For any longtime wrestling fan over the age of 40, we all have memories of a different time and, quite frankly, a different world. A world with no Internet, 13 TV channels (or less), and where the best video or computer game was Pong or electronic Tiger handheld games.
And no matter where you were in North America, you had the local wrestling company. And as far as you knew, this was the whole wrestling world. The world champion was the true Champion Of The World, and there was no one better. The TV commentators were the only ones you knew, so they were the best as well. You liked the good guys and you hated the bad guys. It wasn’t “cool” to cheer them; they were evil and you wanted to see your heroes beat them.
It was in this environment that I started watching wrestling in my hometown of Winnipeg, right in the middle of AWA territory (well, the far north part of the middle). Every Saturday evening at 6 pm, AWA All-Star Wrestling would come on, and I didn’t know anyone who didn’t watch it. Young and old, male and female….everyone. After that, we switched over to Hockey Night in Canada on CBC at 7 for our only hockey game of the week.
In this environment, two guys stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the wrestling world. Verne Gagne was the old man who wasn’t always around but when he was, we knew that despite his advanced age, if he could get his deadly sleeper on, he could take anyone out. Big brutal Russians, wild Frenchmen, Goose-stepping Nazis, Middle-Eastern shieks….it didn’t matter, Gagne would save the day.
Whenever he wasn’t around, the best in the world was Nick Bockwinkel. In fact, Gagne was pretty much semi-retired by the time I was 9 years old so to me, Bockwinkel was the man. But he wasn’t that big….surely my favorites would be able to take him down. But one by one, they came and went, and for the most part, they couldn’t get the job done. And Bockwinkel, along with his evil manager Bobby “The Weasel” Heenan (sure, he called himself “The Brain”, but we knew differently), would always find a way to get the job done and keep the title. Even Hulk Hogan, larger than life and soon to be a movie star, couldn’t get the job done and eventually left wrestling altogether (as far we knew).
I even recall an “imposter” world champion who showed up on TV, claimed to be the real deal, and said he was coming to Winnipeg to defend “his” title against Bockwinkel. This was the first time I was ever behind Nick as I didn’t want to see this “fake” world champion beat the guy who’d beaten all my favorites. Plus, he could take his title to boot! Well, Bockwinkel and his opponent, a guy named Ric Flair, went to a no-contest on a cold night in mid-January 1986. Bockwinkel didn’t take the NWA title that night, but stood his ground, and went on to continue beating all my heroes.
Eventually, Bockwinkel got older and went from the hated villain to the respected veteran. He still had some tricks up his sleeve, and won the title as late as 1987 before eventually losing it to Curt Hennig. By this point, we had other options. WWF Maple Leaf Wrestling and Superstars of Wrestling had replaced All-Star Wrestling on Saturdays, eventually moving to 11 am. If we wanted to see the stars of the AWA, we had to pay for something called cable, which was not cheap back then. I had a good job in high school so I paid for it myself — specifically so I could continue to follow it.
A few years later, Bockwinkel showed up in WCW as the commissioner. He still had the gift of gab, even if he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) get in the ring anymore. It was a nice remembrance of my childhood to see him again. Eventually, he faded out of the spotlight. Over the years, it was always nice to hear stories of how he was still keeping an eye on the industry and reading about in the Observer. It was also sad to hear how he hadn’t been able to attend Cauliflower Alley the last few years after being such a big part of it in the past.
When I heard on Sunday that he’d passed away, it was another part of my childhood gone and a link to a long-forgotten world that most of the people reading this probably didn’t even know existed. At least we have the memories and the legacy he left behind and for that I’d like to say thank you, Nick Bockwinkel. Rest in peace.
9 Number of fights for Neil Magny since February 2014 as he fights for the fifth time in 2015, the second straight year he has fought five times in a calendar year
5 Number of wins for Magny in 2014, which tied the UFC record for most in a calendar year
27 Number of takedowns landed by Magny in his UFC career, tied for fifth-most among active UFC welterweights
524 Significant strikes landed by Magny in his UFC career, currently ninth-most among active UFC welterweights
2.17 Strike differential for Magny, which is the highest differential among active UFC welterweights
21 Age at which Kelvin Gastelum won “The Ultimate Fighter”, making him the youngest winner of TUF in history
2 Number of times Gastelum has officially missed weight for a welterweight bout out of five UFC bouts at 170 pounds
71.6 Significant strike defense percentage rate for Gastelum as a welterweight, which is the best among active UFC welterweights (min. 5 fights)
9 Inch reach disadvantage that Gastelum will have against Neil Magny
15 Current ranking for Gastelum in the UFC’s welterweight rankings
4 Current ranking for Ricardo Lamas in the UFC’s featherweight rankings
10:04 Average fight time for Lamas in the UFC
7 Submission attempts for Lamas in UFC competition, tied for seventh-most among active UFC featherweights
282 Number of UFC events that have occured since Diego Sanchez won the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter”
4:37:57 Total fight time in the UFC career for Sanchez, which is fourth-most in UFC history
3 Times Sanchez has won “Fight Of The Year” in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Year-End Awards
3 Current ranking for Jussier Formiga in the UFC’s flyweight rankings
10:08 Average fight time for Formiga in the UFC, which is the shortest in the short history of the UFC’s flyweight division
14 Guard passes for Formiga in his four UFC wins as he has zero in his two UFC losses
9 Straight wins for Henry Cejudo to start his MMA career
4.09 Significant strikes landed per minute for Cejudo, third-best among active UFC flyweights
184 Significant strikes landed for Cejudo in three UFC bouts
3 Number of UFC stints for Efrain Escudero, who is the only TUF winner to be cut and then brought back to the promotion
5 Knockdowns by Escudero in the UFC, which is tied for eighth-most among active UFC lightweights
1722 Days between UFC wins for Escudero, who won at UFC 114 in May 2010 but didn’t score another Octagon win until UFC Fight Night 60 in February
2.63 Average number of takedowns landed per 15 minutes for Leandro Silva in UFC competition
55.5 Submission finishing rate percentage for Silva, who has scored ten of his 18 wins by submission
10 Takedowns landed by Silva during UFC competition
532 Days since Erik Perez’ last fight, a loss to Bryan Caraway at UFC Fight Night 42 in June 2014
13 Takedowns landed by Perez, tied for sixth-most among active UFC bantamweights
7:33 Average fight time for Perez, shortest among active UFC bantamweights (min. 5 fights)
6 Inches of reach advantage Taylor Lapilus will have over his opponent, Erik Perez
5.18 strikes landed per minute by Lapilus
371 Days since Hector Urbina’s last fight, a submission win over Edgar Garcia at UFC 180 in November 2014
67 Win percentage rate by knockout for Bartosz Fabinski, who has scored eight of his 12 wins by KO/TKO
1 Number of wins by Scott Jorgensen since the start of 2013 as he enters UFC Fight Night 78 having gone 1-5 in his last six fights
23 Length of the last fight, in seconds, for Alejandro Perez, who is coming off a submission loss to Patrick Williams at UFC 188 in June
7 Number of times Gabriel Benitez has been taken down over his two UFC bouts
3.57 Average number of takedowns landed per 15 minutes for Andre Fili
178 Number of significant strikes landed in two UFC bouts for Valmir Lazaro
13 Number of takedowns landed in four UFC bouts by Michel Prazeres
2 Number of first-round wins of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 2 by welterweight finalist Erick Montano during the season
6 Straight wins by TUF: Latin America 2 welterweight finalist Enrique Marin
80 Finishing percentage rate for TUF: Latin America 2 lightweight finalist Enrique Barzola, who has scored eight of his ten wins by finish (4 by KO/TKO, 4 by submission)
3 Career fights for TUF: Latin America 2 lightweight finalist Horacio Gutierrez, making him the most inexperienced fighter on the fight card alongside Vernon Ramos
302 Number of days in the professional MMA career for Vernon Ramos, who made his professional debut on January 23 of this year
1178 Number of days since Alvaro Herrera last fought, which came on August 30, 2012
I’m actually looking forward to watching this show this week, as I know it can’t be three stinkers in a row. The hype video to open the show was a really well written WWE version of The Night Before Christmas poem. It’s only a two man announce crew tonight with The King and Cole having to fill the void of Matt Stryker.
Dark Match – Drew McIntyre defeated Alex Riley
Zach Ryder defeated Dolph Ziggler (c) (with Vickie Guerrero) in a singles match for the US Championship
I’m predicting Zach gets axed in the post Mania clearinghouse this year.
We are in the middle of the “WWE must talk about twitter all the time” horrible period.
Michael Cole just made as many social media references as he could.
Vicki got booted for putting Dolph’s foot on the rope. Why do refs allow anyone at ringside at anytime, ever? What percentage of time does the person at ringside NOT get involved?
This match is pretty good. A lot of heat actually. Too bad Zach accidentally got popular.
Ryder wins with the Rough Ryder.
I feel bad for Cole. No way could he actually be that big of a dork. He must hate himself.
Zach celebrated with his dad in the crowd.
Backstage, Alicia Fox chatted up Booker T until Cody Rhodes jumped him.
Air Boom (c) (Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne) defeated Primo and Epico (with Rosa Mendes) for the Tag Team Championship
Primo and Epico wore some sweet serapes to the ring.
The tag belts are awful. They’re bronze. “I’m the best at tag team wrestling. If you don’t believe me, check out my bronze belt.”
King claims that Air Boom breaks the laws of Physics. So, either Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston are wizards, or King doesn’t understand Physics.
Heat on Bourne is just an excuse to focus on Rosa’s, ahem, assets.
Cole, “Air Boom is trending. People are actually talking about the tag champs.” He really said that.
Why don’t tag matches ever end during the time of the match where two men are kicking the crap out of one?
Air Boom wins with Trouble in Paradise
Then there was a skit with Teddy Long as Santa and Hornswaggle as an elf. They do some awful race relation’s humor, and then Swaggy gets a gift from Teddy, which is Rosetta Stone in Ebonics. I wonder if they’ll follow up with this angle and bring Hornswaggle back as a jive talking elf.
Randy Orton defeated Wade Barrett in a tables match
Orton body watch: He’s tanned out of this world, and jacked. Definitely the best shape of his career to this point.
Your pretty standard table fare with a lot of brawling. A better than average match.
The finish was Orton catching a diving Barrett in an RKO through a table.
Then we got another Santa skit with the Bella’s arguing over who was the good one. Santa Teddy said they both were bad so Teddy gave them his card with his number. Then Jack Swagger showed up and griped about Mark Henry. Then Sheamus showed up and told us a story about someone getting their head in an arse.
Beth Phoenix (c) defeats Kelly Kelly
They replay the angle from the Slammy’s with Kelly Kelly winning Diva of the year. Very prestigious.
Remember when these two quit WWE for no real reason? Do you think they regret not being around for this amazing diva’s revolution?
Women wrestlers can just go ahead and not make sound when selling. It’s unsettling to hear Kelly Kelly screaming “no” and making horrible death noises while getting beaten up.
Beth Phoenix wins clean after the Glam Slam.
Alberto Del Rio is seen yelling at Ricardo when the Miz walks up to talk about their alliance. Del Rio admits he was playing the Miz, so Miz has to take a dig at the Baltimore Ravens. That ought to shut up world famous Baltimore Ravens fan Alberto Del Rio. Then Ricardo come back with a pie or something and gets it shoved in his face. They need to teach a WWE rules class at the performance center. I’ll start a tally. WWE Rule 1) Don’t carry a pastry anywhere.
Booker T. vs. Cody Rhodes
Cody jumps Book before Book even gets to the ring and the doctors determine he is unfit to perform. No match.
HHH defeats Kevin Nash in a sledgehammer ladder match
Home Depot must have sponsored this match. Actually, Home Depot should sponsor the whole PPV.
This was the ridiculous feud where Nash murdered HHH, as he laid unconscious strapped to a gurney.
“The sledgehammer can be used legally to beat your opponent.” Announcer, real quote.
Nash comes out to the nWo music.
HHH spends the opening part destroying Nash’s legs, including a figure four around the ladder. I think a higher percentage knee-destroying move on Kevin Nash would be to run an infinite crisscross. It would be funny just to see these two in a race. Quads vs. Knees.
Nash comes back and does his side slam on a ladder.
Nobody has gone after the sledgehammer, because in a ladder match, you’ve already been supplied with plenty of alternate types of sledgehammers.
HHH back drops Nash over the announcers’ table.
Here comes the table from under the ring. So I guess tables are allowed in a sledgehammer ladder match.
HHH hits Nash in the head with the hanging sledge, and Nash takes a bump through the table. That’s a decent bump for Nash.
HHH starts the sledgehammer beating. HHH connects with the pedigree and goes back to the sledge. Nash, in desperation, throws up the click hand sign, and HHH responds with a crotch chop and a final sledge shot. HHH wins.
Strkyer interviewed CM Punk about the beating he took on Raw. Punk’s promo was great. He ran down everyone in the match, and Cole, and John Laurinitis. Then Big Johnny showed up and they talk about the Slammy Punk was supposed to get. Punk get’s in a “future endeavors” line, and then Johnny has to point out that he’s taller than Punk. This company is so petty.
Sheamus defeats Jack Swagger (with Vicki Guerrero)
Good thing these guys didn’t get along backstage earlier or we would not have this buffer match.
I guess they’re giving Vicki a second chance to behave herself.
Boring match. Sheamus wins after the Brogue kick.
Big Show defeats Mark Henry (c) in a Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
This was the feud where they did the ring implosion spot.
Show starts the match by making it rain chairs.
Henry had his ankle heavily taped.
Show wins the title after delivering the Knock Out Punch through a chair.
Then Henry comes back and lays out Big Show with a DDT on the chairs.
I honestly wrote, “Mark Henry defeats Big Show” before watching the match because I couldn’t remember Show having a title run. Then I remembered why…. Daniel Bryan runs in after the match and cashes in his Money in the Bank contract and pins the Big Show.
We just saw two title changes.
Josh Matthews interviews Booker T and T says he’s going to fight Cody tonight! Oh thank heavens we get that match tonight!
Cody Rhodes (c) defeats Booker T for the Intercontinental Championship
This is the storyline where Booker T had been retired for two years. Was anyone dying for Booker T to come out of retirement?
I’ve never liked Booker T in any of his roles. Ok, King Book was pretty good, but nothing else. Well, I really liked when he and Goldust reviewed movies. But that’s it.
Cody wins after the Disaster kick, which Cole identified as, “another kick to the head.”
CM Punk defeats Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), and Miz, in a three way TLC match for the WWE Championship
Champions usually fare pretty well in three ways. WWE loves declaring the 33% chance of winning, which is absolutely incorrect, unless of course Roxy Roxborough actually says it.
Punk starts climbing and as he does, Ricardo Rodriguez manages to handcuff Punk to a ladder.
Punk broke free by breaking the ladder strut, to which he was attached. In hindsight, the handcuffing was ridiculously unnecessary.
Del Rio delivers an enziguri on Punk and then Punk takes a bump through a table to the floor.
Why does Ricardo cut his hair so he looks like a vampire?
Del Rio gets up alone, with enough energy to dilly dally on the floor before easily setting up a ladder. I guess he accidentally swallowed a Qualude somewhere in there, because as he steps on to the ladder, he lost the ability to move his muscles, and could not climb.
Rodriguez takes a bump off the ladder through a table on the floor.
Oh wait, now Miz handcuffs Punk to the turnbuckle which is ridiculous, but then Punk actually tries to reach for the belt, as if, maaaaaybe he can win the match from his knees attached to the ring post.
Super Punk breaks free from the handcuffs a second time, climbs the ladder and dumps Del Rio, catches Miz in the GTS and climbs again to grab the belt, in really good TLC match.
Analysis: This show has been the best TLC to date. The main event was very good. The HHH match was pretty good. The Air Boom match was short but fun, and everything else felt appropriately placed. Even Big Show and Henry had a decent chairs match. We saw Z Ry and D Bry win belts, and we may have seen Booker T’s last match. I’d call that a thumbs up show.
If there’s one thing that appeals to us, it’s a comeback story. As much as we like to tear down fame and accomplishment in some bizarre effort to cover up our own inadequacies, we love when someone that’s knocked down gets back up and rages against the dying of the light.
On this Sunday, there’s no better case for The Great American Comeback Story than with former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Let’s hang on that word: former. We now live in a world where the unthinkable is now reality: Rousey has a loss and a bad one at that. In front of a record 56,214 in Melbourne, Australia, what was hailed as the world’s most dangerous woman got her comeuppance against a woman in Holly Holm that is six years her elder and much less her level of fame. As crisp as Holm looked, Rousey looked as stale. While everything during fight week appeared as normal (even with that odd forced/farced pull-apart at the weigh-ins) something or someone put sugar in the machine’s gas tank.
In retrospect, we should have expected this at some point. With Rousey’s increased level of celebrity in 2015 came more opportunities for the outside world to creep in through the cracks of what was previously an impenetrable exterior.
Just look at the level of distraction this year alone: a) a book release, b) appearances in several movies, c) a whole lot of ESPN attention and awards, d) being asked about fighting Floyd Mayweather 10,000 times, e) getting cited by mainstream female stars like Beyonce, f) an appearance on Ellen and other mainstream talk shows, g) her head coach filed for bankruptcy, h) her mother did interviews ripping said coach where she mentioned running over him with a car, i) her relationship with Travis Browne went public, j) she had to defend her name against domestic violence from a past relationship and k) the bulk of the promotional load for three main event PPVs. Looking at all of that, it’s clear that it became too much to bear.
The Rousey that was knocked silly Saturday wasn’t the Rousey that started off 2015 and, as a result, she is now without a giant piece of metal and leather. Just as she was about to nearly fully escape the MMA bubble most of us exist in, the cold hand of reality grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down with the rest of us. She’s still a professional fighter — even if her agents and PR people are likely hoping for otherwise.
So, now what?
The prevailing thought is Rousey disappears for months and we get an early springtime announcement of a rematch with Holm at July’s UFC 200. While she will have shed off many of the fringe fans who like their stars perfect and without tarnish, the thought of Rousey coming back with something to prove has got to be tantalizing for Dana White & crew.
Depending on where we’re at when/if that fight gets announced, she should be favored. However, while we can expect that Rousey will be as motivated to get her title back as we think she should be, eight months is a long time away. A second loss would be devastating and a major setback to any Hollywood hopes. Her handlers have no doubt done a risk assessment, and perhaps they are saying, “Enough’s enough. If we’re going to do this movie thing, now’s the time.” They also might suggest that a big win in a Holm rematch would make her an even bigger star.
That’s the risk with athletes who want to go outside their lane and be known for more than what brought them to the dance to begin with. Dwight Howard famously wanted to go to the L.A. Lakers so he could branch into movies and entertainment. One less-than-thrilling season later, he found himself in Houston far away from the bright lights. It’s tough to be truly great at one thing, much less two. Look at today’s top tier athletes and compare their level of focus for their primary sport and what else they could be doing. There’s a big difference between building a brand vs. being a champion, and doing both extremely well.
If Rousey truly wants to be known as an all-time great fighter, she’s got to focus on doing just that and reclaim all that was lost in Australia. UFC legend Georges St. Pierre provided the blueprint as he won 12 straight over six years with nine title defenses to close out his career (we think) after being embarrassed in a TKO loss to Matt Serra in 2007. But GSP didn’t have machinations at being a pop culture icon as he was doing it. He simply wanted to win fights, and to be the best. Does Rousey still want that?
Especially in Hollywood, there’s nothing better than a comeback story. Rousey can literally write her’s in the blood of her opponents, but only if she truly is motivated to pick up the pen.
One of the more fascinating aspects of WWE’s new reality show Breaking Ground is the appearance of the trainers: seasoned grapplers performing in front of the cameras in a whole new way. One of the WWE Performance Center’s faculty who may be unfamiliar to some American viewers is Robbie Brookside, a long-time face on the British wrestling scene, who spanned the transition from the old ITV television days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks to the current, thriving scene.
Here are five things about Robbie Brookside that you may not know:
1) He could have been professional soccer player.
Brookside’s father played as a goalkeeper for Preston North End, a former powerhouse of the English game. He encouraged his son to follow in his footsteps and the younger Brookside was a prodigious talent, catching the eye of scouts on his native Merseyside. But wrestling got under his skin after a trip to Liverpool Stadium, a famous old boxing venue in the city, and he began training in secret at the Liverpool Olympic Wrestling Club. He was sent to Blackpool to begin his career, where he met a young grappler by the name of Regal.
2) He and William Regal have worked together before.
Brookside formed a tag-team with Regal – then known as Steve Regal – called the Golden Boys, working for British mainstay Brian Dixon’s All-Star Wrestling. Their most infamous bout came in the dying days of British wrestling on ITV, when they faced the legendary Kendo Nagasaki and “Rock & Roll Express” Blondie Barrett. Yes, a man named after a tag-team. During the match, Brookside unmasked Nagasaki, who then fixed his gaze upon the young grappler, hypnotising him into attacking Regal, his own partner. It would be Nagasaki’s last appearance on TV and the show itself was cancelled two months later.
3) Breaking Ground isn’t his US TV debut.
After his tag-team with Regal ended, Brookside teamed up with Ian “Doc” Dean as the Liverpool Lads. In the mid-1990s, Regal invited the pair over to WCW where they spent six months as enhancement talent, racking up a dozen appearances on WCW Saturday Night, WCW Main Event, and a solitary appearance on WCW Nitro, where Brookside lost a WCW Cruiserweight title match to Dean Malenko. The hook-up even extended to a short stay in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where they took part on the 1997 Best Of The Super Juniors tournament.
4) Breaking Ground isn’t even his first reality TV show.
In 1993, Brookside was invited to record a video diary for a BBC2 series imaginatively-titled Video Diaries. The hour-long show revealed British wrestling in one of its down periods, and a visit to Regal in Florida – made before he got Brookside into WCW – reveals the stark difference between wrestling life in the two countries. Brookside also detailed his love for heavy metal music and showed him on tour in Germany, a popular destination for British wrestlers during that time. The show is available on YouTube.
5) He’s been training wrestlers for a while now.
Brookside opened his own training school in the UK — Wrestleicester — in 2006. Among his graduates, who were taught a style which was based in the British hold-and-reversal catch wrestling style, are Becky Lynch and his own daughter, Xia, who has recently moved over to Orlando to further her nascent career. In addition, Brookside worked as a talent scout for WWE in Europe before moving to the Performance Center in 2013.
*****
Brookside should become something of a cult figure on Breaking Ground with his no-nonsense approach to life. If ever a man were going to call a spade a spade, it’s Brookside, only he’d probably do it in a more sweary, British-accented way. The talent that graduates from NXT will do so with a healthy respect for the professional wrestling business, instilled in them by one of the last of the old school of the British wrestlers, even if – and I know from bitter, personal experience – he doesn’t put much stock in the “wrestler’s handshake”!
It’s the second straight weekend for a UFC event, and more chances to cash in if you play Draft Kings. UFC 193 comes our way on Saturday night from Melbourne, Australia, with two title fights and the two most dominant women in their respective weight classes defending their championships. Below are our studs, value plays, and fighters to avoid to help you fill out your UFC 193 DraftKings lineups:
STUDS
Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($11,300)
I could easily pick both Ronda Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk to occupy these two stud slots, but for the sake of the article, I’m only going one. I suggest you draft both, and it is possible to draft both and keep a solid team as I will show you later. I expect Rousey to win quickly, but she may have a much harder time, so I’m putting Jedrzejczyk as my top stud for this event. She has dynamic striking and lands a lot of significant strikes, and her opponent, Valerie Letourneau, leaves herself open to eat a lot of punches. Jedrzejczyk has underrated takedown ability as well, and she looks to finish every second of the fight. I sense both women getting early finishes, which grabs a lot of points. Jedrzejczyk’s significant striking ability will likely net more points for you, and that could make up a big difference. Do yourself a favor- draft both, or if you only wanna stick with one, I’d go Jedrzejczyk over Rousey, but only slightly.
Uriah Hall ($9,800)
Uriah Hall is coming off the biggest win of his career when he knocked out Gegard Mousasi in September. He took that fight on short notice and takes another short notice bout against Robert Whittaker on Saturday at UFC 193. He looks like he is finally living up to his potential, and he gets a stout test in Whittaker. Whittaker can be finished in his career, as evidenced to his February 2014 loss to Stephen Thompson. Hall is a similar striker to Thompson and could give Whittaker the same type of fits with his kicks. Hall is flashy and likes the spin kick, much like Thompson displayed against Whittaker. I hope that is a fight Hall watched over and over in preparation. Hall can be an enigma at times, as there have been moments when he hasn’t lived up to expectations. With the recent performance against Mousasi, he seems mentally into it and another big win could be coming his way on Saturday. He has a good chance at scoring a finish.
VALUE PICKS
Dan Kelly ($9,000)
I’ll admit there aren’t a lot of value plays on this card. I expect a lot of the favorites with high salaries to win here. There are a couple of solid value picks, and one of them is Dan Kelly. Yes, he was involved in arguably the worst fight in the UFC in 2015 against Patrick Walsh. Yes, he lost in under a minute in his last bout. However, he has scored seven wins by stoppage in his career, including a first-round submission win in his UFC debut. He fights Steve Montgomery, who is coming off being finished in the first round in his UFC debut. Kelly is worth taking a chance on, especially if you wanna go after some of the higher salary fighters on the card.
Anton Zafir ($8,800)
Anton Zafir is making his UFC debut on Saturday on short notice, being an injury fill-in and taking his debut fight against James Moontasri on eight days’ notice. Zafir was being targeted for the UFC roster in the near future and was headed to the event to meet with UFC officials on what he needed to do to get on the roster. Luckily for him, a spot opened up and his UFC signing came sooner than expected. He is inexperienced, having fought just eight times, but he has won seven of those, and six of the wins have come by stoppage. His opponent, Moontasri, is coming off being finished in the first round in his last fight. Plus, Moontasri is also taking the fight as an injury replacement, though he had adequate training time, but he is also moving up in weight for this fight. Zafir is another solid option for those wanting to spend on bigger names.
AVOID
Antonio Silva ($8,900)
I’m avoiding Antonio Silva as much as possible at this event. First of all, I don’t expect him to defeat Mark Hunt. Even if he is able to, I don’t see him finishing Hunt. I actually see Hunt finishing him, so selecting Hunt for your roster might not be a bad idea. Silva’s best shot at winning is taking the fight to the judges and staying out of striking range. He might not maximize your point-scoring abilities on this card, so I’m saying to just avoid “Bigfoot” this time around due to his tough opponent and bad chin.
Valerie Letourneau ($8,100) & Holly Holm ($8,000)
I’m grouping these two together. They’re fighting the two most dominant women in the sport. I actually think Holm has a decent chance if she has an excellent gameplan. That gameplan, though, means staying as far away from Ronda Rousey as possible, and thus not maximizing point-scoring ability. Letourneau almost feels like she is being led to a slaughter. I’m finding a way to have both Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk on my roster, and I think they score finishes over their opponents rather easily. That means avoid the challengers.
OUR LINE-UPS
RYAN FREDERICK: Ronda Rousey ($11,400), Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($11,300), Uriah Hall ($9,800), Anton Zafir ($8,800), Steve Kennedy ($8,600)
I found a way to get both dominant champions in my line-up, selecting Ronda Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. I see them getting the finishes in their title fights, and I don’t see either fight going past the second round. First-round wins won’t be surprising as well. I like Uriah Hall to continue to live up to his potential and get the finish win. The gameplan and blueprint for finishing Robert Whittaker is out there, Hall just has to execute. Anton Zafir is a sneaky play in his short-notice UFC debut, and he could make a big impression against James Moontasri, who can be finished. I rounded out my team with Steve Kennedy. Kennedy makes his second UFC appearance, but he has 22 professional wins in his career, with 17 by knockout or submission. His opponent, Richard Walsh, was brutally knocked out in his last bout. I give Kennedy a decent shot, and someone had to fill out my roster going with the two women.
PAUL FONTAINE: Joanna Jedrezejczyk ($11,300), Mark Hunt ($10,500), Richie Vaculik ($9,700), Robert Whittaker ($9,600), Steve Kennedy ($8,600)
This is a tough week for this. I really tried hard to figure out a way to get both Rousey and Joanna on my team but I cant’ find a combination that makes me happy so I’m let with this. I picked JJ over Ronda due to the fact that I think both will win by quick stoppage but Joanna will probably land more strikes in doing so and thus earn me more points. I also like Mark Hunt to rebound from his beating at the hands of Stipe Miocic to score a quick knockout over Bigfoot Silva. My third choice is Richie Vaculik. He should be motivated by the rabid home country crowd and his opponent Danny Martinez is on a 3 fight losing streak. My next two picks are also Australians with Robert Whittaker being next. The popular opinion is Uriah Hall but Whittaker shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s got a lot of power and again will be a huge favorite to these fans. Uriah Hall is either really bad or really good and we haven’t seen the bad one in awhile. With the short turnaround between fights and the long trip to Australia, it could be a recipe for disaster. My final pick is Steve Kennedy, who took his UFC debut fight on short notice. He’s had a proper training camp here and will hopefully rebound and score me some points.
PEACH MACHINE: Ronda Rousey ($11,400), Jake Matthews ($11,000), Robert Whittaker ($9,600), Ryan Benoit ($9,400), Steve Kennedy ($8,600)
Rousey is definitely worth the price tag. Automatic. Ryan Benoit is going to keep winning, especially against Ben Nguyen. Jake Matthews is a hometown hero. I saw him fight live in Australia and it was awesome. I expect him to roll through Arreola. I like Robert Whittaker moving up to 185. He’s a fast middleweight, but so is Hall. However, I’m expecting the uncertain, cautious Hall to come out here once he starts dealing with Whittaker’s complete game. Steven Kennedy is my sleeper pick… Because he was all I could afford, so I’m hoping he does something besides go to sleep!
The future of a WWE Superstar, or any pro wrestler for that matter, is no certain thing. So many factors, some controllable, some not, can determine the fate of a wrestler’s career. Only the smallest percent of WWE talents make it to the absolute top: the Shawn Michaels, The Rocks, the Austins, The Undertakers, the John Cenas. In the current era, the majority float around the middle. Some get close to breaking through the glass ceiling and separating themselves from the mid-card pack, while others spiral down into obscurity.
What is it that creates the divide and that differentiates a major star from an enhancement talent? Is it one’s work rate? Look? Mic skills? Charisma? Who one is or is not in a relationship with behind the scenes? That elusive and abstract “it” factor? Plain old dumb luck? Some wrestlers come along who seem to be the complete package, but wind up floundering, while another guy who throws the worst punches known to man and can’t take a bump to save his life gets pushed to the moon and becomes the face of the company for an entire generation. Sometimes, it almost feels like the decision to push or not push a performer is made completely at random.
This unpredictability is especially relevant for the “rookies” of WWE’s NXT for whom the future holds many different paths. Some will never make it past the developmental phase. Some will be promoted to the main roster only to be sent back after failing to get over like they had in NXT. The fortunate will go on to have a successful WWE career. One NXT wrestler who looks destined for big things in the WWE is Chad Gable.
Gable is at an exciting point in his pro wrestling career. He’s currently one of NXT’s most over talents, and has (almost) all the tools needed to become major star. While getting over with the fastidious NXT audience is a worthy accomplishment, they are a comparatively small sample size compared with the larger WWE fanbase. We’ve already seen acts that have gone over like gangbusters in NXT, but fall flat with the larger audience when brought up to the main roster.
To Gable’s credit, he has got over in NXT with his charisma and ability alone, as opposed to some outlandish gimmick, that, while initially entertaining, comes with a limited shelf life. This is a positive sign that Gable will be (G)able to connect with the wider WWE fanbase when he’s brought up to the main roster.
With that said, getting over with the audience is only part of the battle. Fortunately, Gable is a natural when it comes to actual wrestling. Before his arrival at NXT, Gable had trained and competed in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling. He particularly excelled in the latter, winning a number of national championships, and placing ninth at the 2012 London Olympics. Gable has impressively transitioned from amateur to professional wrestling, creating a beautiful blend of sports entertainment and amateur wrestling styles in the process.
He has also shown himself to be very competent on the microphone. Mic work is often the downfall of even the most skilled wrestlers, and the saving grace of some of the less naturally gifted athletes. Do you think the Miz would have ever won the WWE Championship if he wasn’t such a good talker? Gable’s charisma and comedic timing come through not only in his wrestling, but more importantly (in sports entertainment) on the microphone. He’s a naturally gifted wrestler, he can talk, he’s charismatic, and he connects with audience. Gable has just about everything one needs to be top star in the WWE. Well, almost everything.
The only thing, at this point, that might stop Gable from making it to the tippy top is the dreaded size aspect. Gable is billed at 5’8” (173cm). In most professions, that would be irrelevant, but in WWE, admitted or not, size matters. The number of WWE champions under six feet tall can be counted on one hand (with a few extra fingers left over). Guys like Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio have proven that smaller wrestlers can reach the top, but in both cases, they were never really considered the top guys of the company like Cena has been.
With any luck, and if there’s any justice in the world, Chad Gable’s aforementioned attributes will be enough to overcome his sole drawback.
Only the most pessimistic of pessimists would doubt that Gable will make something of himself in the WWE. The real argument is to what extent will he make it. Will he become a top guy, a mid carder, a comedy act, a tag team lifer? Gable draws comparisons to a range of WWE wrestlers, past and present, who fill(ed) those various roles. Gable’s destiny might be to emerge as the second coming, but of who?
The Next Kurt Angle?
Like Angle, Gable is a champion amateur wrestler. Like Angle, Gable represented his country in the Olympic Games, admittedly not faring quite as well despite not even having a broken frickin’ neck. Still, he wrestled in the Olympics. That’s probably, like, super hard to do. Like Angle, Gable transitioned into professional wrestling seemingly effortlessly. Like Angle, Gable’s a good talker with a knack for humour. It’s hard not to argue that Gable is Kurt Angle 2.0. The only real difference is height, and even there, the disparity is minor with Angle billed at 6-0”, four inches taller than Gable. Besides, don’t even try to tell me Gable couldn’t pull off an adorable little cowboy hat. Don’t. Even. Try.
The Next Daniel Bryan?
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Gable is a fan favourite at Full Sail Arena. Gable and tag partner Jason Jordan were the highlight of the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, getting some of the best reactions at NXT TakeOver: Respect despite failing to make the finals. Someone else who is (was?) good at getting the crowd behind him is Daniel Bryan. An argument could also be made for Gable becoming Bryan’s successor. They both have the distinction of being ”smaller guys” in the pro wrestling sense. Yet, it’s that smaller stature among the sea of ex-football playing, bodybuilding gladiators that helps make them such endearing underdogs. It might be the rabid support of the fans that ends up pushing Gable to that next level.
The Next Cesaro?
Of all Cesaro’s skills and attributes one could wish to share, like his amazing work in the ring and charming Swissness, Gable could end up sharing Cesaro’s one main undesirable attribute: being a super talented wrestler whom the fans clearly want to see succeed, but is never given any serious push because of the decision of one man based on vague, shaky reasons. Lamentably, that man is the one who decides who gets pushed and who gets to join the mid-card club. (Side note: nobody steal my Bullet Club Parody shirt #436: Mid Card Club.) Of course, if Chad Gable does become the next Cesaro, his first name will have to join Antonio, Adrian, and Wade up in first name heaven. First name heaven is, by the way, is conveniently located next to last name heaven, where Langston is currently residing.
The Next Santino Marella?
Here’s where that gift for great comedic timing and mic work might come back to bite Chad Gable in the behind. There’s nothing wrong with being the comedy guy. I love the comedy guy. Some of my best friends are comedy guys (I mean, they would be if I had friends). Sometimes you just want more for some wrestlers, especially one this early into his career. Having said that, WWE is missing that reliable comedy guy right now, and nobody, besides perhaps Damien Sandow, has really embraced that role since Santino’s departure from our TV screens. Gable does have a bit of a Les Kellett vibe about him in the ring. There are worse things than being the comedy guy; just ask Curtis Axel. Wait, on second thought…
If anything has been made clear from this exercise in comparisons, it’s that Chad Gable is a talented, well-rounded professional wrestler with the tools to make a name for himself in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. But wrestling is wrestling and nothing is guaranteed.
Gable could blow out his knee like Seth Rollins before getting called up to the main roster. He could get a concussion that puts him on the shelf indefinitely like Daniel Bryan. Or, he could go on to become the next Kurt Angle and have a HOF worthy career. As flattering as it may be to be compared to such talented peers like Bryan and Cesaro, I don’t really want Gable to become the somebody.
Instead, what I truly hope is Chad Gable becomes the first Chad Gable, and that he makes his own mark on the wrestling world. And there’s no better time than now. He’s ready, willing, and Gable, after all.
We are getting close to the biggest UFC event ever to take place. We are less than 2 days away from Ronda Rousey defending her Women’s Bantamweight championship against Holly Holm. The UFC is now a massive company. It generates millions of dollars, and is popular almost everywhere. It has expanded across the globe, and has visited many countries and continents. Yet, the sport of MMA is still using an archaic scoring system taken from boxing. Unfortunately, this has resulted in bad decisions with the wrong fighters winning or losing. A change is over due with the scoring, and it needs to be initiated by Dana White and the UFC or it will never happen.
Thank you to everyone who has been following my experiment. I have received quite a bit of feedback via email and twitter (@hendosfoodblog), and most of it was actually useful.
In this ten part series, I tried to find out if there is a better way to score a fight. My theory was simple. Using more of the allotted 10 points will lead to fairer decisions.
I started out with multiple options, but eventually settled on the “True Ten” scoring system, which scores using the exact same criteria, except more of the points may be used. Here are the possibilities:
10-10 = an even round, where a judge could go either way. Stop! Use this score. We needs judges unafraid to be indecisive. Make a fighter earn the round.
10-9 = the round where not much damage was done, but one fighter eked it out. Some called this the 10-9.5 round using a half point system. Needlessly complicated.
10-8 = the current 10-9, where a fighter obviously won a round. If it’s less than obvious, do not use this score, go back to a 10-9.
10-7 = A fighter obviously won, and did some decent damage. We need to see a lot more of these scores.
10-6 = the current 10-8 where a fighter dominates the round
10-5 = A dominant round and the fight possibly could have been stopped.
It’s pretty logical. Use more 10-10s and we will have fewer bad decisions and more draws, which is fine in my book. Use more 10-8’s (or 7’s or 6’s) and we will have a more realistic scoring differential.
Pros:
More draws which is a positive because we will have automatic rematches with stories to go with them, and fewer split decisions which no one enjoys (and many do not understand).
A more realistic point differential; with so many fights ending 30-27 or 29-28, it’s difficult to understand how the fight went with only a few scoring results possible.
Penalty points mean less; which is good because refs would not have to fear that they just snatched the fight from a fighter because he grabbed the cage. As it stands, one penalty point can cost a fighter a match.
It takes some of the pressure off the judges, as they can feel free to give a 10-10 round rather than agonizing over who won the round if it’s incredibly close.
It’s no longer a two out of three competition. Since hardly any judges use 10-8s as it stands, it’s basically a best of three rounds fight. It still would be, but less so, because a fighter has a real chance of coming back in round three to win if he kept it close in the first two.
Cons:
The percentage of outcomes that changed was statistically insignificant.
More math; while simple, still could be too complicated for some judges.
It’s still pointlessly predicated on the number ten. I think the “must” part of the current scoring system and my system is faulty. Why not just give the round winner points? The easiest way to do this would be to have a five point round potential. Then a judge just scores a round 5-0, 4-0, 3-0, etc., which simplifies it. Heck you could even do it with just three or two points, but I like five.
Those are the stats I collected, but the only statistics that really matter are the next…
Number of differing outcomes using True Ten scoring: 2**
Percentage of differing outcomes using True Ten: 5.5%
** Both of those two differing outcomes resulted in the match being ruled a draw.
Note on scoring…
One thing that I noticed as I scored all these fights, was how the earlier rounds influenced my judging later. Often I’d found that because the first round was close but I went with Fighter A, I then tended to find a reason to pick Fighter B in the second round. That way, I could let the third decide it. Another common decision I was making was that if Fighter A took the first and second pretty obviously, then if the third was close at all, I’d give it to Fighter B, because of, I don’t know, pity. So what I’m suggesting is a rotation of judges. No one judge can judge more than one round of a fight. I’m sure this would be a logistical nightmare, and if studied, probably would not reveal any significant results, but I know that the earlier rounds effected my later round judging, as much as I tried to prevent it, and this is the only way I can think to make judging completely objective.
Also, why are we limiting ourselves to three judges? Make it five. Or let the referee have a vote. I don’t know why we are limiting the polling size so greatly. Let the Internet be a vote. That could get whacky!
The results of this study were less than satisfying, because I had predicted that we would see a statistically significant amount of change. Unfortunately, nearly every outcome using True Ten was the same as the Ten Point Must, so it would seem that this is an unnecessary scoring change for this moment. However, beyond merely deciding the outcome of a match, the score represents the drama. It represents a fight. It needs to be the blind justice in the fighting world, not left up to the whims of the ghost of boxing’s past. MMA judging needs to tell the story of the fight, and take the viewer on an adventure. Such as a comeback in other sports is only thrilling because of the large point differential, fighting should be the same. It should have both highs and lows. However, most of all, it should be correct. Do I ask too much of numbers? Some would say yes. Others would say that I’ve just gone mad, but damn them all, numbers are accurate! Trust the numbers. They do not lie. They have no emotion. They don’t care. They don’t breathe… The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy, but these are new. They look human… sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. I had to wait till he moved on you before I could zero him…
If you’ve enjoyed these columns and found any value in my urgency to change the system, I’d ask you to continue the conversation. If you work for a commission or know someone who does, push the issue. Talk about it with your peers, or with your family at the dinner table during Thanksgiving. It’s that important. We need to keep this issue alive because the scoring needs to change. No more relics of boxing. This is a different sport and needs a different scoring system.
No Fate, but what we make. #TrueTen
******
Stats (individually by show):
Total Official Decisions: 36 (by show 4,3,3,3,4,4,4,2,6,3)
Unanimous: 28 (by show 4,2,2,3,2,3,3,2,4,3)
Split: 4 (by show 1,1,0,0,0,0,1,0,1,0) Other: 4 (by show 0,0,0,0,2,0,0,2,0,0,)
Different Outcomes Using True Ten: 4 (0,0,0,0,0,0,2,2,0,0)
It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block. Join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! We’ll also spice things up with some predictions for week two about who could go all the way this season – two “Fighters to Watch” for each recap.
*****
There’s no Notorious Quote of the Week or Fighters to Watch this week. They crammed two fights into this episode so there really wasn’t enough time to glean anything worthwhile from the filler material.
Weigh-ins for Artem Lobov and James Jenkins open the show. Both fighters make weight. Faber predicts the entire fight will be a stand-up war and “a bloody mess.” Jenkins wants to “prove his worth and let it all hang out.” Lobov says he has the same game plan every single fight: “Hit him as hard as I can, as much as I can.”
Lightweights: Artem Lobov (Europe) vs. James Jenkins (USA)
Lobov is in the gray trunks and Jenkins the blue. Jenkins is 8-1 and Lobov is 11-10-1. That means Lobov is more experienced and more vulnerable at the same time. Both fighters get a warning for extended fingers 55 seconds in. Jenkins is trying to push Lobov into the fence and work him over, but that’s easier said than done. Lobov keeps his hands low and slams them into his face when Jenkins isn’t expecting it. He starts bleeding pretty badly and time is called at 2:44 to check the cuts. Jenkins says he’s okay to continue but Lobov keeps creaming him with the left. Lobov lands the kill shot right and pounds it out for a stoppage at4:05. Lobov looks at Dana White: “Did I promise you a good fight? A Russian Irishman always keeps his word!”
Team McGregor takes a 4-3 lead and we quickly move to the next fight announcement. David Teymur (McGregor) vs. Johnny Nunez (Faber) is up next. We don’t even see the weigh-in so we can assume both men made weight.
Lightweight: David Teymur (Europe) vs. Johnny Nunez (USA)
For unknown reasons, Conor McGregor doesn’t show up for his team for this fight, and Dana White says that after 15 minutes of waiting they had to go ahead.
Teymur is in the gray and Nunez is in the blue. Nunez dives hard for a takedown at 1:03 but it’s not there. Nunez is warned about shots to the groin, gets thrown by Teymur, Teymur starts pouring it on on the ground and the ref warns Nunez to fight back. Nunez stands back up after another warning with three minutes left in the round. Teymur is warned multiple times not to grab the fence, the fighters reset, and Nunez rocks Teymur with a shot and dives on top. Now when Teymur gets up, Nunez is getting the takedowns right away. He gets full mount with a minute left. Teymur gets half guard back as Nunez tries to posture up for elbows. A wild first round that could have gone either way.
Case partially completes a takedown at 1:18 of R2 but Teymur scrambles his way to the fence. The ref warns him about kneeing a grounded opponent as Teymur gets back up. Nunez gets another takedown at 1:56. Teymur is warned about shots to the back of the head. Teymur struggles to get off his back and can’t. At the three minute mark you can see his mouth wide open, breathing real hard, sucking wind. Nunez does get a warning to stay busy. Teymur gets up at 4:13. He lands a few good body kicks in the final 20 seconds but I’ve got Nunez winning the round clearly. The first round might have gone to Teymur with the judges though… AND IT DOES. R3 after commercial!
McGregor shows up just in time for the third round. Teymur gets on Nunez right away and he covers up on the ground for the first thirty seconds as the ref warns him to fight back. Nunez gets up at 1:09. The fact Teymur couldn’t pound him out shows just how tired he is. Actually they’re both gassed. The ref resets them at the center for inactivity at 2:07. Teymur lands a shot, Nunez dives for the legs, and time is slipping away for Nunez. He eats a kick to the head after they both stand up. Another warning to work as they wind up agains the fence.
Teymur gets multiple warnings not to grab the cage. They break with 90 seconds left. Teymur misses with a spinning head kick and Nunez finally gets a takedown at 3:55 right to side control. He takes the back with short time left and transitions to full mount. Both of these guys have come back from seemingly being totally spent and totally out of it. It wasn’t a pretty fight but it was a grueling scrap. Did Nunez do enough late to win R3 and the fight?
All three judges score R3 10-9 for a unanimous decision to David Teymur. Team McGregor takes a 5-3 lead.
The final first round fight is Abner Lloveras from Team McGregor and Jason Gonzalez from Team Faber. Join us next week!
The UFC heads back to Australia this weekend for the third stadium show in company history, headlined by the two most dominant women in the UFC today each defending their championships in front of a potential record-setting crowd. UFC 193 takes place on Saturday night on pay-per-view with the main card airing at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before heading on over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time for more prelim action.
The most dominant woman in MMA today, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, defends her title in the main event against undefeated challenger, Holly Holm, in a fight that could end up being the toughest test to date for Rousey. In the co-main event, the most dominant woman at 115 pounds, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, defends her title against Valerie Letourneau, winner of four straight fights. Also on the card is a heavyweight bout between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva, who meet in a rematch of their epic encounter from December 2013. Let’s take a deeper look into the action and give you five storylines to keep an eye on at UFC 193 on Saturday night.
1. Can Holly Holm be the woman to dethrone Ronda Rousey?
Ronda Rousey has been, arguably, the most dominant champion in UFC history, or at the very least, of the last couple of years. She is undefeated in her career at 12-0, and she has only been out of the first round once in her career. She has scored eight wins in less than a minute, three wins by knockout, and nine wins by submission, with all nine coming by her signature move- the armbar. She has amassed just under 26 minutes of total fight time in her twelve career fights. Everything about her fighting has been dominant. She has become a mainstream star unheard of in the sport, due not just to the attention she has received from being a fighter, but also due to her new-found status in Hollywood. She may not be long for the sport at this rate, but every time she steps foot inside the Octagon, you get the feeling you are about to see something special yet again.
Holly Holm is 9-0 since moving over to MMA from boxing, where she won 19 world titles in her career while putting together a 33-2-3 career record. She also has some professional kickboxing experience. She was impressive early in her MMA career, winning six of her first seven fights by knockout, leading to negotiations with the UFC. It was a long process, but she finally signed in July 2014. Injuries kept her from debuting for a while, but she was coming into the UFC with a lot of hype. She also works with one of the best fight camps in the world, the Greg Jackson camp in New Mexico, and under a lot of great coaches and with some of the best training partners in the world. She has been somewhat underwhelming in her two UFC bouts, scoring solid, yet overall unimpressive, wins over Raquel Pennington and Marion Reneau. She was selected as Rousey’s next opponent, likely before she was fully ready, because it was what Rousey wanted. Holm now has the chance to show she is the one that can dethrone the champion.
Holm’s two UFC bouts have almost been like walk throughs in anticipation of a chess match with Rousey. Holm moves around a lot on her feet, and she picks her attacks rather nicely. She throws a lot, but doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. She’s methodical in her approach. Rousey is much the same. Rousey doesn’t make mistakes, and she is much better on her feet than she has gotten credit for. She is also a master of gameplans. Holm’s coach, Greg Jackson, is also a gameplan master. Holm has shown good takedown defense, and it is going to need to be on point against Rousey. Both women fight very smart and Holm isn’t going to rush in right after Rousey. This fight may be different than any Rousey fight we have seen to this date, but it is hard to envision the outcome being any different. It’s not a matter of if Rousey will win, but how long will it take. We are in store for another special moment on Saturday, but Holm will be a very tough test for Rousey to pass.
2. Does Valerie Letourneau have a chance against Joanna Jedrzejczyk?
Valerie Letourneau enters UFC 193 on Saturday night challenging Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. She is doing it on the heels of four straight wins and is coming off a win over Maryna Moroz in August. She has been declared an undeserving challenger by most, but at the same time, they needed someone to challenge Jedrzejczyk, and she was likely the best option available at the time due to injuries and bookings to others. She enters as the biggest underdog in a title fight in history, and a simple $100 bet on her would win you $1,335 if she were to pull off the upset. Quite frankly, she is being counted out before the two women even step foot inside the Octagon. The big question is does she even stand a chance against Jedrzejczyk?
Letourneau has some solid striking and comes from a good camp in the American Top Team camp. The only losses in her career have come to Alexis Davis, Sarah Kaufman and Claudia Gadelha. Two of those have won and fought for titles, and the other, Gadelha, is next in line when she returns from the injured list. Jedrzejczyk is a different beast, though. She is undefeated in ten career fights, and she is likely the best striker in women’s fighting, no matter the weight class. She tees off on opponents, and her dominant win over Jessica Penne in her first title defense in June shows how great her attack is. She has overwhelmed both Penne and Carla Esparza in their title fight, and Gadelha has been the only one to give her a tough fight. Gadelha arugably beat Jedrzejczyk. Letourneau is going to need to be on the offensive and use her reach advantage. She won’t be able to outstrike Jedrzejczyk, so she should mix in some grappling. However, the champion is strong there. This is all set up for a showcase win for Jedrzejczyk, and it’s only a matter of how long it takes the champion to win.
3. Can Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva recapture the magic of their first fight?
Depending on who you ask and when you ask them, Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva were involved in the greatest fight in UFC history when they met each other in December 2013. It was an amazing heavyweight battle that surprisingly went 25 minutes, with over 320 strikes landed between the two of them. They were bloodied and battered, and when all was said and done, the fight ended without a winner. It ended in a draw, in one of those rare occurences where a draw is determined without a point deduction to factor in. It was a magical moment on that December night in Australia, and the two big heavyweights will step back into the Octagon again on Saturday night in Australia looking to recapture the magic of their first encounter. More importantly, after a draw, they, and fans alike, want a definitive winner.
When you are involved in one of the best fights in history, if you try it again with the same components, rarely does it ever live up to the first fight. Both men are different since that war. Hunt is coming off two straight losses, one of which was a brutal beating at the hands of Stipe Miocic. Silva lost his next two fights in bad fashion, but is coming off a big win over Soa Palelei. At this stage in their careers, it is unsure if either man has much left to give to the top contenders. Both still have that power that can make a difference in the heavyweight division, but their days of challenging for titles are likely long gone. That is why this is a perfect moment for a rematch. Hunt has the biggest difference maker in his right hand, but the beating he took at the hands of Miocic may be the beginning of the end for him. Silva’s chin can hardly take a punch these days, as his last five losses have all been first-round knockout losses. They are only going three rounds this time, and I sense a different outcome this time, with a winner truly decided. Who will that be? I like Hunt getting a knockout win.
4. Will Uriah Hall continue his surge up the UFC’s middleweight rankings?
Uriah Hall steps into the Octagon for fifth time on Saturday night, and he does so for the second straight time on short notice against a dangerous opponent. Last time it was Gegard Mousasi, and most thought Hall was headed to Japan to collect a paycheck and a beating. In the first round of their bout, it was looking like it was going to be a long night for Hall. However, in the second round, Hall pulled off a highlight-reel finish that he became known for during his time on “The Ultimate Fighter”. A spinning back kick landed to Mousasi’s face, then a flying knee, and before you know it, Hall finished Mousasi in a stunning upset to collect a performance bonus, a huge win, and the number ten ranking in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. It finally looked like Hall was going to start to live up to his potential as he has now won five of his last six fights.
He gets another tough foe on Saturday night as he steps in to fight Robert Whittaker, who has been looking great himself since moving up to 185 pounds. Whittaker is a former TUF winner, but after winning his first two UFC bouts, he dropped his next two. He has since won three straight, including two straight knockout wins after deciding to make the move up from 170 pounds. He has established himself as a formidable threat in the middleweight division, and he has moved to number 14 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. He has a lot of power in his hands and can finish fights quickly with his punches. He doesn’t have the overall striking prowess of Hall, and when Whittaker faced a similiar striker when he took on Stephen Thompson, it was Thompson finishing Whittaker. Hall has a lot of momentum, and with taking another short notice fight, while it’ll be his third fight in three months, he has a lot of confidence after the win over Mousasi. It’ll likely be a highlight-reel win in either direction, but Hall gets the job done here.
5. What else on the card is there to look out for?
The UFC 193 main card on pay-per-view rounds out with a heavyweight bout between Stefan Struve and Jared Rosholt. It will be Struve’s 16th appearance inside the Octagon, and after a long list of setbacks, he got back into the win column in scoring a decision win at UFC 190 in August over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which will be notable in history as the last fight in the legendary career for Nogueira. For Rosholt, it will be the first pay-per-view appearance for him as he looks to extend his two-fight win streak and move into the heavyweight rankings. He is 5-1 during his stint in the UFC, but it hasn’t been an overly impressive five wins as four of them have come by decision, and in not-so-pretty fashion. If there is one thing about Struve, it is that he can be finished, as all five of his UFC losses have come by knockout. It is the chance for Rosholt to score an impressive win, or for Struve to pick up his 11th triumph inside the Octagon.
In preliminary card action, each fight will feature a fighter hailing from Australia. It is not the most-stacked preliminary card in terms of name value, but features some solid fighters. One of the big names to watch is Jake Matthews, a 21-year-old lightweight looking to bounce back from the first loss in his career. He has been impressive in his short career, scoring seven of his eight wins by stoppage, but he gets a durable opponent in Akbarh Arreola, who has 22 wins by stoppage. In welterweight action, Kyle Noke looks for his second straight win against Peter Sobotta, holder of a seven-fight win streak. UFC veterans Anthony Perosh and Gian Villante will meet in a light heavyweight bout as both men look to rebound from setbacks in their previous bouts. A fight on the UFC Fight Pass portion to keep an eye on is the night’s opening bout, a flyweight contest between Ben Nguyen and Ryan Benoit. Nguyen has won seven straight fights, while Benoit is coming off an impressive second-round TKO win over Sergio Pettis at UFC 185 in March.
Full UFC 193 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictions
MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. (#7) Holly Holm Betting Odds: Rousey (-1900), Holm (+1200) Prediction: Rousey by submission in round 1
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship: (C) Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. (#8) Valerie Letourneau Betting Odds: Jedrzejczyk (-2150), Letourneau (+1300) Prediction: Jedrzejczyk by knockout in round 2
Heavyweights: (#8) Mark Hunt vs. (#11) Antonio Silva Betting Odds: Hunt (-265), Silva (+225) Prediction: Hunt by knockout in round 1
Middleweights: (#10) Uriah Hall vs. (#14) Robert Whittaker Betting Odds: Hall (-130), Whittaker (+110) Prediction: Hall by knockout in round 2
Heavyweights: (#14) Stefan Struve vs. Jared Rosholt Betting Odds: Struve (-125), Rosholt (+105) Prediction: Struve by decision
PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
Lightweights: Jake Matthews vs. Akbarh Arreola Betting Odds: Matthews (-900), Arreola (+600) Prediction: Matthews by submission in round 1
Welterweights: Kyle Noke vs. Peter Sobotta Betting Odds: Noke (+145), Sobotta (-165) Prediction: Noke by decision
Light Heavyweights: Anthony Perosh vs. Gian Villante Betting Odds: Perosh (+325), Villante (-400) Prediction: Villante by knockout in round 1
Flyweights: Richie Vaculik vs. Danny Martinez Betting Odds: Vaculik (-105), Martinez (-115) Prediction: Vaculik by decision
