UFC 175: WEIDMAN VS. MACHIDA Date: July 5, 2014 Location: Las Vegas, NV Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center Broadcast: PPV UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey (-735) The first American woman to medal in Olympic Judo, Ronda Rousey (9-0) has gone from promising amateur to the reason why women’s MMA is in the UFC within two and a half years. Her meteoric rise through the sport is as unprecedented as her eight-straight armbar wins, seven of which have come in the first round. Rousey was the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion prior to entering the Octagon, and is now the reigning and defending UFC women’s bantamweight champ. Her judo is seemingly impossible to defend against, and, at 27-years-old, her striking gets better with every fight. No woman has been able to truly threaten her, with Rousey finishing the likes of Sarah Kaufman, Miesha Tate (2x), Liz Carmouche, Sara McMann and Julia Budd with ease. She’s one of the most dominant champs in women’s MMA history, and looks to continue her assent to the top of the sport with a win over Alexis Davis at UFC 175. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Alexis Davis (+445) Alexis Davis (16-5) works with some of the best in the game out of Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, so she knows what it takes to hang with some of the best. The 29-year-old Canadian is one of the many trailblazers for women’s MMA, and she has excelled since joining the UFC, going 3-0 with wins over Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, and Rosi Sexton. Armed with a fantastic ground game, Davis has excellent muay Thai as well and is one of the most dangerous women’s fighters on the planet. Overall, she is on a five-fight win streak and she has truly earned her shot at fighting Ronda Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight title this summer at UFC 175. Opening UFC 175 Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Rousey a -735 favorite (bet $735 to win $100) while Davis opened as a +445 underdog (bet $100 to win $445) at Several Bookmakers. This is an excellent fight between the champion and one of the top contenders in the division. Rousey has been nothing short of amazing so far in her MMA career, going 9-0 with nine finishes, and with a win over Davis would really cement his place as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, male or female. As for Davis, she has earned her title shot with five-straight wins and she matches up interestingly against Rousey as she may have the submission defence to stop Rousey from getting her armbar. Still, conventional wisdom says that Rousey should win this fight and that’s why you see her enter this fight as a massive betting favorite. Profiles by Jason Nawara.
