UFC 170 Date: February 22, 2014 Arena: Mandalay Bay Events Center City: Las Vegas, NV Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout: “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (-450) vs Sara McMann (+400) Fight Breakdown: The main event for UFC 170 in Las Vegas live on Pay Per View will be the second women’s main event in UFC history. It will be featuring two US Olympic medalists in the champion and bronze medalist judoka “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey and challenger and silver medalist wrestler Sara McMann. Rousey is the favorite heading into this contest at -450 ($450 to win $100), while McMann is the underdog at +400 ($100 to win $400) at Several Bookmakerss. “ROWDY” RONDA ROUSEY (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is coming off a third round armbar submission victory against Miesha Tate at UFC 168 less than two months ago. It was her eighth armbar submission victory in her professional mixed martial arts career, and the second over Tate. However, it was the first time she’d ever left the first round in her eight-fight career. She did not have much of a training camp for that bout, as she was busy doing acting work, but she was still dominant and came out on top. Rousey is an extraordinary grappler. She works beautiful takedowns with judo throws, and her submission game is excellent. She is raw in the stand-up, but has been working her striking with coach Edvard Tarverdyan, and has been making improvements in that department. Word is that her hands are looking very sharp in the gym, nowadays. “Rowdy” is an incredibly tough fighter who is full of heart and has no quit in her. I would not have been able to say this before her last bout, but I think now she can go all five rounds of action without completely gassing. SARA McMANN (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is coming off a first round TKO victory over Sheila Gaff in her promotional debut at UFC 159 nearly 10 months ago. She completely dominated Gaff on the mat, getting her in the crucifix position and battering her with strikes until the referee was forced to step in and call off the action. McMann competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where she earned a silver medal in freestyle wrestling. The 33-year old is a very talented wrestler, and is blossoming into a solid Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Training under the all-time great Marcello Garcia, you know she is going to be a threat when the fight hits the mat, and if there is one thing she does better than anything else, it’s getting the fight to the mat. Not only has she begun to hone a noteworthy offensive submission game, but her submission defense is also very good, as was evident in her three round battle against fellow UFC women’s bantamweight Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler. The Olympic silver medalist has developed solid striking skills, and would be capable of getting the job done on the feet against many women’s 135ers. McMann moves well on her feet, being able to get in and out quickly while dropping effective combinations. She starts off fast and works nice leg kicks. She has a good chin and isn’t afraid to take one to land one of her own; more like take one to land a few, because of how quick she is with her hands. The Invicta FC veteran is very powerful, and it is evident when she closes the distance on her opponents. She is an incredible athlete who is always in great shape, so I don’t doubt that her cardio will be in check for the hardest five rounds she will ever have to fight. Fight Prediction: I believe Sara McMann is the best women’s bantamweight, next to Ronda Rousey. She is great, but I think Rousey is just better. I feel Rousey’s judo and superior submission game will outweigh McMann’s wrestling and striking. McMann is a lot better than Tate, so after Rousey’s last outing, I can’t guarantee that the champ will earn the finish here, but I do believe that whether it goes the distance or not, it will be “Rowdy” who gets her hand raised. Gabe’s Pick: “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey by Submission (armbar, 0:24 round 1) I really don’t know how this one will end up, could really be a decision or a quick finish, but gun to my head, I’d say she gets it done how she normally does. While McMann is a much better fighter than Tate, I don’t think that necessarily means she can survive Rousey’s submission attempts for 10 minutes the way Tate. This pick doesn’t mean I’m gonna be laying money on Rousey in Round 1, it’s just what I’m going with because it’s tough to really predict how this one ends; early Rousey armbar just makes slightly more sense than anything else to me right now. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Ronda Rousey (-450) 9u to win 2u
