Ever since the UFC 184 main event of Chris Weidman versus Vitor Belfort had to be postponed and the Ronda Rousey vs Cat Zingano women’s bantamweight title bout was bumped into the main event, the February 28th has become a showcase for women’s MMA. Moving up to co-main event status now is the Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington bout that marks Holm’s debut, marking the first time a UFC is headlined and co-headlined by a women’s match.
Rousey has been a roughly (-900) favorite over Zingano since the line opened, with “Cat” returning at (+600). The over/under is set at 1.5 rounds for the five-round title bout, with the over at (+135) and the under at (-165).
[related_post_one]
The first lines on the Holm-Pennington interestingly see Holm coming in an equally big favorite as Rousey, as she is favored at (-900) over Pennington, who is returning at (+600). The over/under on this three-round bout sits at 2.5 rounds, with the over paying (-180) and the under at (+150).
Aside from the moment Liz Carmouche briefly had her back, Rousey has not even really been forced to play defense much during her UFC career. She is aggressive and precise, and once she starts rolling in her offense she has been hard to stop. Now, Zingano is probably the most skilled and physical opponent Rousey has had to date, but her ability to at least hold of Rousey in the opening round will be key. If she can mount any offense of her own, Rousey could be in for a bit more of a challenge than she is used to.
Holm is going to be fighting with a bit of pressure, and she also has the little issue with her neck that caused this fight to be postponed from its original December date. Despite that, her competition pedigree and her overall athleticism are expected to be head and shoulders above Pennington, who wins points for toughness and willingness to take on a challenge. At the end of the day, Pennington is a thoughtful first matchup for Holm, who is expected to challenge Rousey some day in a showdown of women’s titans. For Holm, it can all start here with a big performance.
