That would be a solid one to add to that card. Holm is a big star now and definitely wanted to get in there as soon as possible so I wouldn't doubt it. I think it's also a good opportunity for Zingano to get out in front of people. I think Holly beating Ronda kind of opened the door for the general public to take the roster a little more seriously (instead of just knowing them all as Rousey's victims). Now's a good chance for Zingano to jump back in there and get some recognition.
Khabib facing newcomer Darrell Horcher (12-1). Obviously they had a difficult time finding an opponent for a top 5 talent on 9 days notice, but I'm glad Khabib is getting the opportunity to fight. Will be good to see him back in there.
I would be super into a Zingano/Holm fight at UFC 200. When I interviewed Miesha a couple weeks ago, she mentioned specifically to me how Ronda losing to Holly really opened up the entire division, and mentioned Cat and Nunes specifically to me as matchups she would want. And actually, my interview with Miesha just went online. We had to truncate a lot of it down, since the announcement of the Nune's fight sort of dates a bunch of what we spoke about regarding her next fight, specifically if it would be Ronda or not, but so it goes. Still a fun little chat, and she was super cool to hang with for a couple hours UFC Champion Miesha Tate on the Hardest Part of Being a Professional Fighter
Enjoy your work. Good read. Tate-Zingano was a very competitive fight right up until the stoppage. A rematch would be very interesting.
My mistake. The rumor before was Zingano-Pena at UFC 200, not Zingano-Nunes. I've been super sick this week, and in my sleep deprived, medicated state, I somehow got mixed up. My bad. Anywho, Zingano-Pena added to UFC 200. Curious what this leaves for Holm.
Yeah seems like all of the top contenders aside from Ronda are booked up now. UFC has a lot of options with Holly now. She either takes a lower-tier fight, waits for a Ronda rematch, or waits for the title shot.
Apparently a Holm rematch was on the table for Miesha, but she opted to go for a fight with Nunes instead. @Brandon Allin Yeah, I know from our convo that Miesha really wants to fight Cat again too. She said she didn't think the timing would work for her next fight (though with them both fighting at 200, I guess it actually would have), but that avenging that loss was high on her to-do list. She feels it was a controversial stoppage.
Never have liked the idea of a title fight off a loss, barring the complete lack of anything resembling a contender, so I'm glad Miesha-Cat 2 isn't happening at UFC 200, but I most certainly want to see that rematch in the future. If for some reason the Holly/Ronda rematches aren't available next time out, should Cat beat Pena, then it would be more sensible. Having said all that, it's nice to see that division wide open for a change. The Ronda reign was fun while it lasted, but this current state is refreshing.
Don't think we've ever posted links in the MMA thread before so I probably wouldn't... There's only really a handful of us in this thread so I doubt anyone needs it anyway. Edit: Regarding Frank Mir: he looked beyond bad in his fight with Hunt, both in his performance and appearance. Now he gets flagged? I wonder what's up with that.
To anyone who isn't watching the FS1 prelims, I urge you to watch the Entwistle-Perez fight. Entwistle did absolutely nothing throughout the entire fight but shoot for leg locks and heel hooks, all while being repeatedly punched in the face. Made almost no attempt to defend the strikes until the very end, before verbally submitting. Also accused Perez of greasing seconds into the round, prompting the ref to call time and examine him. One of the worst game plans I have ever seen in an MMA fight.
Totally forgot Evan's was fighting next weekend. That's exciting! Btw, pulling for Rockwell in the main event.
Ben was way too tentative from the get go, but man, did JDS ever look good. That was a treat to watch.
That was vintage JDS. Fought smart and took minimal damage in the process. I love when he actually uses technical combinations instead of just trying to land that overhand it uppercut. He was setting up those body shots to take some of that cardio away and then landed the head shots once Ben started dropping his hands to protect the midsection.
Looks like we're getting Penn v Siver at UFC 199. Don't really want to see BJ back at it, but I guess this isn't the worst fight.
Georges St-Pierre Confirms He's Returning To The UFC | MMA News Title is a little misleading, but exciting nonetheless.