Prior to each UFC fight card, Jay Primetown takes a look at some of the key contests at each event. In the latest installment, we look at the main event of UFC 219 as the women’s featherweight title is on the line as Cris Cyborg defends her title against former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
Cris Cyborg (Record: 18-1, -370 Favorite, Power Ranking: A++)
The widely considered top pound for pound fighter in women’s MMA enters this fight on an unbeaten striker of over 12 years. She’s finished her last 14 opponents most recently a third round victory over Tonya Evinger to win the UFC Featherweight Championship.
The current featherweight champion is the most feared fighter in women’s MMA. She’s as physically strong of a fighter as there is in the division. She has rare one punch knockout power and her aggressive, volume heavy approach makes her an absolute nightmare for opponents. She throws punches in bunches landing a whopping 7.83 significant strikes per minute. Not only is she volume heavy, but she lands with tremendous accuracy at 59%. She’s a muay thai striker in that she’ll throw to both the body and the head. She’s awesome in combination and does a good amount of work to the body. Combining that with heavy power, makes her extremely tough to beat. The one thing to remember about Cyborg is that she has a formidable ground game capable of dominating opponents on the mat, but since she is so good on the feet the majority of her bouts stay standing. In terms of her grappling defense, her takedown defense percentage is 94%. It forces her opponents to beat her on the feet and she has yet to face a stern test in that regard.
Holly Holm (Record: 11-3, +330 Underdog, Power Ranking: A-)
The New Mexico-based fighter is fighting for the first time since a performance of the night knockout of Bethe Correia in June 2017. This is Holm’s second time fighting at featherweight; she lost a close decision to Germaine de Randamie in that lone bout.
The former world champion boxer has certainly transitioned well enough to MMA. She had a meteoric rise in both the sport and fame when she famously gave Ronda Rousey her first career loss. However, the tables flipped when she was submitted by Miesha Tate just months later. Holm is one of the better strikers in the UFC. She uses distance well making it difficult for her opponents to beat her in a striking contest. Surprisingly given her boxing prowess, her best attribute is her kicks. She is very dangerous in that regard and finished both Correia and Rousey with highlight reel winning head kick knockouts. On the flip side, she is a low volume striker and has struggled with opponents who are good on the counter or can overwhelm her with volume. Furthermore, her ground game is still rather simplistic. If she’s put on her back, she will struggle against most opposition.
Matchup
In what should be an entertaining bout, Holly Holm challenges Cris Cyborg for the featherweight championship. While it is Cyborg who is feared, it has been Holm who has faced the far superior competition. Holm has taken on the likes of Ronda Rousey, Valentina Shevchenko, and Miesha Tate. Cyborg, on the other hand, has found it difficult to get opponents having been forced to fight in regional organizations until recently when the UFC signed her. Holm is certainly the most accomplished opponent that Cyborg has faced, but I don’t think it’s going to matter much in this fight. Holm is a strong counter striker and could have some success early in the fight as Cyborg learns about Holm’s tendencies. As the fight wears on, Cyborg’s relentless pace and heavy volume will be very difficult for Holm to contend with. Holm has taken damage in previous fights against Betche Correia and the aforementioned Shevchenko. There’s no doubt that Cyborg will land in this fight and it’s just a matter of how quickly that happens in this bout. The one thing Cyborg needs to be wary about is the head kick. When she throws that heavy right hook she tends to dip her head. If Holm times a kick perfectly that is her path to victory. The problem for Holm is that Cyborg closes distance so well, that the head kick will be extremely difficult to land. With that in mind, I think Cyborg avoids the head kick and eventually secures a KO/TKO victory in the middle rounds as Holm will be unable to handle the power barrage. Given Cyborg’s incredible run of finishes, seeing her lined at -120 for a TKO/KO is too good to pass up and is worth a bet.
