UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano Early Main Card Preview and Predictions
UFC 183 is over and done with, which makes this a great time to take a look ahead to UFC 184, headlined by a women's bantamweight title fight between dominant champion Ronda Rousey and compelling challenger Cat Zingano. As of this writing, the full UFC 184 card is as follows:
Main Card
- Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
- Raquel Pennington vs. Holly Holm
- Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
- Tony Ferguson vs. Yancy Medeiros
- Mark Munoz vs. Roan Carneiro
Preliminary Card
- Alan Jouban vs. Richard Walsh
- Ramon Salazar vs. Norifumi Yamamoto
- Derrick Lewis vs. Ruan Potts
- James Krause vs. Valmir Lazaro
- Dhiego Lima vs. Tim Means
- Masio Fullen vs. Alexander Torres
The main card features an interesting mix of old talent looking to revitalize their careers and hot up-and-comers looking to build up their resumes.
What is the current outlook on each fight? Who will win?
Read on to find out.
Mark Munoz vs. Roan Carneiro
1 of 5
Division: Middleweight
Records: Mark Munoz (13-5), Roan Carneiro (19-9)
Likely finding its way to the main card with the tragic cancellation of Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort is a middleweight tilt between Mark Munoz and Roan Carneiro.
Carneiro, you may remember, won the BattleGrounds one-night, eight-man tournament (with commentators Chael Sonnen and Jim Ross and featuring Cody McKenzie's donating blood in order to make weight). That earned him a ticket back to the UFC...but boy, he does not have an easy test in front of him as he moves up in weight to take on a veteran wrestler.
Munoz has struggled mightily of late, with a 1-3 record over his last four and all three losses coming via brutal stoppage. That said, Carneiro is no Chris Weidman or Lyoto Machida. He likely isn't even a Tim Boetsch, whom Munoz actually beat decisively in 2013.
This writer is not quite willing to completely close the door on Munoz's time as a competitive middleweight. As such, expect him to grind out a win over a susceptible foe.
Prediction: Munoz, Decision
Tony Ferguson vs. Yancy Medeiros
2 of 5
Division: Lightweight
Records: Tony Ferguson (17-3), Yancy Medeiros (11-2 (1))
Yancy Medeiros certainly has the feel of a new Diaz brother, given his crafty submission skills and machine-gun shout-outs. He is definitely somebody to keep an eye on...but this feels like a squash match.
For all the strides Medeiros has made, Tony Ferguson might already be among the lightweight division's elites. With wins over solid opponents like Ramsey Nijem, Danny Castillo and a recent submission victory over Abel Trujillo, Ferguson should be poised to fight against somebody along the lines of Edson Barboza or Donald Cerrone. Medeiros, frankly, is a step down from many of the men Ferguson has already beaten.
As such, look for "El Cucuy" to assert himself from the get-go and take the victory without incident.
Prediction: Ferguson, Round 2 Submission
Jake Ellenberger vs. Josh Koscheck
3 of 5
Division: Welterweight
Records: Jake Ellenberger (29-9), Josh Koscheck (17-8)
UFC 184.
Two veterans of the sport enter. One veteran of the sport leaves...then the other leaves after being declared the winner.
Oh, and he gets to keep his job.
Indeed, this fight between former Quad City Silverback Jake Ellenberger and TUF1 alumnus Josh Koscheck has "loser goes to WSOF" written all over it. That, of course, stems from the fact that both are riding ugly three-fight losing streaks.
While this might feel like the UFC is sacrificing an aging stud for a young (albeit a less-than-successful-in-recent-years) stallion, Ellenberger likely has more miles on him courtesy of his 10-year, 38-fight career. That makes it hard to really peg who has an advantage from a physical standpoint.
In reality, this fight is deceptively close. Ellenberger owns substantially more power in his striking game but has clearly been struggling with the mental aspect of MMA over the last year, looking almost content to coast to losses.
Koscheck, on the other hand, doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit," but his power double and devastating-eye-poke-into-an-overhand-right combination doesn't have the pop it once did.
Ultimately, it's a pick 'em based on how much you believe in either man. I will favor Ellenberger for his knockout power, but a Koscheck win by decision is also a fairly realistic possibility.
Prediction: Jake Ellenberger, Round 3 TKO
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Raquel Pennington vs. Holly Holm
4 of 5
Division: Women's Bantamweight
Records: Raquel Pennington (5-4), Holly Holm (7-0)
At long last, uber-prospect (and women's boxing great) Holly Holm will make her UFC debut opposite TUF18 alum Raquel Pennington.
Make no mistake: This is Holm's fight to lose.
Holm is likely the single best striker in women's MMA. Her boxing accomplishments speak for themselves, and her training with Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn has given her even more tools to work with in the cage.
Pennington has a great physical frame to work with, and her "Oh God, she is dead" submission win over Ashlee Evans-Smith was quite impressive. That said, we have seen Pennington lose to fighters worse than Holm. Jessica Rakoczy effortlessly out-pointed her on The Ultimate Fighter, and Holm is across-the-board better than Jessica Andrade.
As such, look for Holm to cruise through Pennington and potentially right into a fight with Ronda Rousey.
Prediction: Holly Holm, Round 1 TKO
Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano
5 of 5
Division: Women's Bantamweight
Records: Ronda Rousey (10-0), Cat Zingano (9-0)
Ronda Rousey has achieved a level of dominance where you have to look very deeply into a matchup in order to find a way for opponents to win. While Cat Zingano is one of Rousey's stiffest tests to date, this is still her fight to lose.
So how could Zingano pull it off? Well, the Alpha Cat is one of the few true finishers in the division, with eight of her nine victories coming by submission or knockout. She owns strong knees in the clinch, making her the first challenger with something resembling an answer to Rousey's Judo takedowns. If she can avoid power punches and actually test Rousey's chin, it might open the door for a win.
But of course, this is still Rousey. She will almost certainly beat up Zingano, get her to the ground and finish her with a submission.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey, Round 1 Submission
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