Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Australian Megan Anderson as she makes her debut against former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 225 in a featherweight bout.
Megan Anderson
Hometown: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Age: 28
Height: 6’0”
Reach: 72.5”
Weight Class: Women’s Featherweight
Camp: Glory MMA
Career Record: 8-2
Key Wins: Peggy Morgan, Charmaine Tweet
Key Losses: Cindy Dandois
Background A former member of the Australian military, Anderson began her MMA career in 2013. She quickly moved up the ranks and started training in the US. She currently has a four fight winning streak most notably a knockout win over Charmaine Tweet to win the Invicta Featherweight title.
Strengths
- Excellent size for the weightclass
- Good footwork
- Heavy right hand
- Mixes in kicks well
Weaknesses
- Has only faced limited opposition
- Limited ground game
- Striking defense can be non-existent at times
- Chin is a question mark
Fighter Grade
Offensive Striking: B
Striking Defense: D
Knockout Power: A-
Athleticism / Speed: C+
Footwork: C
Chin: C-
Offensive Wrestling: C-
Takedown Defense: C-
Submissions: C-
Conditioning: C-
Intangibles: C+
Overall Grade: B-
Matchup with Holly Holm
Megan Anderson takes a big step up in competition in her UFC matchup as she takes on former UFC Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm. This is an exciting matchup between two of the best strikers in women’s MMA. Both fighters are very capable offensive strikers with strong kicking games. Each has highlight reel head kick knockouts to their name. Holm will need to be careful to avoid the power striking of Anderson and this is a rare bout where she will even have to give up some size to an opponent. The thing with Holm is that she is an excellent fighter on the counter so I think this matchup plays into her favor. Anderson likes playing the role of the bully and being the fighter that fires first. Unfortunately for Anderson, that will leave her open to the counter where Holm can find gaps and land strikes of her own. This should be a pretty entertaining bout overall, but Anderson has too many holes defensively to stick with Holm for five rounds. Look for Holm to land one of her patented head kicks and put Anderson on her back for a big knockout win to get her back in the title picture. Holm by KO/TKO at +600 is a solid value bet given the vulnerabilities of Anderson on the feet.
UFC Ceiling Megan Anderson has the size and power to be a threat right away in the UFC; especially in a division with a limited roster pool. She is still fairly raw as an MMA fighter and will need to be tested in the sport before she can be a real threat for the championship. There is talent there, but she needs more seasoning against quality opposition first.
Fight Film Check out Megan Anderson in some of her most recent fights:
Megan Anderson vs. Amanda Bell
https://www.ufc.tv/video/megan-anderson-vs-amanda-bell-invicta-17
Megan Anderson vs. Charmaine Tweet
https://www.ufc.tv/video/megan-anderson-vs-charmaine-tweet-invicta-fc-21-anderson-vs-tweet
