UFC 197 has become UFC 196 and it’s not really all that confusing. Just a simple name-change.
Conor McGregor will move up a weight division where he will get an immediate title shot against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on 5 March.
In the co-main event of the Las Vegas event, Holly Holm defends her bantamweight crown against perennial contender Miesha Tate in a fascinating stylistic match-up.
We presume you’re all aware of the work of Conor McGregor but we’ve decided to give everyone a brief introduction to all four fighters involved in one of the biggest fight weekends of the year.
For the UFC women’s bantamweight title
More casual fans will have become aware of Holly Holm with the sudden shot to the heart that came when she knocked out Ronda Rousey in November.
In reality, the New Mexico native hasn’t been in the MMA game long and only started competing in the sport five years ago under the tutelage of the Albuquerque geniuses that are Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
Holm enjoyed a successful boxing career where she went 33-2-3 over eleven years and even came close to welcoming Katie Taylor into the ring as a professional boxer.
A rangy kickboxer in the octagon, Holm does well to disguise her chopping roundhouse kicks behind her punches which is precisely what earned her her most famous win of all as Rousey failed to see a left head kick that robbed the previously undefeated bantamweight of that 0 on her record.
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Miesha Tate certainly enjoys a distinct experience advantage over the reigning champion and a bout against Tate is likely her best chance of claiming an elusive UFC title.
‘Cupcake’ was one of four women to hold the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title before the promotion was purchased by the UFC in 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW_k48gkNHk
A grappling specialist, Tate’s preferred style of striking is known as “dirty boxing” which is the technique whereby fighters land punches in tight, from the clinch position.
Tate will want to nullify the significant reach advantage of Holm by working from the inside but, as we saw at UFC 193, that’s easier said than done when up against Holm.
For the UFC lightweight title
Rafael dos Anjos is a genuine threat to Conor McGregor’s plans to become a two-weight UFC champion and don’t be fooled by the fact that he may not have the biggest name in the sport.
Sixth on the pound-for-pound rankings list, southpaw Dos Anjos is a fighter who’s truly only come into his own over the past 18 months.
The Brazilian went on a three-fight winning streak in 2014 before the UFC rewarded him with a shot at the lightweight title, the fight which epitomises Dos Anjos’ style.
RDA was a significant underdog coming in against Anthony Pettis in March but proved all the doubters wrong as he dominated the Taekwondo black belt for five rounds in all departments.
Dos Anjos displayed a relentless pace that was too much for ‘Showtime’ and he followed up his title win with the first round demolition job over top contender Donald Cerrone last month.
His background is in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but he’s evolved into a well-rounded, complete mixed martial artist under Kings MMA’s Rafael Cordeiro
What’s there left to say about Conor McGregor?
His rise to the top of the UFC’s featherweight rankings has been nothing short of meteoric.
“Stealing the show” would almost undersell McGregor’s impact on the UFC and he has yet to fall below any of the lofty expectations that he imposes on himself.
Also a southpaw, McGregor prefers a stand-up bout and he arguably has one of the most powerful single-strikes in all of MMA, with many having fallen to his crunching left hand.
McGregor’s style, in terms of his kicking game, is not unlike that of Pettis so it will be interesting to see if Dos Anjos employs the same gameplan that he used against ‘Showtime.’
*Updated from piece first published on January 8.
