Will Ronda Rousey finally meet her match when she steps into the Octagon on Saturday night at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to fight Alexis Davis?
Well, it's certainly a possibility. It's also difficult to bet against an undefeated bantamweight champion who has forced eight of her nine opponents to submit via a devastating armbar.
Here's a look back at the success of Rousey's finishing move:
Rousey has simply dominated her division, having beaten five previous opponents within the first minute of the fight. However, Davis looks ready to avoid adding to that statistic.
A black belt in jiu-jitsu, Davis is extremely well-rounded, both on her feet and on the ground. She's a gritty fighter who is capable of going the distance due to some impressive defense.
Davis also knows her standing heading into Saturday's fight, and she's not bothered, whatsoever, according to a tweet from UFC:
“Being an underdog is my lucky charm” - @AlexisDavisMMA #UFC175 pic.twitter.com/suM8mZCKzn
— UFC (@ufc) July 5, 2014
One more thing: Rousey has never fought a jiu-jitsu black belt before.
However, Rousey has been training in that style of fighting, and she's obviously built up quite a bit of confidence, according to an interview with Damon Martin of The Great MMA Debate, via David St. Martin of MMA Fighting:
It's definitely an interesting new challenge [fighting BJJ black belt Alexis Davis at UFC 175]. One thing that I couldn't stand when I was just watching MMA and coming from Judo was all these people talking about how the Jiu Jitsu people would beat any Judo player. It was such a stereotype that I thought, and still think, that I could beat any girl in the world, any weight division, gi or no-gi, black belt and in any ruleset they want, in just pure Jiu Jitsu.
Some may view Rousey's comments as pure trash talk; however, her words exude confidence and give her the mental edge prior to the fight.
While Davis is very capable of holding her own on her feet, she may not be able to escape Rousey's impressive takedown ratio of 7.73 every 15 minutes.
Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports relayed a recent incident proving exactly how strong Rousey is:
Florian says he watched Rousey and Penn grapple. Rousey actually threw Penn. Penn said she’s strong for anyone, not just for a woman.
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) July 5, 2014
Sure, Davis could stand on the defensive to avoid a potential early takedown, but Rousey's athleticism and Olympic pedigree give her an advantage in mobility over her opponent.
Who gets the win?
Davis' best chance is to use her reach advantage—68" to Rousey's 66"—to keep the champion at bay and stand for as long as possible. A brawling-style match would certainly play into Davis' favor.
Although, if these fighters choose to grapple excessively, and Davis can't produce countermoves to get back on her feet, she'll just be another statistic in Rousey's win category.
Prediction: Rousey via submission
