- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
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I agree that fan demand should be number one. Who deserves what should be secondary (although usually the deserving ones also meet fan demand). The shitty ranking system is one reason for this, the other is simply watching fun fights and that's what the UFC should always put first.
Rousey/Holm doesn't apply to neither completely, as Nunes is a fun fighter who's more proven than Holm with the McMann win and the performance vs Cat, and Tate is more deserving, while Holly needs 2 fights against steadily increasing tests.
Beating Reneau & Pennington are the first steps in a transitional phase from regional to upper-level competition. The next ones could've been McMann & Nunes, and if you don't want to burn a contender replace Nunes with Bethe or Davis. Either way, Holm needs more experience in top-level women's MMA.
I would've went with Rousey/Nunes and have Tate rematch Cat. Rousey/Holm is a good, marketable fight, but it's too soon for Holm.
She hasn't found her range yet and her shootboxing is at a basic level (she either clinches or kickboxes, while Ronda's game is to transition from boxing to clinch grappling as soon as possible).
As for Holm's chances, her physical strength & balance has led to some good TDD against the middling competition she's faced, and led her to point-strike with volume and using her variety of moves to make her opposition defend and therefore drop decisions. She doesn't have big punching power, which would be the much-needed equalizer against a more skilled Rousey. With Holm's length, her footwork and pocket boxing won't help her against Ronda, but keeps her at a disadvantage when forced to throw down up close. So that leaves a high kick KO against an extreme pressure fighter - highly unlikely. Or somehow dance around for 5 rounds without getting taken down - less unlikely, but that's going from 90% to 80%, roughly put.
With an enormous gap in transitioning from one discipline to the next, this should look like a MMA fighter vs a boxer who hasn't mastered MMA (A 1st round sub).
Rousey/Holm doesn't apply to neither completely, as Nunes is a fun fighter who's more proven than Holm with the McMann win and the performance vs Cat, and Tate is more deserving, while Holly needs 2 fights against steadily increasing tests.
Beating Reneau & Pennington are the first steps in a transitional phase from regional to upper-level competition. The next ones could've been McMann & Nunes, and if you don't want to burn a contender replace Nunes with Bethe or Davis. Either way, Holm needs more experience in top-level women's MMA.
I would've went with Rousey/Nunes and have Tate rematch Cat. Rousey/Holm is a good, marketable fight, but it's too soon for Holm.
She hasn't found her range yet and her shootboxing is at a basic level (she either clinches or kickboxes, while Ronda's game is to transition from boxing to clinch grappling as soon as possible).
As for Holm's chances, her physical strength & balance has led to some good TDD against the middling competition she's faced, and led her to point-strike with volume and using her variety of moves to make her opposition defend and therefore drop decisions. She doesn't have big punching power, which would be the much-needed equalizer against a more skilled Rousey. With Holm's length, her footwork and pocket boxing won't help her against Ronda, but keeps her at a disadvantage when forced to throw down up close. So that leaves a high kick KO against an extreme pressure fighter - highly unlikely. Or somehow dance around for 5 rounds without getting taken down - less unlikely, but that's going from 90% to 80%, roughly put.
With an enormous gap in transitioning from one discipline to the next, this should look like a MMA fighter vs a boxer who hasn't mastered MMA (A 1st round sub).
