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  • UFC 193 Melbourne live results: Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm from the Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. The event is headlined by UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey putting her championship, and status as the most dominant female fighter on the planet, on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm. In the co-main event, it is a second womens’ title fight as UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends against Valerie Letourneau. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 6:15 PM eastern time on UFC Fight Pass. The action moves over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time with additional preliminary fights before the main card kicks off at 10 PM eastern time on pay-per-view. We are looking for your thoughts on the show, so send a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle as well as a best fight and worst fight to dave@wrestlingobserver.com.

    UFC 193 Weigh-In Results
    UFC 193 5 Storylines To Watch
    UFC 193 DFS Playbook
    UFC 193 By The Numbers
    UFC 193 Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm: Our picks & preview

    Coverage provided by Dave Meltzer

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT)

    FLYWEIGHTS- BEN NGUYEN (13-5, 1-0 UFC) VS. RYAN BENOIT (8-3, 1-1 UFC)

    First round: This isn’t an early arriving crowd at all.  Real noticeable in such a huge stadium.  Nguyen is from Australia so he’s the crowd favorite.  Nguyen hurt him with a left and right and took him down.  Now he’s in full mount.  Benoit gave up his back.  He’s got him flattened out near the cage.   He’s now working for a choke.  Benoit is protecting his neck.  Nguyen landing punches now.  He flattened him out again and working for a choke    Benoit tapped out. 

    WELTERWEIGHTS- JAMES MOONTASRI (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. ANTON ZAFIR (7-1, 0-0 UFC)

    First round: Hard body kick by Moontasri.  Good right by Zafir.  He went for a takedown but couldn’t get it.  Takedown by Zafir.  Zafir with punches and a knee to the body.  Moontasri back up.  Moontasri briefly tried a guillotine.  Moontasri moved away.  High kick by Moontasri.  Front kick by Zafir Spinning backfist by Moontasri put Zafir down and finished him with punches on the ground.  It was a spinning back kick to the ribs and then the spinning backfist.  Zafir said his ribs were broken. 

    WELTERWEIGHTS- RICHARD WALSH (8-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. STEVE KENNEDY (22-7, 0-1 UFC)

    First round: Walsh from Sydney is the big babyface here.  Walsh with low kicks.  Kennedy’s leg is about to give out.  Walsh landing a lot of punches.  Kennedy’s left leg is all bruised up.  Kennedy got a takedown and got his back.  Walsh back up.  Kennedy took him down again.  Kennedy is working for a choke.  Kennedy now working for a Kimura.  Hard round to score 10-9 Walsh.

    Second round: Crowd super hot at the start of round two.  Walsh landing punches.  Kennedy went for a takedown but Walsh landed on top after sprawling.  Walsh backed off and wanted him to stand.  Good right by Walsh.  Kennedy failed another takedown.  Kennedy tried a triangle but lost him.  Walsh blocked another takedown and Walsh on top landing punches.  Walsh landing a lot of punches from the top.   Walsh backed off and Kennedy had to get up.  Takedown by Kennedy.  He’s staying on top.  20-18 Walsh but first round could go the other way.

    Third round: Body kick by Kennedy.  Walsh with a left.  Walsh landing punches and on top.  Walsh has his back.  Walsh let him up and landed a punch.  Kennedy staying on his back.  The ref ordered Kennedy to stand.  Nice uppercut by Kennedy.  Kennedy laid on his back again.  Walsh punching and kicking the the left leg Walsh landing punches.  Walsh landed a right on the ground.  Walsh with a few more punches on the ground.  Walsh 30-27, although 29-28 would be okay, but Walsh easily took this

    Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Walsh.

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- DAN KELLY (9-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. STEVE MONTGOMERY (8-3, 0-1 UFC)

    First round:   Kelly the hometown hero but he’s 38 years old.  Nice left by Kelly.  Knee by Montgomery to the body.  Body kick by Montgomeruy.    Big left by Kelly.  Kelly landing a lot of punches from close range.  Judo takedown by Kelly and he’s landing elbows.  Kelly landing punches on the ground.  Montgomery back up.  Another judo hip toss by Kelly.  Kelly landing more punches on the ground.  Kelly thinkng a choke.  Elbow on the ground by Kelly.  Another takedown by Kelly.  Kelly 10-9.

    Second round:    Montgomery landing punches but Kelly got a clinch.  Kelly didn’t get the takedown and an elbow by Montgomery.  Good left by Montgomery.  Both trading punches.  Knees by Montgomery from close range.  Left by Montgomery.  Knee by Montgomery from the clinch.  Judo whip by Kelly.  Kelly working for a guillotine.  Now he’s looking for a D’arce choke.  Montgomery back up.  Left by Kelly.  Another left by Kelly.  High kick by Montgomery.  Knee by Montgomery.  Montgomery landing punches.  Uppercut by Montgomery.  Kelly is clearly tired.  Punches by Montgomery.  Knee by Montgomery.  Kelly missed a throw.  Another knee by Montgomery.  Montgomery’s round so 19-19 going into the thrid.

    Third round: Knee by Montgomery.  Accidental low knee by Montgomery.  Left by Montgomery.  Montgomery landing all kinds of jabs.  Kelly got a clinch.  Kelly went for a takedown but Montgomery blocked it.  Montgomery landing but Kelly with a good left.  Body kick by Montgomery.  Another left by Kelly.  Kelly got a clinch but Montgomery escaped.  Montgomery with jabs.  Kelly with a left.  Body kick by Montgomery and more punches.  Big left by Kelly, Good low kick by Montgomery.  Another left by Kelly.  Big left by Kelly.  Knees by Kelly.  Kelly threw him down  That may have won him the fight.  Kelly has his back.  Kelly working for a choke but doesn’t have it.  Kelly bleeding.  Kelly spun to side mount and into full mount.  Kelly landing punches from the top and Kennedy moved.  Kelly working for a head and arm choke.  He doesn’t have it.  Time is running out.  But that won him the fight.  Good fight.    Kelly 29-28.

    Scores: All three have it 29-28 Kelly

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)

    FLYWEIGHTS- RICHIE VACULIK (10-3, 1-2 UFC) VS. DANNY MARTINEZ (16-7, 0-3 UFC)

    First round:   Martinez throwing punches.   Vaculik fought at 155 on TUF and is now fighting at 125.  Takedown by Martinez.  Elbow by Martinez.  Both swinging.  Martinez landing punches.  Vaculik with a takedown.  Martinez escaped.  Martinez 10-9.

    Second round:  Martinez landing punches early.  Takedown by Maritnez.  Martinez has him against the fence.  Martinez dropped him   He landed a knee and hard punches.  Hard left by Martinez.  Takedown by Vaculik and he’s got his back.  Martinez reversed to the top.  Takedown by Martinez.  Martinez landing some punches from the top.  20-18 Martinez.

    Third round:  Takedown by Vaculik.  Takedown by Martinez.  Knee by Martinez as Vaculik got up.  Vaculik started landking but Martinez took him out again.  Another takedown by Martinez.   Martinez with punches.  Martinez with punches on the ground.   Vaculik got up.

    Scores:  30-27 across the board for Martinez.

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- ANTHONY PEROSH (15-9, 5-6 UFC) VS. GIAN VILLANTE (13-6, 3-3 UFC)

    First round:  Villante hurt him with a right.  High kick by Villante.   Villante is a lot more patient than in the past after the Tom Lawlor fight.  Villante with right.  Good uppercut by Villante.  Perosh is wobbly.  Body kick by Villante.  Left by Villante.  Perosh with a right.  Villante knocked him out with a right to the jaw.

    WELTERWEIGHTS- KYLE NOKE (21-7-1, 5-3 UFC) VS. PETER SOBOTTA (15-4-1, 2-3 UFC)

    First round:  Noke is from Australia, one of their veteran stars.  Sobotta landing punches.  Noke landed a great kick to the body and  Sobotta collapsed.  That was a perfect sick kick.  Noke is landing punches on the ground.  And it’s over.  It was a front kick right to the ribs. 

    LIGHTWEIGHTS- JAKE MATTHEWS (8-1, 2-1 UFC) VS. AKBARH ARREOLA (23-9-1, 1-2 UFC)

    First round:  Left by Arreola.  Right by Arreola.  Left by Arreola.  Matthews with punches in the clinch.  Arreola tripped him up and landed a good left.  Arreola hurt him.  He dropped him with a head kick and now has his back   He’s working for a choke.  More punches by Arreola and he’s again working for a choke.  He’s again working for a choke.  Matthew escaped and got on top and Mathew pouding the hell out of him  Matthews with elbows.  Hard round to judge.  10-9 Arreola

    Second round:  Matthews with a body kick.  Takedown by Matthews.   Matthews with elbows from the top.  Matthews with more elbows and Arreola bleeding.  Matthew swith a hard punches and elbows.  Now body shots by Matthews.  10-8 round for Matthews so up 19-18.

    Third round:  The doctor stopped the fight because the cut so Matthews won.  The cut over the right eye was pretty deep and was swelling really badly.  Arreola was really upset by it.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#14) STEFAN STRUVE (26-7, 10-5 UFC) VS. JARED ROSHOLT (13-2, 5-1 UFC)

    First round:   Rosholt landed a right.  Rosholt with a low kick.  Fans booing the lack of action.   Rosholt got the takedown.  He’s in side control.  Fans booing.  Rosholt back on top.  He moved to side control.  Struve kicked him off but Rosholt back on top.  Rosholt 10-9.  Crowd booing.

    Second round:  Struve’s s left leg is all bruised up.  Rosholt landed a right.  Rosholt moved in to try and takedown.  Rosholt got the takedown.  He got up but Rosholt dragged him down.  Rosholt in side control.  Struve throwing nasty elbows late in the round with both on their back.  Rosholt 20-18.

    Third round:   Low kick by Struve.   Struve landed a left.  Right by Struve.  Another right by Struve.  Low kick by Struve.  Rosholt tried for a takedown but Struve blocked it.  Rosholt moved in for another takedown.  Head kick by Struve.  Front kick by Struve.  Right and left by Struve.  Struve landed a few punches but Rosholt took him down and moved into side control.  Struve up and  Rosholt shoved him into the fence.  Rosholt running away.  Struve took him down.  Struve landed elbows.  Crowd booing.  Struve won the round but Rosholt should have it 29-28.

    Scores:     All three have it 29-28 Rosholt

    MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#10) URIAH HALL (12-5, 5-3 UFC) VS. (#14) ROBERT WHITTAKER (14-4, 5-2 UFC)

    First round:   Whittaker came out aggressive.  Hard right by Whittaker.   High kick by Hall.  Body kick and left by Hall.  Low kick by Whittaker.  Hall went for some Ricochet double spin kick and Whittaker took him down.  Left and right from the top by  Whittaker.  Whittaker got mount but  Hall kicked him off.  Whittaker landing punches from the top.  Whittaker has his back.  Hall reversed to the top. 10-9 Whittaker.

    Second round:  Whittaker rocked him with a right.  Whittaker got behind him and stomped his foot.  Hall got lucky.  He got punched in the eye but the ref called it an eye poke so he got off the hook.  Right by Whtitaker.  Whittaker bleeding from the nose.  Whittaker landed a nice left.  Whittaker 20-18.

    Third round:    Hall out aggressively but Whittaker landing punches that hurt Hall.  Whittaker stomping his foot.  Hall landed a head kick.  Flying knee and another head kick by Hall.  Hall with knees the body.  Hall coming back.  Whittaker just trying to tie him up. Great front kick and head kick by Hall.  Whittaker landed a left.  Left by Whittaker.  Nice right by Whittaker.  Hall with a right.  Whttaker with a body kick and punch.  Whittaker got behind him.  Whattaker took him down.  Hall’s round so Whittaker 29-28.  Really fun fight.

    Scores:  30-27, 30-27, 29-28 Whittaker    

    HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MARK HUNT (10-10-1, 5-4-1 UFC) VS. (#11) ANTONIO SILVA (19-7-1, 3-4-1 UFC)

    First round:  Low kick by Hunt.  They exchanged punches.  Hunt with a low kick.  Hard body kick by Hunt.  Knee by Silva.    Another low kick by Hunt.  Hunt dropped him and it’s over.    

    UFC WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK (10-0, 4-0 UFC) VS. (#8) VALERIE LETOURNEAU (8-3, 3-0 UFC)

    First round:  Letourneau punched her and got her down and punching on the ground.  Joanna back up.  Both throwing knees.   Great kick to the face by Joanna which turned Letourneau around.  Exchanging punches.  Letourneou with high kick.  Letourneau 10-9.

    Second round:  Both exchanging punches.  Low kick by Joanna.  Joanna threw a kick but  Letrouneau caught the leg.  Letourneau pushed her against the cage.  Elbows by Joanna.  Exchanges.  Letourneau landed the best shot.  Letourneua landed a few.  Joanna with a right. Joanna with a series of punches.  Joanna’s round close 19-19.

    Third round:  Nice front kick by Joanna.  Joanna with a low kick.  Joanna now landing a lot.  Letourneau looks tired now.  Joanna landing a lot now.  Letourneau’s face is all bruised up.  Joanna’s round she’s up 29-28.

    Fourth round:   Good right by Joanna.  Front kick by Joanna.  She went for another one but Letourneau caught the leg.  Both trading shots.  Joanna busting her up now.  Joanna landing kicks and punches.  The crowd is starting to boo now.  Letourneau landed some punches.  Front kick by Joanna.  Joanna landed a lot of punches late in the round.  39-37 Joanna.

    Fifth round:  Joanna has thrown more than 200 strikes.  Body kick by Letourneau.  Joanna is too quick at this point.  Low kicks by Joanna.  Letourneau’s left leg is all red.  Low kick and rihg by Joanna.  Joanna landing a lot of punches.  Letourneau back with a punch.  Joanna messed up her left eye and left leg.  Very good fight.  49-46 Joanna.  Joanna landed 258 total strikes in the fight.

    Scores:  49-46, 49-46 and 50-45 for Joanna.

    UFC WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP- (C) RONDA ROUSEY (12-0, 6-0 UFC) VS. (#7) HOLLY HOLM (9-0, 2-0 UFC)

    First round:  Ronda wouldn’t touch gloves.  Holm landed a left.  Left by Holm.  Right by Holm.  Ronda landed with a right.  Ronda locked up with her.  It’s turning into a kickboxing match.  Right by Holm.  Right by Holm.  Ronda locked her up.  Rousey  got her down.  Holm escaped the armbar.  Holm kicking the knee and dancing away.  Left by Holm.  Big left by Holm.  Hard left by Holm.  Anothrer left by Holm  Ronda with a left.  Holm took her down.  Crazy.  Back in a clich.  Holm 10-9.

    Second round:  Ronda is tired and her nose is all bloody.  More lefts by Holm.  Side kick by Holm.  Rousey missed a punch and fell down.  Left head kick by Holm knocked Rousey down and she’s in trouble.  Punches on the ground and it’s over.  Wow.  :59 

  • UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm weigh-in results and live video

    Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of the UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm weigh-ins from the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia kicking off at 5 PM eastern time. The event airs on Saturday on pay-per-view at 10 PM eastern time. Preliminary card action kicks off on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 PM eastern time before moving over to FS1 at 8 PM eastern time. This will be the UFC’s third stadium show and the first visit to Melbourne, Australia.

    The event is headlined by two title fights in each of the UFC’s womens’ divisions topped by dominant champions. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey looks to continue her reign as the best female fighter in the world as she puts her 12-0 record and title on the line against undefeated challenger Holly Holm. UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk looks to continue her dominance of the 115-pound division as she puts her title and undefeated record on the line against Valerie Letourneau, winner of four straight fights. Also on the card is a heavyweight bout that is a rematch of an all-time classic fight as Mark Hunt takes on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

    MAIN CARD (PPV- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT):
    Ronda Rousey (134) vs. Holly Holm (134) – UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
    Joanna Jedrzejczyk (114) vs. Valerie Letourneau (115) – UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship  
    Mark Hunt (265) vs. Antonio Silva (263)
    Uriah Hall (185) vs. Robert Whittaker (185)
    Stefan Struve (265) vs. Jared Rosholt (239)

    PRELIMINARY CARD (FS1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT):
    Jake Matthews (155) vs. Akbarh Arreola (155)
    Kyle Noke (169) vs. Peter Sobotta (169)
    Anthony Perosh (205) vs. Gian Villante (205)
    Richie Vaculik (125) vs. Danny Martinez (125) 

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT):
    Dan Kelly (185) vs. Steve Montgomery (185)
    Richard Walsh (170) vs. Steve Kennedy (169) 
    James Moontasri (170) vs. Anton Zafir (170)
    Ben Nguyen (126) vs. Ryan Benoit (125)

    *Ronda calling Holly’s niceness all fake, and Ronda can see through her.  Ronda is ready!

    *Ronda gets right in her face.  Holly didn’t back down.  Awesome!  

    *Joanna pre-stared her down before even getting on the scale, Dana stepped in.  Joanna said, “Her lucky day was yesterday…”

    *Hunt came out already in his underwear.

    *Vaculik and Martinez had a pull apart.

  • UFC 193 Preview: 5 storylines to watch, betting odds & predictions

    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

    PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 6:15 PM ET/3:15 PM PT)

    Middleweights: Dan Kelly vs. Steve Montgomery
    Betting Odds:     Kelly (+230), Montgomery (-270)
    Prediction: Kelly by submission in round 2

    Welterweights: Richard Walsh vs. Steve Kennedy
    Betting Odds:     Walsh (-330), Kennedy (+270)
    Prediction: Walsh by decision

    Welterweights: James Moontasri vs. Anton Zafir
    Betting Odds:     Moontasri (-320), Zafir (+260)
    Prediction: Zafir by decision

    Flyweights: Ben Nguyen vs. Ryan Benoit
    Betting Odds:     Nguyen (-145), Benoit (+125)
    Prediction: Nguyen by knockout in round 2