UFC 175 Date: July 5, 2014 Arena: Mandalay Bay Events Center City: Las Vegas, NV Women’s Bantamweight title bout: Ronda Rousey (-1750) vs Alexis Davis (+850) Fight Breakdown: The co-main event for UFC 175 on Pay Per View will be a match-up for the women’s bantamweight title that will see the champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey make her fourth title defense against fellow Strikefroce veteran Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis. Rousey is a gigantic favorite in this fight at -1750 ($1750 to win $100), and Davis is a huge underdog at +850 ($100 to win $850) at Several Bookmakerss. “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is coming off a first round TKO victory over Sara McMann, which marked her first professional mixed martial arts victory by anything other than an armbar, as well as the eighth time she finished a fight within the first round of action. She is an extraordinary grappler with an excellent submission game and phenomenal judo skills. Rousey works beautiful takedowns and has great judo throws and tosses, which she favors to get her opponents down to the mat, as well as her inside trip and body-lock takedowns. The Strikeforce and UFC veteran is still raw in the stand-up, though she has been showing improvements in the department, largely in part due to her time spent working with striking coach Edvard Tarverdyan. “Rowdy” is an incredibly tough fighter who is full of heart and has no quit in her. I believe she will be good to go for all 25 minutes of action, if necessary, though she has all the tools to end this fight inside the distance, as has been the case with all nine of her professional bouts. Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis (16-5, 3-0 UFC) is coming off a split decision victory over Jessica “Evil” Eye at UFC 170, in what was an impressive comeback performance for the Canadian. She now rides a five-fight winning streak, which includes a third round rear naked choke submission victory over fellow UFC women’s bantamweight Shayna Baszler. During her stint in Strikeforce, Davis also earned victories over another fellow UFC women’s bantamweight in Amanda Nunes and the now-retired Julie Kedzie. The Strikeforce and Invicta FC veteran is an aggressive fighter who likes to push the pace. She is very talented on the mat and is a submission ace, owning black belts in both Japanese and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, nearly half of her professional mixed martial arts career wins have come by way of tapout. Complimenting her submission game is her solid submission defense. Her takedown defense is decent, but when taken down, she is very active off her back, as she is constantly attacking with submissions and looking for reversals. The Canadian’s striking continues to improve fight to fight, and she may have an advantage in that department heading into this bout. Davis has a nice jab and decent uppercut. She changes levels well and works well inside the clinch. She puts together some solid combinations and does a fine job of incorporating her leg kicks. The 29-year old is good at counter striking, and she is very durable with an excellent chin. She likes to engage in body locks and beat her opponents up against the cage, while looking for possible trip and hip-throw opportunities. She has great conditioning, so I think she’ll be ready for all five rounds of action, should the fight hit the judges’ scorecards. Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Rousey is going to get the better of Davis everywhere, possibly earning her second finish via TKO. Out of all the opponents Rousey has faced, Davis has the best submission game, so I would not be surprised to see her defend Rousey’s attempts. However, Rousey is much more powerful, and strength may trump technique when it comes to these two women’s bantamweights. Gabe’s Call: Honda Housey by TKO (knees, 2:13 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Rousey/Davis under 2.5 rounds (-380) parlayed with Uriah Hall (-425) for -179 3.75u to win 2.1u
