Ronda Rousey has established herself as one of the most dominant athletes in sports. Now the question is, When she will actually get challenged? The answer will be at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, if Holly Holm has her way.
The former boxer is the latest opponent who is hoping to come up with a game plan to trouble the UFC women's bantamweight champion. Simply surviving the first round, which has only happened once in Rousey's 12 career fights, is an accomplishment. Winning would be a true shocker.
With that in mind, let's check out all of the important viewing information for the event, which will occur Sunday in Australia and Saturday night in the U.S. That's followed by a closer look at the biggest key to victory for each fighter.
UFC 193 Details
Where: Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia
When: Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Pay-Per-View
Live Stream: UFC.tv
Rousey vs. Holm Keys to Victory
Rousey: Don't Change Approach
The biggest mistake Rousey can make is going too far out of her element to prove a point. In this case, that would mean getting caught up in a boxing match in order to prove her striking ability against somebody with a deeper background in that facet of combat.
While there's no doubt the 28-year-old MMA superstar has improved in that area, it doesn't represent her best path to victory. That type of match would make Holm far too comfortable, something Rousey's opponents can rarely, if ever, say.
Her coach is still confident she would win under those circumstances, though. Edmond Tarverdyan discussed preparing for that possibility, as noted by Michael Martinez of UFC.com.
"We're ready for everything, but if the question is, does Ronda need to prove that she's a boxer? I hope (Holm) does box with us because Ronda can box," Tarverdyan said. "Ronda has knockout punching power in both hands. It doesn't matter which hand she touches you with, it's dangerous."
It's hard to dispute those comments given Rousey's improvement, as highlighted by the fact she's won three of her past four fights by knockout rather than her patented armbar submission. She's become a more well-rounded fighter to increase her advantage over everybody else.
That said, the bottom line remains the same. Rousey is the overwhelming favorite regardless of how the fight ends up playing out. But Holm's chances, however small, are greater if the bout turns into a pure striking encounter rather than a grappling contest.
Holm: Defend Early and Slow the Pace
Quite simply, most of the important keys for Rousey's recent opponents have been rendered immediately null and void. She has won her last three bouts in a combined 64 seconds by taking control from the opening bell and quickly ending things.
Holm must be prepared for that initial aggression. Everything else is secondary to surviving those first 30 seconds. She needs to exert a strong defensive showing to prevent the champion from getting in prime position to lock in the armbar or deliver the fight-ending punches.
If Holm can accomplish that, then the focus can shift toward the other elements of her game plan. One of them is trying to slow down the pace of the fight by maintaining distance and utilizing her power effectively when Rousey tries to move in.
That would allow her to potentially push the fight into the second or third round. Miesha Tate fought Rousey tough until the 58-second mark of the third round in their second matchup. Nobody else has survived the first, but that's not what the challenger is really focused on, per Martin Rogers of USA Today.
"I am not coming to try to last longer than Ronda's other opponents," Holm said. "I am coming to win. (People) think I am not going to do it—I am going to try to prove you (all) wrong."
Ultimately, she doesn't feature nearly as many weapons as Rousey does, which means everything would need to go perfect for Holm to back up those words with a massive upset. But if she survives the initial barrage and can fight at her desired pace, she'll at least test the champion like few others have.
