UFC 193 Recap & Results

Defending her bantamweight title for the second consecutive time outside the United States, Ronda Rousey aimed to stay perfect as a professional mixed martial artist. 12 times she had been challenged, each a challenger deemed her toughest yet, and 12 times she had prevailed. Could her latest ‘toughest test to date’, former three-division boxing champion Holly Holm finally provide a test worthy of such a dominant champion?

The Perfect Approach Ends Perfect Champion

The answer was a resounding yes. Calmer, faster and just generally stronger in body and mind, Holly Holm may have stunned the world with her victory over the previously unbeaten Rousey, but it was the way she did it that shocked more than anything.

Avoiding the clinch of the former champion and maintaining distance throughout, Holm used Rousey’s aggression against her, repeatedly staggering ‘Rowdy’ with crisp counter-strikes. Rousey must have known that she’d have a hard time against such an accomplished striker but yet she remained focused on boxing with her opponent. Her poor approach and judgement contrasted perfectly with the disciplined and unwavering gameplan executed by the new champion.

Holm exposed Rousey in the first, and completed her stunning performance just short of a minute into the second frame. Dismissing more of her opponent’s ill-advised offense, Holm rocked Rousey with another combo before finishing the fight with a perfectly thrown high kick that sent ‘Rowdy’ hurtling to the canvas floor.

A completely deserved victory for the new champion. Rousey (Now 12-1, 6-1 UFC) on the other hand will need to understand and accept where she went so wrong in her traumatic dethroning in order to move on and work on rebuilding her severely dented legacy.

Joanna Fends Off Game Létourneau 

It wasn’t the crushing victory many predicted, but Joanna Jędrzejczyk still did more than enough to ensure at least one of the UFC’s women left Melbourne with their title reign intact. Essentially written off before even stepping inside the Octagon, Valérie Létourneau proved herself a worthy challenger for the most part, but the champion’s unwavering gameplan ultimately prevailed after five rounds of competitive action. A steady, but punishing slew of leg kicks slowed the challenger, while several well-placed front kicks had Létourneau reeling on numerous occasions throughout.

The judges scored it correct with all three awarding the champion a unanimous decision victory. Tougher challenges await the Polish mauler, but for now she can rest easy with her position as the strawweight division’s queen assured.

New And Improved Hunt Victorious In ‘Round Six’

Recovering from his dismantling at the hands of Stipe Miocic earlier this year, Mark Hunt bounced back perfectly by finally finishing ‘Bigfoot’ Silva in the sequel to their instant classic five round war from 2013. Leaner and refocused thanks to a successful camp with Mike Swick’s AKA Thailand, Hunt stalked ‘Bigfoot’ before blasting the Brazilian giant with a blow to the temple and follow up strikes, bringing proceedings to an end with just over a minute remaining in the opening round. The impressive win keeps the 41-year old Hunt in contention in an ancient heavyweight division, while nothing but retirement should be in the future plans of a tired and TRT-less Silva.

Aggressive Whittaker Outguns Hall

Fans never know which Uriah Hall they’re going to get from one performance to the next. His latest opponent, surging New Zealand prospect Robert Whittaker, left nothing to chance however as he stayed aggressive throughout the duration of their duel. Throwing everything he could muster at his unpredictable opponent, Whittaker maintained a relentless pace and scored with a wide variety of striking combinations. Hall has his moments over the course of the bout, but it just wasn’t enough to steal the fight from the Australian-based Kiwi who rightfully earned the unanimous verdict from the judges.

Rosholt Grinds ‘Skyscraper’ In Dull Opener

It wasn’t pretty and it was far from perfect, but Jared Rosholt did just enough to secure the decision victory over the UFC’s tallest competitor. Working to avoid any potential striking threat from the Dutchman, Rosholt looked to his wrestling background but unfortunately didn’t look any further than that as he spent the majority of the bout content to stay in guard or side control. Takedowns in each round earned the Oklahoma State wrestler his biggest win to date, but he’ll have to do a whole lot more than this to convince us that he deserves a spot among the heavyweight division’s elite.

UFC 193 Main Card Results:

Heavyweight
Jared Rosholt def Stefan Struve via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-29, 29-28)
Middleweight
Robert Whittaker def Uriah Hall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Heavyweight
Mark Hunt def Antônio Silva via TKO (punches) in round 1
Women’s Strawweight Championship
Joanna Jędrzejczyk © def Valérie Létourneau via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Holly Holm def Ronda Rousey © via KO (head kick and punches) in round 2

Event Awards:

Best Fight: Robert Whittaker vs. Uriah Hall
Best Finish: Holly Holm
MVP: Holly Holm

What did you think of UFC 193? Leave your comments and analysis in the comments section below!