UFC 184 Fight Card: Projecting Breakout Stars on Rousey vs. Zingano Card

If Cat Zingano upsets Rona Rousey on Saturday at UFC 184, the former will be one of the biggest breakout stars this year.

However, Rousey is my pick to win a tough main event matchup. Zingano won't embarrass herself, but Rousey's persistence, toughness and skill on the ground will ultimately get her another successful title defense.

If we're looking for stars who'll break out on Saturday, the list begins with a young lady making her UFC debut in the co-featured bout.

Holly Holm

The powerful striking and elite-level athleticism Holly Holm brings to mixed martial arts from boxing has made her one of the most-hyped newcomers in the UFC.

On Saturday, she'll make her first appearance in the Octagon against Raquel Pennington.

Holm is of course an advanced striker from her days in boxing. She's great with her hands, but since she's taken up MMA, her feet and knees have become dangerous weapons as well.

She's compiled a professional MMA record of 7-0 outside of the UFC, and she appears ready for the spotlight the UFC brings. Per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Holm said:

"I haven't even had my first fight in the UFC and I can feel the expectations. But I'd rather be in this position than the opposite, where they don't feel like I can do anything."

When the fight on Saturday is done, MMA fans will know Holm can do plenty. Her takedown defense has grown leaps and bounds since she started the sport, and she's become more accurate with her kicks.

Pennington is a battler, but she doesn't have the striking prowess or cardio to hang with Holm. Get ready for a wildly successful UFC debut.

Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson

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It's a travesty that Tony Ferguson isn't ranked in the top 15 amongst UFC lightweights. There's no question, the 155-pound division is filled with killers, but El Cucuy has won four straight fights. Three of the wins have come by stoppage, and each was seemingly more impressive than the last.

I know Nate Diaz is a legend, but Ferguson deserves to be ranked ahead of him.

On Saturday, Ferguson will have yet another chance to blast his way onto the UFC rankings makers' radar. Gleison Tibau, one of the UFC's winningest fighters in history provides the opposition.

The biggest thing that Ferguson has added to his game since losing to Ramsey Nijem at The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale in 2011 is versatility. El Cucuy is just as comfortable on the ground, as he is on his feet where he has finished most of his fights.

He's also learned how to use his length to his advantage while grappling.

Ferguson should be able to beat Tibau to the punch throughout the fight. Tibau is an advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, so Ferguson will enjoy more of an edge if the fight stays standing.

On the strength of more effective striking, Ferguson will take a relatively easy unanimous decision over Tibau.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.