Let’s face it. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has essentially cleaned out her division.
She knocked out Alexis Davis in 16 seconds. She TKO’d Sara McMann in 66 seconds. She submitted Sarah Kaufman in 54 seconds. She tapped out Liz Carmouche with one second to go in the first round. She beat Miesha Tate in the first round with an armbar, and then in the rematch submitted her with another armbar, this time in the third round. She also tapped out Ediane Gomes, Julia Budd, Charmaine Tweet, and Sara D’Alelio.
This weekend at UFC 184, Rousey looks to move to 11-0 in her incredible MMA career when she takes on arguably her toughest challenge to date in the form of Cat Zingano. Like Rousey, Zingano is also undefeated, so it’s not going to be an easy fight for the champion, but the oddsmakers have Rousey firmly established as a 9-to-1 betting favorite, and if Rousey wins the fight as expected, there won’t be many more challenges left for her in a division that she’s basically cleaned out.
One challenger that is intriguing that’s still out there for Rousey, though, is Holly Holm. The former world champion boxer, who retired from the sweet science in 2013 to focus on her mixed martial arts career, is 7-0 since beginning her MMA career in 2011, with six of her victories coming by way of knockout. Armed with an incredible striking attack, a charming personality, and training at Jackson – Wink in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Holm is a special talent, and even at 33 years of age she has the potential to be a star in the sport of mixed martial arts if she keeps winning fights.
This weekend at UFC 184, Holm makes her long-awaited UFC debut against Raquel Pennington. And like Rousey, Holm is a 9-to-1 favorite to win the fight, despite it being her debut. But even though it’s her first UFC fight, the promotion decided to put her in the co-main event of the PPV. It’s a huge vote of confidence for Holm, and there’s no doubt in my mind the UFC wants her to defeat Pennington in impressive fashion, because if she does, she could very well be the next opponent for Rousey.
Do I think Holm is ready for Rousey, even with an impressive victory over Pennington? No, not really. I’d prefer if Holm fought a grappler like Miesha Tate or Sara McMann before she fought Rousey. Heck, even a talented MMA striker who is a proven winner like Jessica Eye or Kaufman would be fine. But that doesn’t mean I don’t think the UFC’s plan is to do Holm vs. Rousey next, provided both of them win this weekend.
Rousey has talked about how she doesn’t know how long she’ll be in the sport, and given her busy schedule up to this point, it’s obvious the UFC is milking her for as much as they can. Even though Holm wouldn’t be deserving of a title shot with a win over Pennington, given the fact that the division is essentially cleaned out already (and considering a fight between Rousey and Holm, two good-looking women who kick ass, can potentially be an easy PPV to market) I fully expect the UFC matchmakers to try to book this fight as soon as they can. And even though I don’t know how competitive it will be given Holm’s questionable grappling ability, it’s still a fight I would pay to see as a fan, and I think we could even see it this summer.
• Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano (UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship)
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• Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
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UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano (formerly UFC 184: Weidman vs. Belfort) is due to take place on February 28, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
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odds check out betting.williamhill.
