UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm Early Main Card Preview and Predictions
In 40 days, Ronda Rousey will return to the cage at UFC 193. The UFC has built a card around its top draw and pulled out most of the stops in doing so. Check out the full card below:
PPV Main Card
- Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm
- Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau
- Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
- Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker
- Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
- Jake Matthews vs. Akbarh Arreola
- Kyle Noke vs. Peter Sobotta
- Gian Villante vs. Anthony Perosh
- Richie Vaculik vs. Danny Martinez
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
- Brendan O'Reilly vs. James Moontasri
- Richard Walsh vs. Steve Kennedy
- Dan Kelly vs. Steve Montgomery
- Ben Nguyen vs. Ryan Benoit
While the preliminary bouts are relatively weak, prominently featuring Australian fighters to showcase to the Melbourne crowd, the main card is top-notch.
Rousey faces formidable boxer Holly Holm in the main event. Its primary backup? A strawweight title fight between the surging Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valerie Letourneau. Not only that, but it also features two potential slobberknockers in Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva 2 and Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker. Oh, and Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt is also there...yeah.
With UFC 193 now on the horizon, why not take a look forward to check out the main card and make picks? Join me, MMA fans!
Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt
1 of 5
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Stefan Struve (26-7), Jared Rosholt (13-2)
After a scary 2013 and 2014, Stefan Struve is back in the win column. Unfortunately, that isn't likely to hold up. While Struve inspired many by battling back from a heart condition and returning to the cage, Jared Rosholt is likely to dampen his feel-good story.
Rosholt is a standard-issue heavyweight wrestler. A three-time NCAA Division I All-American, he controls the pace of the fight and wears down opponents en route to a convincing, albeit boring, decision win.
Struve does a generally decent job of utilizing his long, 7'0" frame on the ground and has an inimitable submission game that is nigh impossible to completely neutralize. Still, the Skyscraper likely doesn't have the pure wrestling skills to keep up with Rosholt.
Prediction: Jared Rosholt def. Stefan Struve by unanimous decision
Uriah Hall vs. Robert Whittaker
2 of 5
Division: Middleweight
Records: Uriah Hall (12-5), Robert Whittaker (14-4)
In a lot of ways, Uriah Hall and Robert Whittaker are very similar fighters. Both established themselves as terrifying knockout artists on The Ultimate Fighter. Both struggled immediately after the show. Both have since become hot names with surprising, electrifying knockouts of ranked fighters.
Unfortunately, only one of them will be able to lock down a place in the top 10.
Who will it be? That's a tough call.
Hall has long been a must-watch middleweight based purely on his devastating knockout power and massive striking arsenal. Whittaker was a solid welterweight but has found his groove in recent months at 185-pounds. Just as importantly, any questions about his power-punching game have been answered.
Picking a winner is a tough call, but the safer bet is Whittaker. Though Hall can knock out anyone, the shadow of his tentative matches against Rafael Natal and John Howard still looms. Hall could easily win this, but Whittaker is simply the more consistent fighter.
Prediction: Robert Whittaker def. Uriah Hall by TKO in Round 2
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
3 of 5
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Mark Hunt (10-10-1), Antonio Silva (19-7 (1))
Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva was one of 2013's best surprises. While a matchup between two middling heavyweights on a Fight Night card is usually a recipe for either a wheezy decision or a quick knockout, the Super Samoan and Bigfoot combined for a war of attrition.
The bout wound up on the short list for Fight of the Year (a big accomplishment considering it was in the running alongside the likes of Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson, Jessica Penne vs. Michelle Waterson and Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 2) and breathed new life into each man's career.
Then the drug tests came back.
Silva was flagged for elevated levels of testosterone stemming from his use of TRT (which he says was prescribed to him by a "UFC doctor," by the way), and instead of being a special fight, it was the launchpad for renewed discussion of the TRT epidemic and the UFC's role in its popularity.
Well, the UFC is giving it another go, and while it's been nearly two years since their last fight, the details remain the same.
Hunt has an atom bomb in either hand but has an iffy ground game and spotty cardio. Silva has a spongy chin but serviceable skills all over the cage. This fight could end at any time, in any way, or it could wind up being more brutal, nonstop action. The safest bet, though, is Hunt finding a home for one of his mitts and scoring the win via knockout.
Prediction: Mark Hunt def. Antonio Silva via TKO in Round 3
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Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valerie Letourneau
4 of 5
Division: Women's Strawweight
Record: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10-0), Valerie Letourneau (8-3)
Joanna Jedrzejczyk surprised many when she took the strawweight title from Carla Esparza. While there was some initial doubt that she would be able to hold onto the belt for any prolonged period of time, she established herself as quite possibly the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in women's MMA with her demolition of former Invicta FC champion Jessica Penne.
The Polish striker is lined up to become a breakout star for the UFC in 2015. With that in mind, the promotion gave her something of a showcase fight against Valerie Letourneau.
Letourneau isn't a bad fighter, mind you. One of the bigger, stronger strawweights in the UFC, she has been able to bully the competition around the cage without much trouble. She has also commendably out-gameplanned potentially troublesome opponents like Jessica Rakoczy and Maryna Moroz and has made the most of her time in top-notch gyms like TriStar and American Top Team.
All that said, Jedrzejczyk is a Rampage Jackson-style sprawl-and-brawler while Letourneau is a grappler with so-so wrestling. This is designed to end the same way that Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne did: in a prolonged bloodbath.
Prediction: Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Valerie Letourneau by TKO in Round 3
Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm
5 of 5
Division: Women's Bantamweight
Records: Ronda Rousey (12-0), Holly Holm (9-0)
It is impossible to ignore how good Ronda Rousey has been up to this point in her UFC career. She has crushed all comers with a scary ease and has captured the imaginations of the public at large. She needs no introduction at this point.
The big X-factor here is her opponent, Holly Holm.
In a division full of lifelong wrestlers and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts, Holm stands out with her long list of achievements in boxing. Not only that, but she separates herself from much of the division with her legitimate speed and athleticism. While it's impossible to pick against Rousey at this point, Holm could end up being the most interesting matchup for her to date.
Holm has the tools to survive with Rousey, but the champ's greatest strength, her world-class grappling, likely remains Holm's weak point. Eventually, Rousey will get her hands on Holm. She will nail a throw or a trip, and she will work for an armbar and get it.
Prediction: Ronda Rousey def. Holly Holm by submission Round 3
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