By Lance LeVan
UFC 184 is being held in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, February 28th. It appears that the UFC is making history again by booking women’s bouts as the two co-main events. And the top 3 fights look to be very exciting. Don’t be surprised to see “Fight of the Night” or “Submission of the Night” from one of the top 3 fights.
(C) Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey (10-0-0) vs. (#1) Cat “Alpha” Zingano (9-0-0)
This is going to be a five round women’s bantamweight (135 lb) title fight. I, along with a lot of other fans, have been waiting for this matchup for quite some time. This is the way it is supposed to be, with the Champion taking on the #1 contender. Rousey is a 4th Dan black belt in Judo and a former Olympic medalist in Judo. She is, obviously, the champ, and undefeated. She has defended her UFC title four times so far. Zingano is a former collegiate wrestling national champion and a purple belt in BJJ. She is going to be very comfortable if this fight goes to the ground. Zingano is also undefeated and the #1 contender. Rousey has finished all of her opponents. None of her fights have gone the entire five rounds. 80% of her fights have been finished by submission, namely with her trademark, the devastating arm-bar. Zingano has finished more than 50% of her fights by KO/TKO. Between both of these fighters, there has only been one fight that has gone the distance. That is a recipe for “Fight of the Night” honors. I think Zingano will try to keep her distance and keep this fight standing. I think she has the tools to keep Rousey at bay and do damage from standing. I think the Champ will try to get in close, tie up with Zingano, take her down and finish her with an arm-bar. I think this will be a very exciting, fast-paced, violent fight. Neither of these fighters is going to back up or back down. They will continue to come forward and push the pace of the fight until the bell rings. It will be very interesting to see if Zingano has the skills to get in close and take Rousey down. At the same time, it will be awesome to watch Rousey if she attempts to stand and trade punches/kicks with the challenger. Either way, this is a fight that the fans have been waiting for. I do not think that it will disappoint. In the end, there can be only one. I think that Rousey is trying to stay on top for as long as possible and she is going to be in the best shape of her life. If Cat doesn’t bring her “A+” game, then it will be a very short night. My prediction: Rousey wins via submission in the 4th round.
(#14) Raquel “Rocky” Pennington (5-5-0) vs. (#13) Holly “The Preachers Daughter” Holm (7-0-0)
This is a three round women’s bantamweight (135 lb) fight. I know I say this all the time, but I truly enjoy watching the women’s MMA fights. They put on the best shows and they bring 110% to every single fight. They do not dance around or stall. Pennington is more of a free-style fighter and likes to box but has finished 40% of her fights by submission. Her record is not stellar, but she brings her “A” game every single time she steps into the Octagon. Holm is a boxer/kick boxer that has brutal leg strikes. She is 33-2 as a professional boxer and 2-1 as a professional kick boxer. This is going to be an exciting fight. This one has “KO of the Night” written all over it. Don’t blink during this fight or you could miss the KO. I think that Pennington needs to take this fight to the ground as soon as possible and either submit Holm or start the ground and pound game. I think if Holm keeps this fight standing, it will be over quickly. My prediction: Holm wins via KO/TKO in the 2nd round.
(#11) Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger (29-9-0) vs. Josh “Kos” Koscheck (19-8-0)
This is a three round welterweight (170 lb) fight that should be fast-paced and action-packed. Jake is a former Division 2 college wrestler and a purple belt in BJJ. It is notable that he is also a US Marine. Koscheck is a former Division 1 wrestling champion and is a black belt in Guerilla Jiu Jitsu. Jake will be looking to get back on track, since he is on a three fight-losing streak. He is still ranked, but needs to get back in the Win column. Koscheck is on the same page, with a three fight-losing streak. Both of them will be looking to get their career back in the right direction with a dominant win. Both of these guys are veterans of the Octagon and between the two of them, they have almost 40 fights in the UFC. With both of them being high-level wrestlers, I wonder if they will use that wrestling, or try to keep the fight standing and trade punches all night? It will be interesting to watch these fighters leave it all in the cage. My prediction: Ellenberger wins via unanimous decision.
