Ronda Rousey gets another chance to showcase her dominance in front of an international audience as she puts the women's bantamweight title on the line against Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia. Her last victory came in August over Bethe Correia in Brazil.
While Rousey brings plenty of star power to any card, this one also has some nice depth. There's a second title fight between strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valerie Letourneau as well as a couple of toss-up bouts as part of the main card.
With that in mind, let's check out the complete slate of matchups for the pay-per-view portion of UFC 193 along with odds and predictions for each. That's followed by a breakdown of the main event.
Predictions for UFC 193 Main Card
Rousey vs. Holm Preview
Rousey is a rare talent in the Octagon. That became obvious early in her UFC career. One thing she's really improved at during this meteoric rise, however, is the ability to sell fights. It's something not everybody is comfortable doing, but she's made strides to master the art.
The 28-year-old California native has done it by finding the middle ground between expressing extreme confidence in her ability while still leaving the door slightly open for an upset. She understands the latter is necessary because after awhile even 15-second knockouts lose a bit of their luster.
She made comments to Monique Schafter of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during the buildup to the fight that really showcased that balance.
"I mean, I'm full of fear, but without any doubt," Rousey said. "You know, I'm so afraid of failure that I work harder than any of these girls possibly could. There is a lot of meaning to the word fight. It doesn't just mean, you know, two people trying to hit each other. It can be applied to anything."
In other words, she does have fear, but it just makes her stronger in the end.
Creating that little bit of doubt without sacrificing her self-belief is a great tactic. It's why her last three victories, which lasted a combined 64 seconds, were still hyped to the max. Rousey was the heavy favorite, but there was still a slight bit of that "what if this is where she loses" feel to it.
The same thing can be said about the Holm bout. The 34-year-old challenger is being built into a unique, dangerous opponent because of her boxing background. She's even talked about possibly being able to take control of the fight late, as noted by Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
"There's a different feel in late rounds," Holm said. "It's physically and mentally exhausting. In the fourth and fifth, you lose focus. That's the thing we've seen in this sport."
It's a perfectly fine plan. Of course, only once in her MMA career has Rousey been pushed beyond the first round, let alone the fourth or fifth. The question is whether Holm truly represents the toughest challenge she's faced, or if it's just another fight being sold well.
Here's the tale of the tape from ESPN Stats and Info:
While Holm is unbeaten, she's never faced an opponent anywhere near the same level as Rousey. She'll have far less time and space to utilize her power, especially if the champion comes out with an immediate flurry as she typically does.
All told, it wouldn't be a surprise if Holm is able to at least make things a little more competitive. She must be prepared to fend off that early attack, and, if she does, then she might be able to generate enough offense to make things interesting for a while.
Rousey is still the far more complete fighter and should secure another victory by the latter stages of the opening round.
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