC is introducing a new title with one well-known fighter notably missing out of the first match for the gold.
On ESPN Tuesday night, it was revealed that former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm will battle fellow bantamweight fighter Germaine de Randamie to become the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight champion.
The fight will headline UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on February 11th.
Surprisingly, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino is not involved as during media interviews last week, Dana White said Justino turned down two opportunities to fight for the title. Justino cited needing recovery time from the hard weight cut she endured before her September beatdown of Lina Lansberg.
Justino was the final Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion and is the current Invicta women’s featherweight champion.
Holm has been quiet since losing to Valentina Shevchenko in July, her second straight defeat. The 35-year-old rose to prominence with her November 2015 knockout of Ronda Rousey, but lost to Miesha Tate in dramatic fashion in her first defense of the gold.
The 32-year-old de Randamie has finished two straight opponents, but has fought just twice in the last three years.
UFC needed a main event for the show, given they just postponed their January PPV and were running out of time to start the promotional plan for February. That would lead one to believe that the men’s featherweight championship unification bout between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway will not be on that February 11th show as Aldo alluded to Monday.
As of now, Holm vs. de Randamie is the only fight announced for the show.
Final ratings are in for Saturday’s UFC on Fox 20 with the show doing a much better rating than expected with 2.975 million viewers — their best on Fox since January 2015.
Other than former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm in the main event, this show had nowhere near the star power of any previous Fox show. In addition, the prelims portion of the show (also on Fox) was down from last July’s show at 1.261 million viewers. That’s further evidence that this rating was almost entirely due to Holm.
Last July’s show, with a much stronger card, featuring a men’s bantamweight title fight between TJ Dillishaw and Renan Barao and a top contender’s fight between Miesha Tate and Jessica Eye, did 2.758 million viewers for the main card and 1.341 million for the prelims.
Holm was coming off featured fights on consecutive PPVs that did over 1 million PPV buys each with the November 2015 UFC 193 title win over Ronda Rousey and her title loss to Tate at March’s UFC 196.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC on FOX 20: Holm vs. Shevchenko from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
This event is headlined by a five-round bout in the women’s bantamweight division as former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm takes on Valentina Shevchenko. In the co-main event, it is a pivotal lightweight bout as Edson Barboza takes on former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 4:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
HEAVYWEIGHTS LUIS HENRIQUE (8-2 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) VS. DMITRY SMOLIAKOV (8-0, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Henrique misses a head kick. Smolyakov with a leg kick and then another. Henrique with a big punch and a knee that rocks Smolyakov and they clinch against the fence. Smolyakov with some punches in the clinch. They trade knees and Henrique lands one on the break. Smolyakov with a right hand and Henrique goes for a takedown but it is defended. Smolyakov with short punches in the clinch and some body punches. Smolyakov with a right hand. Henrique with a takedown attempt and he picks Smolyakov up and slams him. Henrique with some punches from the guard and then a big round of elbows. Henrique looking for a finish with some big punches and elbows. 10-9 Henrique.
ROUND 2- Smolyakov already looks gassed out. Henrique lands a left hand. Smolyakov with a leg kick and stuffs a takedown attempt from Henrique. Henrique looks for a high kick but eats a right hand as they clinch against the fence. Henrique working for the takedown. Smolyakov works for a takedown but Henrique sprawls and starts landing some punches. Henrique takes the back and landing some punches from the back. Henrique with more big punches and looking to finish. Smolyakov is doing nothing. Henrique with more punches. Smolyakov with a back elbow but still eating a lot of punches. Henrique with more punches as Smolyakov is doing nothing. Henrique has the choke in and Smolyakov instantly taps out. Henrique with the submission win.
Official Result- Luis Henrique def. Dmitry Smolyakov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:58 of Round 2
INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was a very poor fight and not a good showing for Dmitry Smolyakov. He doesn’t look like he is ready for the UFC and tapped out the moment he found himself in trouble on the ground. It’s only his first UFC bout but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is cut- it was that awful of a showing. Luis Henrique got the win but didn’t look like a viable threat in the division. He is just 22, so there is plenty of room for improvement.
FEATHERWEIGHTS JIM ALERS (13-2 1 NC, 1-1 1 NC UFC) VS. JASON KNIGHT (13-2, 0-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- They trade punches to start. Alers lands a solid combo. Knight with an oblique kick. They trade again. Knight with another oblique kick. They trade right hands. Alers with a right hand and a left hand. Knight with a big leg kick that trips Alers up. Knight with a solid jab followed by a right hand and an oblique kick. Knight with some trash talk in the middle of the fight daring Alers to take him down. They trade punches and Knight is cut under the right eye. Leg kicks from Knight and then a high one. They trade and clinch but Knight shakes the clinch off. Alers with a leg kick. Knight with a leg kick but eats a right hand from Alers. Alers scores a big takedown. Knight scrambles to his feet. Alers with a jab. Knight with a leg kick but it is checked. Alers with a left hand. Knight with a good combo. Knight gets a big takedown but gets right back up and begs Alers to stand. Knight with a solid combo. Good round. 10-9 Knight.
ROUND 2- Knight with a leg kick. Alers with a big right hand and they scramble to the mat but back up after a second. Knight with a leg kick. Alers lands a big right hand countering a combo from Knight. Knight with another oblique kick. Alers lands a left hook. Knight with a body punch and then lands a left hand. Knight with another leg kick. Knight with a good combo. Alers with a jab to the body. Knight with more taunting during the round. Knight with a leg kick. Knight with more leg kicks. Alers is now cut above his right hand. Knight with more trash talk. They trade and Knight with a right hand and then some more and then a front kick. Knight with a big leg kick and then another. Alers isn’t checking leg kicks but scores a takedown. Alers in the guard and Knight looking for a gogoplata. Alers esacapes to his feet and lands a big right hand as he gets back in the guard. They get to their feet and Knight with a quick takedown and they scramble. Good round and fun fight. 10-9 Knight, 20-18 Knight.
ROUND 3- Alers comes out and hurts Knight right away with a right hand and instantly gets the takedown. Alers with some punches from the top but Knight is very active from the bottom. Alers gets to his feet and Knight is able to push off and gets to his feet. They scramble and finally separate. Knight with a leg kick. Alers looking very tired right now. Knight with a body punch. They trade punches and Knight with a leg kick. Knight with a right hand that cracks Alers. Knight with another oblique kick. Alers goes for a takedown but it is stuffed but he gets one and into side control. Alers into the guard and Knight working rubber guard. Both men scoring with strikes on the ground. Knight with short punches from the bottom. Knight uses the cage to scramble to his feet. Knight gets a quick takedown but back up as the fight ends. Great fight. 10-9 Alers, 29-28 Knight.
Official Result- Jason Knight def. Jim Alers by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- Early contender for fight of the night. I’m not sure how you can give Alers two rounds so that is a bad scorecard in my eyes. Knight showed a lot of improvement compared to his first bout against Tatsuya Kawajiri. He can have some fun fights but will need to keep his emotions in check against tougher competition. Alers has just one win in four UFC bouts but with this entertaining bout he will see another fight in the Octagon in all likelihood. Alers has good skills but needs to work on conditioning, checking leg kicks as they did a lot to hurt him in this fight and not telegraphing his takedowns so much.
WELTERWEIGHTS ALEX OLIVEIRA (14-3-1 1 NC, 3-2 UFC) VS. JAMES MOONTASRI (9-3, 2-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- They both try and land kicks but they miss. Oliveira went for a takedown but it was defended. They are clinched and Oliveira with short punches. They scramble but Oliveira presses Moontasri right back against the fence. Moontasri spins Oliveira around and lands a knee to the body. Oliveira with a knee that went low and we have a timeout. Moontasri is in a ton of pain. He is able to continue after taking time to recover. Moontasri with a leg kick. They are clinched against the fence and each land short punches. They trade knees. Moontasri with an elbow. Oliveira going deep for a takedown but can’t get it. Oliveira lands a knee. Moontasri with an elbow. They are still clinched and Oliveira with some uppercuts as the round ends. 10-9 Oliveira.
ROUND 2- Moontasri with a leg kick and then a high kick. Oliveira with the clinch against the fence. Oliveira going deep looking for a takedown and lands a low knee. Moontasri reverses position but Oliveira reverses back. Oliveira has the single leg. Oliveira with a knee to the body. They both miss uppercuts. Oliveira dropping down working hard for the takedown. Oliveira with the takedown and he steps over to half-guard. Moontasri trying to scramble but ends up getting almost mounted. Oliveira with punches from the top. Oliveira with more punches from the top. Moontasri has Oliveira in his closed full guard. Oliveira with a big right hand followed by hard elbows and punches from the top. Moontasri is tired. Oliveira with big punches to the body from the top. Oliveira with more punches as Moontasri scrambles. They get to their feet and Oliveira with a knee to the body. 10-8 Oliveira, 20-17 Oliveira.
ROUND 3- Moontasri with a high kick. Oliveira lands a right hand and Moontasri is able to counter with a right hand. Oliveira with a right hand and pressures Moontasri against the fence and scores the takedown. Oliveira with punches and elbows from the top. Oliveira in the full guard and lands a body punch. Oliveira with more smothering punches from the top control. Oliveira with body punches from the guard. Oliveira with more short punches from the top as he’s doing enough to keep the fight from being stood up. Oliveira with body punches. Oliveira with more punches to the body from the top. This is going to the judges. 10-9 Oliveira, 30-26 Oliveira.
Official Decision- Alex Oliveira def. James Moontasri by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- Oliveira with a very dominant win over Moontasri in kind of a boring fight. He fought a smart fight in keeping the distance closed and using the clinch and takedowns to smother Moontasri. Moontasri is a distance striker but was never able to get a rhythm going on his feet, and he didn’t look like he ever fully recovered from the early low blow. He has some work to do in the clinch and on the ground and Oliveira really exposed his weaknesses. As for Oliveira, he has had some good showings in the UFC and this is his most complete win so far in six appearances.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX- 6 PM ET/3 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS MICHEL PRAZERES (19-2, 3-2 UFC) VS. J.C. COTTRELL (17-3, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- They trade leg kicks. Prazeres with a high kick. Prazeres ducks under a right hand and scores a takedown but Cottrell gets back to his feet. Cottrell with a right hand but Prazeres counters with a takedown. Prazeres tries to scramble to the back and Cottrell reverses and Prazeres is looking for an omaplata. Prazeres’ legs are really locked down on Cottrell’s arm. Cottrell tries to roll out and Prazeres uses the scramble to end up on top. Cottrell attacking the arm from the bottom. He lets go and Prazeres is in the half-guard. Prazeres looking to move to the mount. Cottrell with body punches from the bottom. Prazeres passes to side control. Prazeres does a good job at keeping Cottrell from scrambling out. 10-9 Prazeres.
ROUND 2- Prazeres with a leg kick. Cottrell tries to land a right hand but Prazeres ducks under and lands a takedown. Cottrell scrambles but gives up his back and Prazeres takes him down. They get to their feet but Prazeres still has the back and then lets go. Cottrell misses a body kick. Prazeres ducks under another punch and gets another takedown and has the back of Cottrell. They get to their feet but Prazeres still has the back. Prazeres with a big right hand on the break. Prazeres with a body kick. Prazeres with another takedown. Prazeres with some body shots in the guard of Cottrell. They get to their feet and Prazeres with a knee to the body. Cottrell stuffs a takedown attempt. Prazeres with a couple of leg kicks and then scores another takedown. They both land body punches as both look tired. 10-9 Prazeres, 20-18 Prazeres.
ROUND 3- Prazeres with a solid combination. Cottrell lands a right hand but Prazeres fires back his own right hand and then a head kick. Prazeres with a solid flush combo and then a body kick. Prazeres with punches to the body and head and then a body kick and he goes right into a takedown. They scramble to their feet and Prazeres has the back. They break. Prazeres with a combo to the body and then clunches against the fence. Cottrell is very tired. Prazeres with a combo and then ties up with Cottrell. They trade punches and Prazeres with a right hand. Prazeres with another brief takedown. Prazeres with a right hand. Prazeres with a left hand and then an overhand right. Cottrell with a low blow but there are ten seconds left. 10-9 Prazeres, 30-27 Prazeres.
Official Result- Michel Prazeres def. JC Cottrell by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was an uneventful fight. Cottrell took the fight on short notice and it really showed as he got tired early. Prazeres is physically imposing at 155 pounds with a large, muscular frame, but he played it completely safe in this fight. When he had Cottrell in trouble, he wasn’t looking for a finish but instead went for takedowns. He was getting them all, and it made him tired, and while he dominated the fight, it didn’t show much in the case of overall ability. He can get the takedowns, but against a good wrestler, he’s gonna need to rely on the striking, and his gameplans are gonna hurt him against better competition.
WELTERWEIGHTS KAMARU USMAN (7-1, 2-0 UFC) VS. ALEXANDER YAKOVLEV (23-6-1, 2-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- They clinch right away against the fence. Usman with short punches. Yakovlev with a knee. Usman with a brief takedown and gets another. Usman with punches from the top. Usman gets Yakovlev back down and he is warned multiple times about grabbing the fence. John McCarthy takes a point away as he did give Yakovlev multiple warnings and he did grab the fence about three times. Yakovlev gets to his feet but Usman still has the body locked. Usman with knees. Usman with another takedown and Yakovlev is grabbing both fence and Usman’s shorts again. Usman drags Yakovlev down and is in side control. Usman back in the full guard of Yakovlev and lands an elbow. Usman controlled the round and wins big with the point deduction. 10-8 Usman.
ROUND 2- Yakovlev with a leg kick and Usman with a right hand. Yakovlev with a body kick. He lands another. Usman with a right hand to the body. Yakovlev with another hard body kick. Yakovlev with a knee to the body. They clinch and Usman deep in for a takedown. Usman gets the takedown and is in the half-guard. Usman with body punches from the top. Usman with more big punches from the top. He is doing enough to keep the fight on the mat. Yakovlev attempts to scramble as Usman made a mistake in stepping over and Yakovlev looking for a leglock. Usman escapes and is in the north-south position. Usman with elbows to the body. Usman with more punches to the body. 10-9 Usman, 20-17 Usman.
ROUND 3- Yakovlev misses a knee and Usman closes for a takedown. Usman with body punches as he has the back. Usman steps over into the half-guard. Usman with body punches. Yakovlev trying to scramble out from the bottom. They get to their feet and Usman gets another takedown and is in full mount. Usman with punches from the top. Usman with elbows looking for the finish in the full mount. Usman with more elbows from the top. Yakovlev rolls and gives up his back. Usman with a knee to the body. Usman has the back. Yakovlev got to his feet and grabbed the fence again. Usman with some knees to the legs and drags Yakovlev to the ground and gets into the mount. Yakovlev with a cut under the eye. Usman with punches and elbows from the top. Yakovlev survived the fight but this was complete domination. 10-8 Usman, 30-25 Usman.
Official Result- Kamaru Usman def. Alexander Yakovlev by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was a completely dominant performance from Kamaru Usman. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that exciting. Yakovlev had nothing for him on the mat and couldn’t avoid the takedowns if his life depended on it. Yakovlev’s best defense on the mat was grabbing the fence and he could’ve had more than just one point taken away. A complete nothing performance from Yakovlev, and he could be cut after this. Usman looks like he’s going to be a real solid threat at 170 pounds, and his wrestling is very strong. This was a strong win for him.
FEATHERWEIGHTS (#11) DARREN ELKINS (20-5, 10-4 UFC) VS. GODOFREDO PEPEY (12-3, 4-3 UFC)
ROUND 1- Pepey with a spinning back kick and then a spinning back fist to start and he stuns Elkins. Pepey with a knee in the clinch and they break. Pepey with a high kick and Elkins is able to counter with a takedown and is in the guard. Pepey looking for a kimura and Pepey reverses to full mount. They scramble and Pepey pins Elkins down and is on top. Pepey with a big right hand. Pepey passes to half-guard and they scramble to their feet. Elkins looking for a takedown against the fence and gets it and lands an elbow on the way down. They trade punches on the ground. Pepey attacking from the bottom by throwing up the legs. Elkins with body punches from the full guard. Pepey looking to attack with his legs again. Elkins with some hammerfists from the top. Elkins with short elbows and Pepey is able to scramble to his feet. Elkins picks Pepey up and Pepey looking for a kimura as he has the arm of Elkins. Elkins back in the full guard. Good round of action. 10-9 Elkins.
ROUND 2- Pepey with a spin kick and he goes to the mat and Elkins chases him down. Pepey has the leg and is looking for a kneebar and Elkins is scrambling to escape. Pepey with some hard elbows from the bottom. They scramble to their feet and Pepey lands an illegal knee. Elkins was clearly down and that was clear as day. Pepey landed a right hand after as well. Herb Dean deducts a point from Pepey. Elkins is bleeding. Pepey with a right hand. Elkins ducks under a right hand from Pepey and gets a takedown. Elkins with some body punches from the bottom and blocking Pepey’s offensive attempts. Hard elbows from the bottom by Pepey. Elkins with some hammerfists from the top and then goes with the elbows. 10-8 Elkins, 20-17 Elkins.
ROUND 3- Elkins with a big body kick to start the third round. Elkins with another high kick. Pepey with a body kick and Elkins gets the body and Pepey pulls guard. That was a dumb move by him. Pepey with a punch from the bottom. Elkins with some elbows from the top. Elkins with some more ground and pound. Pepey pushes Elkins off but Elkins gets right back into the half-guard. Pepey separates and they get to their feet. Pepey misses a jumping knee and pulls guard and Elkins back on top. Elkins with more hard elbows from the top. Elkins with a big right hand from the top. Elkins mixing it up with strikes to the body and head. Pepey with small punches from the bottom but doing nothing to escape. Pepey tries to push off but Elkins is relentless from the top. Elkins with more big strikes from the top as the fight ends. 10-9 Elkins, 30-26 Elkins.
Official Result- Darren Elkins def. Godofredo Pepey by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 30-26)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was your standard smothering performance from Elkins. He looked as good as usual and Pepey gave him a fight. Unfortunately for Pepey, he made a lot of mistakes. Not only was the blatant knee that led to a point deduction a head-scratcher, so was him pulling guard multiple times and allowing Elkins’ suffocating top game to take over. Pepey hasn’t fought in a long time but is not ready for the level of Elkins. Elkins just keeps grinding along.
BANTAMWEIGHTS (#12) FRANKIE SAENZ (11-3, 3-1 UFC) VS. (#15) EDDIE WINELAND (21-11-1, 3-5 UFC)
ROUND 1- Saenz with a couple of leg kicks to start. Saenz with another leg kick. Wineland with a quick takedown but they scramble right back up. Wineland with a right hand. Saenz with a leg kick. They trade punches. Saenz with a leg kick and lands a right hand after. Wineland drops Saenz with a right hand and he has him in trouble. Saenz recovers but gets tagged by Wineland again. Saenz lands an uppercut. Saenz gets a takedown. Saenz with some body punches on the ground. Wineland with an elbow from the bottom. Saenz with an elbow from the top. Wineland scrambles and gives up his back. Saenz drags him down. Saenz is cut pretty big at the top of his head. Saenz just holds position as the round ends. 10-9 Wineland.
ROUND 2- Saenz with a low kick and we have a timeout as it got the wrong part of Wineland. Back to action and they trade kicks. Wineland just misses an uppercut. Saenz lands a right hand after Wineland lands a right hand to the body. They trade right hands. Saenz with a right hand. They each land and Wineland with some solid punches. Saenz with an inside leg kick and it went low. We have a brief timeout as Wineland says it wasn’t that bad. Saenz lands a right hand but Wineland counters with a combo. Saenz misses a spinning back fist and eats a combo from Wineland. Wineland stops a takedown from Saenz. Saenz with a knee to the body and then a leg kick. Wineland lands an uppercut. Wineland clips Saenz with a right hand and he goes down for a moment. 10-9 Saenz, 19-19.
ROUND 3- This is a close fight. Saenz with a leg kick after they trade punches. Wineland lands a right hand. Wineland ducks under a Saenz punch and lands a right hand to the body. Saenz with an inside leg kick. He goes for a takedown but Wineland throws him back off. Wineland with a big right hand that drops Saenz and Saenz is in big trouble. Saenz to his feet and Wineland with more big punches and it is stopped! Big TKO win for Wineland in the third.
Official Result- Eddie Wineland def. Frankie Saenz by TKO (punches) at 1:54 of Round 3
INSTANT ANALYSIS- This was a very solid fight and Wineland looked solid for being out for the last year. He dropped Saenz multiple times and connected clean in the third and finished Saenz when he had him in trouble. Saenz was unable to find openings against the unique style of Wineland but it was a close fight until the finish. Both men are still solid top-15 fighters in the division.
ROUND 1- Herrig with a body kick. Herrig with a left hand. Herrig with a combo and a body kick. Herrig with another body kick. Curran tags Herrig but Herrig takes the fight to the mat. Herrig gets the back and has a rear-naked choke locked in and Curran is fighting it off. It is still in but Curran trying to survive. Curran taps! Herrig with the submission win in the first round.
Official Result- Felice Herrig def. Kailin Curran by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:59 of Round 1
INSTANT ANALYSIS- This fight went quick but Herrig looked like the veteran she is and Curran looked a little cautious and nervous out there. Herrig has been out of action for well over a year due to a lot of personal and mental issues but the layoff didn’t seem to effect her here. Curran is just now 1-3 in the UFC, and while she has loads of potential, she may be on the chopping block. That may be a good thing for her since she had only three pro bouts before coming to the UFC, and some more experience against lesser competition may be the best for her.
HEAVYWEIGHTS FRANCIS NGANNOU (7-1, 2-0 UFC) VS. BOJAN MIHAJLOVIC (10-3, 0-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Ngannou is a specimen to be seen. I hope he’s not USADA’s next victim. Mihajlovic misses a right hand. Ngannou with a left hand that drops him. Ngannou with big punches from the top and this fight is quickly stopped. Mihajlovic is upset but this was a mauling that went quick.
Official Result- Francis Ngannou def. Bojan Mihajlovic by TKO (punches) at 1:34 of Round 1
INSTANT ANALYSIS- That went how it was supposed to go. Ngannou is a big, scary dude at heavyweight and with tons of power. He made a bold statement that he will be champion in his post-fight interview. Mihajlovic was just a sacrificial lamb giving up five inches in height, 31 pounds and ten inches in reach. Ngannou can be a legitimate contender but needs to fight someone who has been around in the UFC for a while in his next fight. Mihajlovic may be one and done in the UFC. He is definitely too small for heavyweight and would get crushed by a lot of light heavyweights as well.
ROUND 1- Melendez lands a right hand. Barboza with two leg kicks and Melendez with two right hands. Melendez with a combo. Melendez goes for a takedown but it is defended and he lands a right hand. Melendez fakes a takedown and throws Barboza’s footwork off track. They trade and Melendez lands a left hand. Barboza goes for a kick but Melendez catches it and chases him to the fence and lands a knee. Barboza with two heavy leg kicks. Barboza with a spinning back kick to the body. They trade punches. Melendez lands a nice combo and a solid left hook. Barboza with a left uppercut. Barboza with a body kick. They exchange punches and Barboza with a right hand. Melendez with a right hand. Barboza with a flying knee to the body. 10-9 Barboza.
ROUND 2- They trade wild punches to start the second round. Melendez just misses a right hand as he tries to close the distance. Melendez with some right hands. Melendez goes for a takedown but Barboza throws him off and Barboza with some leg kicks from the standing position. Barboza with a leg kick. Barboza with another leg kick and Melendez goes down and eats a right hand on the way back to his feet. Barboza with another leg kick. Barboza with a switch kick to the body and then a leg kick and then one back to the high body. Melendez stuns Barboza with a right hand. They are firing away. Melendez had Barboza in trouble there. Barboza has slowed down but lands a leg kick. Melendez with a body kick but Barboza catches the leg and gets a takedown. Both men landing on the ground in an exciting end to the round. 10-9 Barboza, 20-18 Barboza.
ROUND 3- Barboza with two leg kicks. Another big leg kick from Barboza forces Melendez to switch stances. Barboza with a left hook and another leg kick. Barboza with another leg kick. Melendez misses a right hand. Barboza with more leg kicks. Melendez misses a right hand and eats another leg kick from Melendez. Barboza with another leg kick. Melendez shoots for a takedown but easily defended by Barboza. Barboza with more leg kicks but Melendez checked one. Melendez just misses a right hand. Barboza misses a leg kick. Melendez with a right hand. Great performance from Barboza. 10-9 Barboza, 30-27 Barboza.
Official Result- Edson Barboza def. Gilbert Melendez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- Another great showing from Barboza, who keeps improving every time he’s inside the Octagon. He went to his bread and butter, the leg kicks, and Melendez paid for it. Barboza is technically great, but there are still some signs that he leaves himself open for trouble. Melendez dropped him once and didn’t capitalize on it, and by going for the takedown instead of attacking Barboza more on the feet, likely cost him the second round and could’ve changed how he fought in the third. Barboza is in an interesting position now as his teammate is Eddie Alvarez, the lightweight champion, but Barboza is definitely creeping up in the title discussion.
ROUND 1- Both faked leg kicks to keep the distance in the opening minute. They trade leg kicks. They trade leg kicks again. Shevchenko with a left hand. Holm drops Shevchenko with a left hand and lands a high kick as Shevchenko got up. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick. Shevchenko lands a right hook and Holm lands a side kick. Holm misses a head kick. Shevchenko lands a right hand. They each land kicks. They clinch and Shevchenko with a takedown. Holm right back up. Holm with knees in the clinch. Holm with short knees as she has Shevchenko pressed against the fence. They break. 10-9 Holm.
ROUND 2- Shevchenko with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Shevchenko misses an axe kick. Holm just misses a side kick. Shevchenko with a leg kick. The pace is slow this round. Shevchenko with the clinch looking for a takedown but Holm turns her around. They break and Holm stumbles. Shevchenko with a right hook. Shevchenko with a spinning back fist that Holm blocks. Holm with a side kick to the body. Holm lands a right hand but Shevchenko counters with a left hand. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick. They trade punches. Shevchenko with a left hand. Holm lands a right hand as Shevchenko stumbles. Holm with a leg kick and Shevchenko misses a spinning back fist but lands a leg kick. 10-9 Shevchenko, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Shevchenko with a leg kick. Shevchenko with a right hook. Shevchenko just misses the spinning back fist. She is trying to time it. Shevchenko with a leg kick and then a side kick. Holm misses a head kick. Holm with a right hook. Shevchenko lands a right hand and then a jab. Holm tries a leg kick and Shevchenko catches it and takes her down. They scramble up and Holm puts Shevchenko against the fence. Holm is cut above her right eye. They scramble and Shevchenko with another takedown. Shevchenko in the half-guard. Shevchenko lands a couple short punches and then a knee to the body but not very active otherwise. Crowd booing big time hoping for a standup. Shevchenko lands some elbows from the top. 10-9 Shevchenko, 29-28 Shevchenko.
ROUND 4- Holm with a right hand and Shevchenko with a high kick. They trade kicks. They both miss kicks. Holm just misses a side kick. Shevchenko lands a combo. Shevchenko with a wheel kick. Holm with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Shevchenko with a combo. Shevchenko with a leg kick. They clinch for a moment and Holm with a body kick on the break. Holm lands a left hand. Shevchenko with a combo and a leg kick. Shevchenko with a combo. Not much happened this round. 10-9 Shevchenko, 39-37 Shevchenko.
ROUND 5- Shevchenko lands a right hand. Shevchenko with a Superman punch. Shevchenko lands a combo. Holm lands a right hand. Holm with a leg kick. Shevchenko with an inside leg kick and then a wheel kick that lands and then a counter right hook. They trade leg kicks. Shevchenko lands a right hand and then a left hand. Holm with a leg kick. Holm with a body kick. They trade punches and Holm lands a side kick. Shevchenko lands a right hand and then a jab. Holm getting aggressive at the end and lands a right hand. Shevchenko misses the spinning back fist. Shevchenko lands a combo. 10-9 Shevchenko, 49-46 Shevchenko.
Official Result- Valentina Shevchenko def. Holly Holm by unnaimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
INSTANT ANALYSIS- With this result, you really have to question even more the booking decisions made in this division. There was lots of money thrown away by not going with the Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm rematch, and now neither are champion and Holm is no longer in title contention. As for this fight, it was clear that Holm couldn’t get going because she works best as a counterstriker, and Shevchenko fought a calm and patient fight where she didn’t get aggressive and Holm had no answer for her. Holm is clearly not what she was when she fought Ronda Rousey, for whatever reason that may be. Shevchenko could’ve beaten Amanda Nunes had there been two more rounds, and she is a threat in that division. Still, this risky booking in this division may have killed it dead for now. Holm didn’t get going, expecting the counterpunches, and Shevchenko was the better fighter in this fight.
On a night when UFC was holding a Fight Night event in South Dakota that may have been the most entertaining fight card of the year, the promotion won a couple of ESPY awards — one that was somewhat expected and another that was a bit of a shock.
Holly Holm’s November 2015 win over then-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 was voted Upset of the Year, which wasn’t much of a surprise. What was a surprise was that Conor McGregor was voted Fighter of the Year over UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and boxers Canelo Alvarez, Roman Gonzales, and Gennady Golovkin.
The awards are voted on by the fans, so perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that the very popular UFC featherweight champion won the award. His last appearance — a sound defeat at the hands of Nate Diaz — must have not made as much of a negative impact.
In other ESPY results, the Holm vs. Rousey bout, and specifically the finish, finished #6 in a field of 16 in the “Play of the Year” award, while McGregor lost in the Breakthrough Performance category to Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta.
Other UFC news from today:
– UFC announced an FS1 Fight Night show eminating from Hidalgo, TX, on Saturday September 17th. There will now be a UFC event every Saturday night in September.
– Wilson Reis, who was originally scheduled to face flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in a title fight at UFC 201 in Atlanta, will now face Sean Santella. That match is happening despite Louis Smolka calling him out during the Sioux Falls show and asking for it to be an interim title fight.
– Also for UFC 201, Ross Pearson, fresh off a loss to former Bellator champion Will Brooks this past Friday, will move up to welterweight and take on another former lightweight in Jorge Masvidal.
– In another match announced today, Lorenz Larkin will step in for the injured Dong Hyun Kim to face Neil Magny at UFC 202 in Cleveland.
On Wednesday night, ESPN announced its nominees for this year’s ESPY awards, the winners of which will be announced on the live July 13 show from Los Angeles where John Cena will be the host.
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is nominated along with Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, and Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns in the category of Best Breakthrough Athlete.
Holly Holm’s win over Ronda Rousey was nominated for Biggest Upset, along with Middle Tennessee over Michigan State in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and Roberta Vinci over Serena Williams in the U.S. Open. Because fans vote for the awards, Holm could have a good shot at winning.
Holm was also nominated for Best Play Of The Year for her November 2015 knockout of Rousey in Australia.
McGregor and Robbie Lawler were nominated for Fighter of the Year which is weird since McGregor last lost in a fight against Nate Diaz, while many thought Lawler lost in his last outing against Carlos Condit, a fight he won via a razor-thin split decision.
The UFC is working on a number of fights for July involving big names including Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, as well as former champions TJ Dillashaw and Holly Holm.
As reported on UFC Tonight and MMA Fighting Wednesday night, a number of fights are in the planning stages:
Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao, a rematch of their 2013 fight that Assuncao won via close decision, is being targeted as the “main event” for the Fox Sports One portion of UFC 200. They are also planning on adding one more big-name fight to that card which will round out the five-fight PPV show.
Rumble Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira is being worked on for the company’s July 23rd show in Chicago, a big FOX show. After Teixeira’s recent quick win over Rashad Evans, he called out Johnson who was game for the fight. The winner would determine the No. 1 contender for the winner of the light heavyweight title unification bout between Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. That fight could be part of the first Madison Square Garden show this fall.
Also in the works for that FOX Chicago show and a possible main event is former bantamweight champion Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko. Shevchenko had a 58-2-1 record as a kickboxer before going into MMA, where she is now 12-2. However, she did lose her last UFC fight to Amanda Nunes.
As if that wasn’t enough for the FOX Chicago show, Globo reported Wednesday that former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gil Melendez will return after a year off due to testing positive for PEDs to face Edson Barboza, he of the recent big win over Anthony Pettis.
The company also announced that UFC 201 would take place on July 30th in Atlanta, GA, with an anticipated main event of welterweight champion Robbie Lawler vs. Tyron Woodley.
We’ll talk more about these fights and the rest of the news in wrestling and MMA on Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a much anticipated event headlined by UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor taking on Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout after Diaz replaced the injured Rafael Dos Anjos, who was scheduled to defend the UFC Lightweight Championship against McGregor on this card. In the co-main event, it will be UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm making her first title defense since defeating Ronda Rousey as she defends against Rousey’s long-time rival, top contender Miesha Tate. Also on the card is our very own “Filthy” Tom Lawlor as he takes on Corey Anderson. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in a middle along with a best fight and worst fight to [email protected]?subject=UFC%20196%20Feedback”>Dave Meltzer.
First round: Trading body kicks. Erosa front kick knocked Ishihara down. Nice high kick by Ishihara. Punch and knee by Ishihara and Erosa was down but quickly up. Low kick by Ishihara. Front kick by Erosa put Ishhara down. Now they are in a clinch against the fence. They were quickly separated. Left high kick and big punches by Ishiara. Ishihara hurt him with a left. Erosa took him down. Erosa’s left leg looks horrible. Close round. 10-9 Ishihara
Second round: Ishihara knocked him down and finished him with punches from the top right away. It was a left counter behind the ear that put Erosa down and good punches on the ground that finished him.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- JASON SAGGO (10-2, 1-1 UFC) VS. JUSTIN SALAS (12-6, 3-3 UFC)
First round: Salas took him down off a kick. Saggo reversed to the top. Salas has a cheering section. Saggo working for an armbar. Now he’s got Salas’ back. Saggo is punching. Saggo continued punching him from that position until it was stopped.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- DIEGO SANCHEZ (25-8, 14-8 UFC) VS. JIM MILLER (25-7 1 NC, 14-6 1 NC UFC)
First round: Sanchez ran across the ring in and grabbed Miller’s leg and threw him down. Miller back up. Mlller started to land. Miller with counter right. He land some more. Sanchez took him down. Short slam by Sanchez while in guard. Sanchez landing some punches from the top. Sanchez landing some elbows. 10-9 Sanchez.
Second round: Miller made him stumble with a low kick. Miller continues to land low kicks. Miller with a body punch. Body kick by Miller but Sanchez took him down off it. Miller back up. Sanchez bleeding from the left ear from elbows by by Miller. Head kick by Miller. Nice left by Miller. Spin kick by Sanchez didn’t land solid. Miller went for a takedown but Sanchez sprawled. Sanches went for a takedown, Miller grabbed a guillotine and threw a knees. More knees by Miller. Sanchez popped out. Sanchez went for a takedown and Miller spun behind him. Miller’s round so 19-19.
Third round: Sanchez grabbed his leg for a takedown but Miller blocked. Miller with a right. Fans chanting for Sanchez. Sanchez is more active. Sanchez went for a takedown but it was blocked. Miller went for a takedown but didn’t get it but land a body kick. Left landed by Sanchez. Sanchez got a quick takedown but Miller up Body kick by Miller. Both swinging wildly at the end. Close fight but I’ve got Sanchez 29-28.
Scores: All three had it 29-28 Sanchez
Sanchez cut a promo putting over Miller and Fight Pass, as well as Jesus Christ and Yoga.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#11) DARREN ELKINS (19-5, 9-4 UFC) VS. CHAS SKELLY (15-1, 4-1 UFC)
First round: Elkins on top punching and Skelly going for heel hooks. Skelly continues going for a heel hook. Elkins throwing knees. Left by Elkins. Elkins landing a lot of uppercuts. Skelly with a right. Elkins with knees. Punches and knees by Elkins. Both swinging. Elkins 10-9.
Second round: Elkins landed punches. Elkins with a right and slammed him down. Elkins with knees to the body in the clinch on the fence. Elkins tripped him down and into side control. Skelly regained guard. Elkins landing punches from the top. Elkins 20-18.
Third round: Elkins took him down and got his back. Skelly back up. Takedown by Elkins. Elkins is working for a choke. Skelly out and back up. Both landing. Takedown by elkins and more punches on the ground Elkins connected on some good shots. Elkins 30-27.
Scores: 30-27, 29-27 and 30-26 for Elkins
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- VITOR MIRANDA (11-4, 2-1 UFC) VS. MARCELO GUIMARAES (9-1-1, 2-1 UFC)
First round: Guimaraes has him against the cage. They were separated. Both landing punches. Body kicks by Miranda. Guimaraes in with punches and going for a takedown. Los of elbows by Miranda as Guimaraes went for a takedown. Guimaraes fighting hard for a takedown but not getting it. The ref separated them again. Miranda starting to land and Guimaraes is tired. Guimaraes 10-9 but he’s the one tired at the end.’’
Second round: Guimaraes going for a takedown. Miranda landing a ton of elbows from that position and then separated, landed a head kick which stunned Guimaraes. After three solid punches standing it was called off. Good stoppage.
First round: Spin kick to the body by Silva. Silva with a low kick. Spin kick to the body and low kick by Silva. Silva missed a high kick. Takedown by Taleb and few punches. Silva wanted to touch gloves and then threw a hard right. He turned himself heel with that one. Taleb landed some punches. Low kick by Silva. Tale back with a calf kick. Silva shot in but the round ended. Close round 10-9 Silva.
Second round: Body kick by Slva. Taleb countered with a right that knocked Silva silly and it was immediately waved off. The place went bananas. That one should score 50G’s.
First round: Body kick by Thatch. Body kick by Thatch. Siyar moved in and landed punches. Body kick by Siyar. Siyar landing a lot of punches. Pretty wild action. Spinning elbow by Thatch and Siyar landing more punches. Siyar wth punches. Thatch with a knee and a takedown. Thatch went for a guillotine as Siyar reversed to the top. Thatch is working for a triangle but Siyar cleared it. Siyar landing punches on the ground. Good round 10-9 Siyar.
Second round: Thatch with a front kick and head kick. Siyar then took him down. Siyar landing punches. John McCarthy ordered a standup. Thatch landed punches. Siyar with knees and a takedown. Siyar landing punches. Siyar 20-18.
Third round: Siyar with punhes and took hij down again and hurtring him with punches on the ground. Siyar with more punches. McCarthy stood them up again. Takedown by Siyar. Siyar landing good punches on the ground. Siyar moved to side position and used a head and arm choke to finish.
First round: Body kick by Nunes while Shevchenko threw a punch. Nunes with a head kick. Shevchenko with punches. Body punch by Nunes. Shevchenko with more punches. Low kick by Nunes. Body kick by Nunes. Nunes with a takedown. She’s throwing weak body punches. Nunes 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Nunes and Shevchenko went for a takedown and kick to the body but Nunes scrambled to the top. Nunes landing punches and elbows from the top. More elbows by Nunes. Nunes moved to side control. Shevchenko is bleeding. Nunes is working for a choke but doesn’t have it. Nunes with a body triangle. Shevchenko turned and got on top. Crowd loved this. Nunes 20-18.
Third round: Shevchenko took her down into side control. Shevchenko is working for a wristlock. Nunes out and up. Nunes is tired . Chevchenko with two hard knees. Left by Shevchenko. Nunes ent for a takedown, Shevchenko blocked it and threw some punches. Reality is Nunes could get a title shot but he way she fades in the third doesn’t bode well in a five round fight. Nunes 29-28.
Scores: 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27 for Nunes
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#12) COREY ANDERSON (7-1, 4-1 UFC) VS. TOM LAWLOR (10-5 1 NC, 6-4 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Anderson. Lawlor landed a lot of shots early. Andeson back with punches. Low kick by Anderson. Lefts by Lawlor Anderosn back with one. Low kick by Anderson. Anderson with another low kick. Action slowed midway through the round. Anderson with a right. Both landing. Right and left by Lawlow. Anderson with aleft. Both traded late. Very close round. 10-9 Lawlor.
Second round: Anderson slipped and went down but back up. Nice left by Lawlor. Both punched from close range. Right by Lawlor. Anderson back with a right. Low kick by Anderson. Anderson landing punches. Right by Anderson. Low kick by Anderson. Andeson with a low kick. Nice left by Lawlor. Front kick by Lawlor. Lawlor with a right. Lawlor with a good flurry late. Anderson tried a takedown and landed a knee late. Lawlor 20-18 but these rounds are close.
Third round: Body kick by Anderson. Right by Anderson. Anderson takedown into side control. Anderson landed a punch from the top. John McCarthy ordered a standup with 1:05 left. Right by Anderson and a low kick. Anderson’s round. Crowd lightly booed. 29-28 Lawlor but this could easily go either way.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 29-28 Anderson. Fans booed the decision a lot and through his promo.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#13) GIAN VILLANTE (14-6, 4-3 UFC) VS. ILIR LATIFI (11-4 1 NC, 4-2 UFC)
First round: Villante out with good body kicks. Latifi exploded for a takedown attempt that he didn’t get. Latifi landed a big left. Latifi landing several punches. Latifi on two had Villante hurt and then went for the takedown, which allowed Villante to recover. Latifi 10-9.
Second round: Villante landing kicks. Latifi with a German suplex. Left by Latifi. Latifi trying for a takedown. Villante was holding the fence bad and Yves Lavigne didn’t see it. He actually did use his body to shield it but it was really blatant. Crowd booing because they are just standing there. Latiifi with a spin kick. Left by Latifi. Latifi again has him against the fence going for a takedown. Latifi slammed him but Villante back up. Latifi 20-18.
Third round: Latifi with a body shot. Latifi again going for the takedown. Tried a belly to belly but didn’t get it. Big left by Latifi. Another left by Latifi. Side kick by Latifi. Body kick by Villante. Another slam by Latifi with 20 seconds left. Latifi 30-27
Scores: All three judges have it 30-27 Latifi. Really he won all three rounds solidly.
They showed Jon Jones, Joanna, GSP, Diaz and Conor and GSP got by far the biggest reaction, even above Conor.
First round: Holm got a really big reaction. Tate was cheered a ton but not at the level of Holm. This has a very intense feel about it, very much like a world title fight. Crowd really psyched. Miesha chant. Left and a kick by Holm. Tate tried a takedown and didn’t get it. Holly chant. Much louder than Miesha chants. Now loud Miesha chants unti Holm shoved her backwards. Left by Holm. Very little happening and crowd is still into it. Holm forward with punches. Holm with a flurry ending with a side kick. Tate landed some punches. Head kick by Holm. Tate missed on a big kick. Side kick by Holm. Holm 10-9.
Second round: Tate took her down. She’s in side controil. Place popped huge for that. Holm got guard. Tate with a punch. Miesha chants super loud. Elbows to the body by Tate. Hard elbows by Tate. Another good elbow by Tate. Tate has her back She’s working for a choke. She gave it up. Tate working for it agan. Crowd going nuts. Holm survived the round. 10-8 round for Tate so 19-18 Tate. This crowd is going nuts like few fights I’ve seen.
Third round: Head kick by Holm. Big shots by Holm. Tate tried a takedown but didn’t get it. Side kick by Holm. Body kick by Holm. Kick and punch by Holm. Left by Holm. Right by Holm. Tate landed some punches and Holm with a body kick. Tate tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Holm tried a head kick but it was blocked. Holm’s round so 28-28 after three.
Fourth round: Tate with a left. Holm with a combo. Tate again tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Holm threw her off. Tate shot in but Holm blocked her. Holm with punches and threw an elbow when she let her up. A series of punches by Holm. Front kick by Holm and more punches. Holm 38-37 going into the final round.
Fifth round: Left by Holm. Holm with two side kicks. Holm with a left. Tate pushed her against the fence. Holm turned her. Holm threw an elbow to break the clinch. Holm with punches and a high kick. Tate is too slow to grab the leg when Holm is throwing her side kicks. Tate got her down and got her back again. Tate is working for a choke. Holm flipped her over but Tate held on and got the choke tighter. Holm went out without tapping. Unreal. This is one of the best finishes you’ll ever see. This match was so intense live. 3:30
WELTERWEIGHTS- (FTW C) CONOR MCGREGOR (19-2, 7-0 UFC) VS. (#5 LW) NATE DIAZ (18-10, 13-8 UFC)
First round: The place is still electric. Not nearly the Irish contingent as in the past but McGregor is still the big crowd favorite. Big left by McGregor. Diaz has him against the fence. McGregor out and landed a left and a right. McGregor landing punches. Good body punch by Diaz. Diaz starting to land. Spin kick missed by McGregor. Diaz is starting to land. Both are landing good shots. Diaz with a body kick. Diaz bleeding from the right eye. McGregor is targeting the eye. Diaz took him down but McGregor is on top. McGregor landing punches from the top. McGregor 10-9.
Second round: Spin kick by McGregor. Spin kick landed by McGregor. McGregor landing to the body. Left by McGregor. McGregor with a spin kick. Big fight by McGregor. Diaz is bleeding badly now. Big right by McGregor. Diaz tied him up against the fence. McGregor is really going to work on him now. Diaz’s face is a mess. Diaz slapped him in the face. Right by Diaz. Knee by McGregor. Uppercut by McGregor. McGregor landing a lot of shots and Diaz back with punches. Diaz actually missing most but now he’s landing. Diaz is starting to take over. Diaz has McGregor in trouble Diaz landing a ton of punches. Diaz with a ton of lefts. McGregor now coming back with punches. Diaz back with punches and has him hurt. McGregor went for a takedown and is on top. Diaz is punching the hell out of him and he’s got the choke and McGregor is not getting out of this. 4:20
UFC 197 is still over a month away, but with tickets going on sale this week, UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael Dos Anjos, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm and Miesha Tate will be involved in today’s UFC 197 Press Conference from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which hosts the event on March 5. Dos Anjos will defend the UFC Lightweight Championship against McGregor, who will be looking to become the first fighter to hold two titles in two different weight classes at the same time when he goes for 155-pound gold in the main event of UFC 197. In the co-main event, Holm will make her first title defense against Tate, winner of four straight fights. Hear from those four, along with UFC President Dana White, at 2 PM eastern time by watching above.
Also announced for the UFC 197 card is Filthy Four Daily co-host and our very own Tom Lawlor taking on Corey Anderson in a light heavyweight bout, Erick Silva taking on Nordine Taleb in a welterweight bout, and a featherweight clash between Darren Elkins and Chas Skelly.
Dana White is spending the day at ESPN in Bristol, CT and has made two announcements thus far.
The first is that he said a Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch is imminent.
“I think that if we didn’t make the rematch, me and Lorenzo should probably lose our promoters’ license,” White said on the Mike & Mike show. “Yeah, that fight’s going too happen. I don’t know when, but that’s the fight that will happen.”
White also said on Sports Center that the winner of the Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor fight on 12/12 would be sharing the upcoming video game cover with Rousey, saying that he believed it was the first time in major sports that a result of a match would determine who is on the cover of the new video game.
Holm knocked out Rousey in an historic upset in 59 seconds of the second round in the main event of UFC 193 from Melbourne, Australia on November 15th. The show drew one of the three biggest buyrates in company history. A properly-promoted rematch should beat that number, perhaps handily.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back tonight to talk tons of news topics including our full review of Raw from Monday night with the go-home angles for Survivor Series, World Title tournament matches, that terrible main event segment and more! Plus, ROH’s new TV deal, fallout of Holly Holm beating Ronda Rousey, tons of questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm from the Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The event is headlined by UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey putting her championship, and status as the most dominant female fighter on the planet, on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm. In the co-main event, it is a second womens’ title fight as UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends against Valerie Letourneau. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 6:15 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action moves over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary fights before the main card kicks off at 10 PM eastern time on pay-per-view. We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle as well as a best fight and worst fight to [email protected].
FLYWEIGHTS- BEN NGUYEN (13-5, 1-0 UFC) VS. RYAN BENOIT (8-3, 1-1 UFC)
First round: This isn’t an early arriving crowd at all. Real noticeable in such a huge stadium. Nguyen is from Australia so he’s the crowd favorite. Nguyen hurt him with a left and right and took him down. Now he’s in full mount. Benoit gave up his back. He’s got him flattened out near the cage. He’s now working for a choke. Benoit is protecting his neck. Nguyen landing punches now. He flattened him out again and working for a choke Benoit tapped out.
WELTERWEIGHTS- JAMES MOONTASRI (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. ANTON ZAFIR (7-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Hard body kick by Moontasri. Good right by Zafir. He went for a takedown but couldn’t get it. Takedown by Zafir. Zafir with punches and a knee to the body. Moontasri back up. Moontasri briefly tried a guillotine. Moontasri moved away. High kick by Moontasri. Front kick by Zafir Spinning backfist by Moontasri put Zafir down and finished him with punches on the ground. It was a spinning back kick to the ribs and then the spinning backfist. Zafir said his ribs were broken.
WELTERWEIGHTS- RICHARD WALSH (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. STEVE KENNEDY (22-7, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Walsh from Sydney is the big babyface here. Walsh with low kicks. Kennedy’s leg is about to give out. Walsh landing a lot of punches. Kennedy’s left leg is all bruised up. Kennedy got a takedown and got his back. Walsh back up. Kennedy took him down again. Kennedy is working for a choke. Kennedy now working for a Kimura. Hard round to score 10-9 Walsh.
Second round: Crowd super hot at the start of round two. Walsh landing punches. Kennedy went for a takedown but Walsh landed on top after sprawling. Walsh backed off and wanted him to stand. Good right by Walsh. Kennedy failed another takedown. Kennedy tried a triangle but lost him. Walsh blocked another takedown and Walsh on top landing punches. Walsh landing a lot of punches from the top. Walsh backed off and Kennedy had to get up. Takedown by Kennedy. He’s staying on top. 20-18 Walsh but first round could go the other way.
Third round: Body kick by Kennedy. Walsh with a left. Walsh landing punches and on top. Walsh has his back. Walsh let him up and landed a punch. Kennedy staying on his back. The ref ordered Kennedy to stand. Nice uppercut by Kennedy. Kennedy laid on his back again. Walsh punching and kicking the the left leg Walsh landing punches. Walsh landed a right on the ground. Walsh with a few more punches on the ground. Walsh 30-27, although 29-28 would be okay, but Walsh easily took this
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Walsh.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- DAN KELLY (9-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. STEVE MONTGOMERY (8-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Kelly the hometown hero but he’s 38 years old. Nice left by Kelly. Knee by Montgomery to the body. Body kick by Montgomeruy. Big left by Kelly. Kelly landing a lot of punches from close range. Judo takedown by Kelly and he’s landing elbows. Kelly landing punches on the ground. Montgomery back up. Another judo hip toss by Kelly. Kelly landing more punches on the ground. Kelly thinkng a choke. Elbow on the ground by Kelly. Another takedown by Kelly. Kelly 10-9.
Second round: Montgomery landing punches but Kelly got a clinch. Kelly didn’t get the takedown and an elbow by Montgomery. Good left by Montgomery. Both trading punches. Knees by Montgomery from close range. Left by Montgomery. Knee by Montgomery from the clinch. Judo whip by Kelly. Kelly working for a guillotine. Now he’s looking for a D’arce choke. Montgomery back up. Left by Kelly. Another left by Kelly. High kick by Montgomery. Knee by Montgomery. Montgomery landing punches. Uppercut by Montgomery. Kelly is clearly tired. Punches by Montgomery. Knee by Montgomery. Kelly missed a throw. Another knee by Montgomery. Montgomery’s round so 19-19 going into the thrid.
Third round: Knee by Montgomery. Accidental low knee by Montgomery. Left by Montgomery. Montgomery landing all kinds of jabs. Kelly got a clinch. Kelly went for a takedown but Montgomery blocked it. Montgomery landing but Kelly with a good left. Body kick by Montgomery. Another left by Kelly. Kelly got a clinch but Montgomery escaped. Montgomery with jabs. Kelly with a left. Body kick by Montgomery and more punches. Big left by Kelly, Good low kick by Montgomery. Another left by Kelly. Big left by Kelly. Knees by Kelly. Kelly threw him down That may have won him the fight. Kelly has his back. Kelly working for a choke but doesn’t have it. Kelly bleeding. Kelly spun to side mount and into full mount. Kelly landing punches from the top and Kennedy moved. Kelly working for a head and arm choke. He doesn’t have it. Time is running out. But that won him the fight. Good fight. Kelly 29-28.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 Kelly
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
FLYWEIGHTS- RICHIE VACULIK (10-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. DANNY MARTINEZ (16-7, 0-3 UFC)
First round: Martinez throwing punches. Vaculik fought at 155 on TUF and is now fighting at 125. Takedown by Martinez. Elbow by Martinez. Both swinging. Martinez landing punches. Vaculik with a takedown. Martinez escaped. Martinez 10-9.
Second round: Martinez landing punches early. Takedown by Maritnez. Martinez has him against the fence. Martinez dropped him He landed a knee and hard punches. Hard left by Martinez. Takedown by Vaculik and he’s got his back. Martinez reversed to the top. Takedown by Martinez. Martinez landing some punches from the top. 20-18 Martinez.
Third round: Takedown by Vaculik. Takedown by Martinez. Knee by Martinez as Vaculik got up. Vaculik started landking but Martinez took him out again. Another takedown by Martinez. Martinez with punches. Martinez with punches on the ground. Vaculik got up.
Scores: 30-27 across the board for Martinez.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- ANTHONY PEROSH (15-9, 5-6 UFC) VS. GIAN VILLANTE (13-6, 3-3 UFC)
First round: Villante hurt him with a right. High kick by Villante. Villante is a lot more patient than in the past after the Tom Lawlor fight. Villante with right. Good uppercut by Villante. Perosh is wobbly. Body kick by Villante. Left by Villante. Perosh with a right. Villante knocked him out with a right to the jaw.
WELTERWEIGHTS- KYLE NOKE (21-7-1, 5-3 UFC) VS. PETER SOBOTTA (15-4-1, 2-3 UFC)
First round: Noke is from Australia, one of their veteran stars. Sobotta landing punches. Noke landed a great kick to the body and Sobotta collapsed. That was a perfect sick kick. Noke is landing punches on the ground. And it’s over. It was a front kick right to the ribs.
First round: Left by Arreola. Right by Arreola. Left by Arreola. Matthews with punches in the clinch. Arreola tripped him up and landed a good left. Arreola hurt him. He dropped him with a head kick and now has his back He’s working for a choke. More punches by Arreola and he’s again working for a choke. He’s again working for a choke. Matthew escaped and got on top and Mathew pouding the hell out of him Matthews with elbows. Hard round to judge. 10-9 Arreola
Second round: Matthews with a body kick. Takedown by Matthews. Matthews with elbows from the top. Matthews with more elbows and Arreola bleeding. Matthew swith a hard punches and elbows. Now body shots by Matthews. 10-8 round for Matthews so up 19-18.
Third round: The doctor stopped the fight because the cut so Matthews won. The cut over the right eye was pretty deep and was swelling really badly. Arreola was really upset by it.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#14) STEFAN STRUVE (26-7, 10-5 UFC) VS. JARED ROSHOLT (13-2, 5-1 UFC)
First round: Rosholt landed a right. Rosholt with a low kick. Fans booing the lack of action. Rosholt got the takedown. He’s in side control. Fans booing. Rosholt back on top. He moved to side control. Struve kicked him off but Rosholt back on top. Rosholt 10-9. Crowd booing.
Second round: Struve’s s left leg is all bruised up. Rosholt landed a right. Rosholt moved in to try and takedown. Rosholt got the takedown. He got up but Rosholt dragged him down. Rosholt in side control. Struve throwing nasty elbows late in the round with both on their back. Rosholt 20-18.
Third round: Low kick by Struve. Struve landed a left. Right by Struve. Another right by Struve. Low kick by Struve. Rosholt tried for a takedown but Struve blocked it. Rosholt moved in for another takedown. Head kick by Struve. Front kick by Struve. Right and left by Struve. Struve landed a few punches but Rosholt took him down and moved into side control. Struve up and Rosholt shoved him into the fence. Rosholt running away. Struve took him down. Struve landed elbows. Crowd booing. Struve won the round but Rosholt should have it 29-28.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 Rosholt
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#10) URIAH HALL (12-5, 5-3 UFC) VS. (#14) ROBERT WHITTAKER (14-4, 5-2 UFC)
First round: Whittaker came out aggressive. Hard right by Whittaker. High kick by Hall. Body kick and left by Hall. Low kick by Whittaker. Hall went for some Ricochet double spin kick and Whittaker took him down. Left and right from the top by Whittaker. Whittaker got mount but Hall kicked him off. Whittaker landing punches from the top. Whittaker has his back. Hall reversed to the top. 10-9 Whittaker.
Second round: Whittaker rocked him with a right. Whittaker got behind him and stomped his foot. Hall got lucky. He got punched in the eye but the ref called it an eye poke so he got off the hook. Right by Whtitaker. Whittaker bleeding from the nose. Whittaker landed a nice left. Whittaker 20-18.
Third round: Hall out aggressively but Whittaker landing punches that hurt Hall. Whittaker stomping his foot. Hall landed a head kick. Flying knee and another head kick by Hall. Hall with knees the body. Hall coming back. Whittaker just trying to tie him up. Great front kick and head kick by Hall. Whittaker landed a left. Left by Whittaker. Nice right by Whittaker. Hall with a right. Whttaker with a body kick and punch. Whittaker got behind him. Whattaker took him down. Hall’s round so Whittaker 29-28. Really fun fight.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 Whittaker
HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MARK HUNT (10-10-1, 5-4-1 UFC) VS. (#11) ANTONIO SILVA (19-7-1, 3-4-1 UFC)
First round: Low kick by Hunt. They exchanged punches. Hunt with a low kick. Hard body kick by Hunt. Knee by Silva. Another low kick by Hunt. Hunt dropped him and it’s over.
First round: Letourneau punched her and got her down and punching on the ground. Joanna back up. Both throwing knees. Great kick to the face by Joanna which turned Letourneau around. Exchanging punches. Letourneou with high kick. Letourneau 10-9.
Second round: Both exchanging punches. Low kick by Joanna. Joanna threw a kick but Letrouneau caught the leg. Letourneau pushed her against the cage. Elbows by Joanna. Exchanges. Letourneau landed the best shot. Letourneua landed a few. Joanna with a right. Joanna with a series of punches. Joanna’s round close 19-19.
Third round: Nice front kick by Joanna. Joanna with a low kick. Joanna now landing a lot. Letourneau looks tired now. Joanna landing a lot now. Letourneau’s face is all bruised up. Joanna’s round she’s up 29-28.
Fourth round: Good right by Joanna. Front kick by Joanna. She went for another one but Letourneau caught the leg. Both trading shots. Joanna busting her up now. Joanna landing kicks and punches. The crowd is starting to boo now. Letourneau landed some punches. Front kick by Joanna. Joanna landed a lot of punches late in the round. 39-37 Joanna.
Fifth round: Joanna has thrown more than 200 strikes. Body kick by Letourneau. Joanna is too quick at this point. Low kicks by Joanna. Letourneau’s left leg is all red. Low kick and rihg by Joanna. Joanna landing a lot of punches. Letourneau back with a punch. Joanna messed up her left eye and left leg. Very good fight. 49-46 Joanna. Joanna landed 258 total strikes in the fight.
First round: Ronda wouldn’t touch gloves. Holm landed a left. Left by Holm. Right by Holm. Ronda landed with a right. Ronda locked up with her. It’s turning into a kickboxing match. Right by Holm. Right by Holm. Ronda locked her up. Rousey got her down. Holm escaped the armbar. Holm kicking the knee and dancing away. Left by Holm. Big left by Holm. Hard left by Holm. Anothrer left by Holm Ronda with a left. Holm took her down. Crazy. Back in a clich. Holm 10-9.
Second round: Ronda is tired and her nose is all bloody. More lefts by Holm. Side kick by Holm. Rousey missed a punch and fell down. Left head kick by Holm knocked Rousey down and she’s in trouble. Punches on the ground and it’s over. Wow. :59
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm weigh-ins from the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia kicking off at 5 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before moving over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time. This will be the UFC’s third stadium show and the first visit to Melbourne, Australia.
The event is headlined by two title fights in each of the UFC’s womens’ divisions topped by dominant champions. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey looks to continue her reign as the best female fighter in the world as she puts her 12-0 record and title on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm. UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk looks to continue her dominance of the 115-pound division as she puts her title and undefeated record on the line against Valerie Letourneau, winner of four straight fights. Also on the card is a heavyweight bout that is a rematch of an all-time classic fight as Mark Hunt takes on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT): Ronda Rousey (134) vs. Holly Holm (134) – UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship Joanna Jedrzejczyk (114) vs. Valerie Letourneau (115) – UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship Mark Hunt (265) vs. Antonio Silva (263) Uriah Hall (185) vs. Robert Whittaker (185) Stefan Struve (265) vs. Jared Rosholt (239)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT): Jake Matthews (155) vs. Akbarh Arreola (155) Kyle Noke (169) vs. Peter Sobotta (169) Anthony Perosh (205) vs. Gian Villante (205) Richie Vaculik (125) vs. Danny Martinez (125)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT): Dan Kelly (185) vs. Steve Montgomery (185) Richard Walsh (170) vs. Steve Kennedy (169) James Moontasri (170) vs. Anton Zafir (170) Ben Nguyen (126) vs. Ryan Benoit (125)
*Ronda calling Holly’s niceness all fake, and Ronda can see through her. Ronda is ready!
*Ronda gets right in her face. Holly didn’t back down. Awesome!
*Joanna pre-stared her down before even getting on the scale, Dana stepped in. Joanna said, “Her lucky day was yesterday…”
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including Raw ratings from Monday, the slow and steady collapse, the WWE Title tournament and Survivor Series, Seth Rollins update, latest tournament brackets, Smackdown spoilers, UFC Saturday with Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm, Mirko Crocop retires and then gets popped by USADA, questions and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
The UFC heads back to Australia this weekend for the third stadium show in company history, headlined by the two most dominant women in the UFC today each defending their championships in front of a potential record-setting crowd. UFC 193 takes place on Saturday night on pay-per-view with the main card airing at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before heading on over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time for more prelim action.
The most dominant woman in MMA today, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, defends her title in the main event against undefeated challenger, Holly Holm, in a fight that could end up being the toughest test to date for Rousey. In the co-main event, the most dominant woman at 115 pounds, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, defends her title against Valerie Letourneau, winner of four straight fights. Also on the card is a heavyweight bout between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva, who meet in a rematch of their epic encounter from December 2013. Let’s take a deeper look into the action and give you five storylines to keep an eye on at UFC 193 on Saturday night.
1. Can Holly Holm be the woman to dethrone Ronda Rousey?
Ronda Rousey has been, arguably, the most dominant champion in UFC history, or at the very least, of the last couple of years. She is undefeated in her career at 12-0, and she has only been out of the first round once in her career. She has scored eight wins in less than a minute, three wins by knockout, and nine wins by submission, with all nine coming by her signature move- the armbar. She has amassed just under 26 minutes of total fight time in her twelve career fights. Everything about her fighting has been dominant. She has become a mainstream star unheard of in the sport, due not just to the attention she has received from being a fighter, but also due to her new-found status in Hollywood. She may not be long for the sport at this rate, but every time she steps foot inside the Octagon, you get the feeling you are about to see something special yet again.
Holly Holm is 9-0 since moving over to MMA from boxing, where she won 19 world titles in her career while putting together a 33-2-3 career record. She also has some professional kickboxing experience. She was impressive early in her MMA career, winning six of her first seven fights by knockout, leading to negotiations with the UFC. It was a long process, but she finally signed in July 2014. Injuries kept her from debuting for a while, but she was coming into the UFC with a lot of hype. She also works with one of the best fight camps in the world, the Greg Jackson camp in New Mexico, and under a lot of great coaches and with some of the best training partners in the world. She has been somewhat underwhelming in her two UFC bouts, scoring solid, yet overall unimpressive, wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau. She was selected as Rousey’s next opponent, likely before she was fully ready, because it was what Rousey wanted. Holm now has the chance to show she is the one that can dethrone the champion.
Holm’s two UFC bouts have almost been like walk throughs in anticipation of a chess match with Rousey. Holm moves around a lot on her feet, and she picks her attacks rather nicely. She throws a lot, but doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. She’s methodical in her approach. Rousey is much the same. Rousey doesn’t make mistakes, and she is much better on her feet than she has gotten credit for. She is also a master of gameplans. Holm’s coach, Greg Jackson, is also a gameplan master. Holm has shown good takedown defense, and it is going to need to be on point against Rousey. Both women fight very smart and Holm isn’t going to rush in right after Rousey. This fight may be different than any Rousey fight we have seen to this date, but it is hard to envision the outcome being any different. It’s not a matter of if Rousey will win, but how long will it take. We are in store for another special moment on Saturday, but Holm will be a very tough test for Rousey to pass.
2. Does Valerie Letourneau have a chance against Joanna Jedrzejczyk?
Valerie Letourneau enters UFC 193 on Saturday night challenging Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. She is doing it on the heels of four straight wins and is coming off a win over Maryna Moroz in August. She has been declared an undeserving challenger by most, but at the same time, they needed someone to challenge Jedrzejczyk, and she was likely the best option available at the time due to injuries and bookings to others. She enters as the biggest underdog in a title fight in history, and a simple $100 bet on her would win you $1,335 if she were to pull off the upset. Quite frankly, she is being counted out before the two women even step foot inside the Octagon. The big question is does she even stand a chance against Jedrzejczyk?
Letourneau has some solid striking and comes from a good camp in the American Top Team camp. The only losses in her career have come to Alexis Davis, Sarah Kaufman and Claudia Gadelha. Two of those have won and fought for titles, and the other, Gadelha, is next in line when she returns from the injured list. Jedrzejczyk is a different beast, though. She is undefeated in ten career fights, and she is likely the best striker in women’s fighting, no matter the weight class. She tees off on opponents, and her dominant win over Jessica Penne in her first title defense in June shows how great her attack is. She has overwhelmed both Penne and Carla Esparza in their title fight, and Gadelha has been the only one to give her a tough fight. Gadelha arugably beat Jedrzejczyk. Letourneau is going to need to be on the offensive and use her reach advantage. She won’t be able to outstrike Jedrzejczyk, so she should mix in some grappling. However, the champion is strong there. This is all set up for a showcase win for Jedrzejczyk, and it’s only a matter of how long it takes the champion to win.
3. Can Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva recapture the magic of their first fight?
Depending on who you ask and when you ask them, Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva were involved in the greatest fight in UFC history when they met each other in December 2013. It was an amazing heavyweight battle that surprisingly went 25 minutes, with over 320 strikes landed between the two of them. They were bloodied and battered, and when all was said and done, the fight ended without a winner. It ended in a draw, in one of those rare occurences where a draw is determined without a point deduction to factor in. It was a magical moment on that December night in Australia, and the two big heavyweights will step back into the Octagon again on Saturday night in Australia looking to recapture the magic of their first encounter. More importantly, after a draw, they, and fans alike, want a definitive winner.
When you are involved in one of the best fights in history, if you try it again with the same components, rarely does it ever live up to the first fight. Both men are different since that war. Hunt is coming off two straight losses, one of which was a brutal beating at the hands of Stipe Miocic. Silva lost his next two fights in bad fashion, but is coming off a big win over Soa Palelei. At this stage in their careers, it is unsure if either man has much left to give to the top contenders. Both still have that power that can make a difference in the heavyweight division, but their days of challenging for titles are likely long gone. That is why this is a perfect moment for a rematch. Hunt has the biggest difference maker in his right hand, but the beating he took at the hands of Miocic may be the beginning of the end for him. Silva’s chin can hardly take a punch these days, as his last five losses have all been first-round knockout losses. They are only going three rounds this time, and I sense a different outcome this time, with a winner truly decided. Who will that be? I like Hunt getting a knockout win.
4. Will Uriah Hall continue his surge up the UFC’s middleweight rankings?
Uriah Hall steps into the Octagon for fifth time on Saturday night, and he does so for the second straight time on short notice against a dangerous opponent. Last time it was Gegard Mousasi, and most thought Hall was headed to Japan to collect a paycheck and a beating. In the first round of their bout, it was looking like it was going to be a long night for Hall. However, in the second round, Hall pulled off a highlight-reel finish that he became known for during his time on “The Ultimate Fighter”. A spinning back kick landed to Mousasi’s face, then a flying knee, and before you know it, Hall finished Mousasi in a stunning upset to collect a performance bonus, a huge win, and the number ten ranking in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. It finally looked like Hall was going to start to live up to his potential as he has now won five of his last six fights.
He gets another tough foe on Saturday night as he steps in to fight Robert Whittaker, who has been looking great himself since moving up to 185 pounds. Whittaker is a former TUF winner, but after winning his first two UFC bouts, he dropped his next two. He has since won three straight, including two straight knockout wins after deciding to make the move up from 170 pounds. He has established himself as a formidable threat in the middleweight division, and he has moved to number 14 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. He has a lot of power in his hands and can finish fights quickly with his punches. He doesn’t have the overall striking prowess of Hall, and when Whittaker faced a similiar striker when he took on Stephen Thompson, it was Thompson finishing Whittaker. Hall has a lot of momentum, and with taking another short notice fight, while it’ll be his third fight in three months, he has a lot of confidence after the win over Mousasi. It’ll likely be a highlight-reel win in either direction, but Hall gets the job done here.
5. What else on the card is there to look out for?
The UFC 193 main card on pay-per-view rounds out with a heavyweight bout between Stefan Struve and Jared Rosholt. It will be Struve’s 16th appearance inside the Octagon, and after a long list of setbacks, he got back into the win column in scoring a decision win at UFC 190 in August over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which will be notable in history as the last fight in the legendary career for Nogueira. For Rosholt, it will be the first pay-per-view appearance for him as he looks to extend his two-fight win streak and move into the heavyweight rankings. He is 5-1 during his stint in the UFC, but it hasn’t been an overly impressive five wins as four of them have come by decision, and in not-so-pretty fashion. If there is one thing about Struve, it is that he can be finished, as all five of his UFC losses have come by knockout. It is the chance for Rosholt to score an impressive win, or for Struve to pick up his 11th triumph inside the Octagon.
In preliminary card action, each fight will feature a fighter hailing from Australia. It is not the most-stacked preliminary card in terms of name value, but features some solid fighters. One of the big names to watch is Jake Matthews, a 21-year-old lightweight looking to bounce back from the first loss in his career. He has been impressive in his short career, scoring seven of his eight wins by stoppage, but he gets a durable opponent in Akbarh Arreola, who has 22 wins by stoppage. In welterweight action, Kyle Noke looks for his second straight win against Peter Sobotta, holder of a seven-fight win streak. UFC veterans Anthony Perosh and Gian Villante will meet in a light heavyweight bout as both men look to rebound from setbacks in their previous bouts. A fight on the UFC Fight Pass portion to keep an eye on is the night’s opening bout, a flyweight contest between Ben Nguyen and Ryan Benoit. Nguyen has won seven straight fights, while Benoit is coming off an impressive second-round TKO win over Sergio Pettis at UFC 185 in March.
Full UFC 193 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. (#7) Holly Holm Betting Odds: Rousey (-1900), Holm (+1200) Prediction: Rousey by submission in round 1
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship: (C) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. (#8) Valerie Letourneau Betting Odds: Jedrzejczyk (-2150), Letourneau (+1300) Prediction: Jedrzejczyk by knockout in round 2
Heavyweights: (#8) Mark Hunt vs. (#11) Antonio Silva Betting Odds: Hunt (-265), Silva (+225) Prediction: Hunt by knockout in round 1
Middleweights: (#10) Uriah Hall vs. (#14) Robert Whittaker Betting Odds: Hall (-130), Whittaker (+110) Prediction: Hall by knockout in round 2
Heavyweights: (#14) Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt Betting Odds: Struve (-125), Rosholt (+105) Prediction: Struve by decision
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Lightweights: Jake Matthews vs. Akbarh Arreola Betting Odds: Matthews (-900), Arreola (+600) Prediction: Matthews by submission in round 1
Welterweights: Kyle Noke vs. Peter Sobotta Betting Odds: Noke (+145), Sobotta (-165) Prediction: Noke by decision
Light Heavyweights: Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante Betting Odds: Perosh (+325), Villante (-400) Prediction: Villante by knockout in round 1
Flyweights: Richie Vaculik vs. Danny Martinez Betting Odds: Vaculik (-105), Martinez (-115) Prediction: Vaculik by decision
