We’re only two weeks removed from Ronda Rousey’s latest armbar win over Miesha Tate, and we’re only six weeks away from seeing her fight again. Rousey (8-0), an Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, will fight undefeated Sara McMann (7-0), Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling, in the UFC 170 main event in Las Vegas. McMann hasn’t fought since her UFC debut in April, when she pounded out Sheila Gaff at UFC 159 by first round TKO. It’s Olympian vs. Olympian and I’m sure that’s a big reason why the UFC has booked this fight, and it will be a huge test of Rousey’s drawing power.
The co-main event sees Daniel Cormier’s 205 lbs debut against Rashad Evans, but the card is stacked with plenty of great fights and notable names all the day down to the prelims. I’d keep an eye on Rafael dos Anjos versus Rustam Khabilov, which opens up the main card. My only objection to the PPV lineup is Stephen Thompson/Robert Whittaker, which, while a fine match-up, should not be above notable prelim bouts such as Raphael Assuncao/Francisco Rivera and Jessica Eye/Alexis Davis.
Here’s the full fight card, scheduled for February 22nd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center:
Main Card (PPV)
Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann
Daniel Cormier vs. Rashad Evans
Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia
Stephen Thompson vs. Robert Whittaker
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rustam Khabilov
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
Jessica Eye vs. Alexis Davis
Raphael Assuncao vs. Francisco Rivera
Bryan Caraway vs. Lucas Martins
Mike Pyle vs. T.J. Waldburger
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Zach Makovsky vs. Josh Sampo
Erik Koch vs. Rafaello Oliveira
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