The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia tonight for UFC 193: “Rousey vs Holm.” The event was headlined by a UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship bout as “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey met Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm.
Also on the card tonight, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk put her title on the line against Valérie “Trouble” Létourneau in the co-feature. Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt faced Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a heavyweight rematch. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm vs “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey
Round 1:
Rousey pressed forward with punches early on and Holm countered with a three-punch flurry. She followed with a straight left hand and an overhand right. Rousey knocked her off-balance with a right hook and the fighters clinched against the cage. Holm broke free and clipped Rousey with a right hook and a head kick. A step-in elbow scored for Holm, but Rousey took her down and looked to transition to an armbar.
Holm escaped to her feet and landed another combination. She targeted Rousey’s lead leg with front kicks and avoided a clinch attempt. Holm landed two big left hands and Rousey appeared to be wobbled. She fired back with a right hand that knocked out Holm’s mouthpiece. Action resumed and Holm slammed Rousey to the ground. A bloodied Rousey got back to her feet and landed a punch after the bell. 10-9 Holm.
Round 2:
Holm repeatedly scored with one-two combos in the second round and she ducked under a wild left hook from Rousey. Holm hurt her with a left hook and Rousey lost her balance. She turned her back and Holm finished her with a head kick that left Rousey unconscious on the mat.
Winner: Holly Holm by KO (Punch & Head Kick) at 0:59 of round two. She improves to 10-0-0 and becomes the new UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Joanna Jędrzejczyk vs Valérie “Trouble” Létourneau
Round 1:
The fight began with an exchange of kicks and Létourneau tripped Jędrzejczyk after catching a body kick. She landed short punches and elbows and looked to set up a guillotine choke. Jędrzejczyk scrambled up to her feet and landed knees in the clinch. More knees were exchanged and the fighters separated. Jędrzejczyk stunned Létourneau with a front kick to the jaw. A clinch followed and both women landed power punches soon after. Jędrzejczyk connected with another front kick and she countered a head kick by landing a flurry. 10-9 Jędrzejczyk.
Round 2:
Jędrzejczyk flurried with punches in round two and Létourneau responded with kicks from a distance. She caught a body kick and landed two punches before Jędrzejczyk pulled away. Létourneau clinched and Jędrzejczyk countered with short knees and elbows. The fighters separated and traded quick punches before Létourneau caught another kick. She countered leg kicks from Jędrzejczyk with an overhand right. Two right hooks scored for Létourneau and an exchange of power punches followed. Jędrzejczyk finished the round with jabs and a combination. Very close round. 10-9 Létourneau, barely.
Round 3:
The fighters continued to trade quick punches and leg kicks throughout the opening minutes of round three. Jędrzejczyk tagged Létourneau with combinations that put the challenger on the defensive. Another solid one-two landed for Jędrzejczyk and she followed with a body kick. Hard leg kicks scored for Jędrzejczyk and Létourneau began to slow down. She landed a body kick late in the round, but Jędrzejczyk was unfazed and she landed a barrage of punches before the bell. 10-9 Jędrzejczyk.
Round 4:
Jędrzejczyk had success with punching combinations in round four and Létourneau replied with body kicks. She lunged in with jabs that were met by combinations from the champion. Jędrzejczyk landed a punch-kick combo and Létourneau’s damaged lead leg continued to swell up. It did not stop Létourneau from throwing body kicks, however, and she landed two more soon after. Jędrzejczyk landed two punches and a body kick, but Létourneau remained aggressive. Jędrzejczyk punished her with more leg kicks and she hurt her with a flurry of punches. 10-9 Jędrzejczyk.
Round 5:
Létourneau opened the final round with a nice kick to the liver that briefly backed Jędrzejczyk up. Jędrzejczyk returned fire with punches and a standing elbow. Another liver kick landed for Létourneau, but Jędrzejczyk had an answer again and she connected with a slashing elbow. Jędrzejczyk continued to attack Létourneau’s lead leg with kicks, which led to an exchange of power punches in close. Létourneau’s right eye swelled up and Jędrzejczyk targeted it with elbows and punches. She blasted Létourneau with punches and leg kicks in the final 20 seconds. 10-9 Jędrzejczyk.
Winner: Joanna Jędrzejczyk by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) after five rounds. She improves to 11-0-0 and remains the UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.
Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt vs Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Round 1:
Silva circled on the outside and threw a series of kicks in round one. Hunt pressed forward and just missed with a lunging hook. He landed a powerful leg kick and followed with another one to the body. More kicks were exchanged and Silva missed with a wild right hook. Both men landed right hooks and Hunt finished a combination with a left. He dropped Silva face-first with one more right hand and followed with three more punches on the ground before the fight was stopped.
Winner: Mark Hunt by TKO (Punches) at 3:41 of round one. He improves to 11-10-1.
Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker vs Uriah “Primetime” Hall
Round 1:
Whittaker opened the fight with a combination and he followed with kicks to Hall’s lead leg. A Superman Punch wobbled Hall, but he recovered quickly. Whittaker jumped in with another right hand and he snapped Hall’s head back with jabs. Hall missed with two tornado kicks and Whittaker took him down in the process. He mounted Hall for a split second, but Hall kicked him off. Whittaker took Hall’s back in a scramble, but Hall turned into his guard in the final 15 seconds. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 2:
Whittaker remained aggressive in the second round and he landed three right hands before taking Hall’s back on the feet. Hall broke free and Whittaker landed a jab to Hall’s eye. Hall turned his back and time was called to bring the doctor in to check on Hall’s right eye even though he was not the victim of an eye poke. Action resumed and Whittaker mixed things up with lunging punches and chopping leg kicks. Hall scored with a head kick, but Whittaker answered back with more punch-kick combos. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 3:
Big punches were exchanged right away in the final round and Hall was hurt by a right hook to the eye. He covered up as Whittaker unloaded with punches and took his back against the cage. Whittaker landed knees to the thighs until Hall turned into the clinch. Whittaker broke free with an elbow over the top and Hall landed a head kick and a flying knee. He continued to throw head kicks and both men landed jabs. The fighters traded hard right hooks and Whittaker targeted the body. He took Hall’s back late in the round and briefly dragged him down. 10-9 Whittaker.
Winner: Robert Whittaker by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 15-4-0.
Jared “The Big Show” Rosholt vs Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve
Round 1:
Rosholt missed with a wild right hand in the opening seconds and Struve kept his distance by throwing front kicks. Rosholt took Struve down into side control and he landed short elbows from the top. Rosholt moved to half-guard briefly and landed short strikes, but he was unable to mount much offence and eventually stood up. Very little transpired in the final minute. 10-9 Rosholt.
Round 2:
Rosholt took Struve down in the second round and dragged him back down again after Struve briefly returned to his feet. Rosholt laid on top of Struve in side control and did nothing until Struve kicked him off. Rosholt settled back into Struve’s guard and Struve threw elbows until time expired. 10-9 Rosholt.
Round 3:
Struve landed jabs and short right uppercuts in the opening two minutes of the final round. He mixed in occasional leg kicks and knees. Rosholt appeared to be content to stay on the outside and do nothing. Struve eventually threw a grazing head kick and Rosholt slowed down. Struve closed in with punches and the fighters clinched against the fence. Rosholt slipped and Struve landed a left hand. Rosholt took Struve down into side control. Struve scrambled and wound up in top position, and he closed out the round with elbows. 10-9 Struve.
Winner: Jared Rosholt by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 14-2-0.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)