If you’re going to prepare for a bout against the greatest women’s fighter of all time, it helps to have one of the best pound-for-pound fighters as a dedicated training partner. Holly Holm – 9-0, 6 KOs – has been reportedly training with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in preparation for her title challenge at UFC 193 against the seemingly invincible Ronda Rousey – 12-0, 3 KOs, 9 SUBs – but oddmakers don’t seem to think it’ll matter.
CURRENT ODDS
Currently, our online UFC odds have Rousey as a -1500 favorite, with Holm at +900. These lines haven’t budged since opening a few weeks ago, even in light of Holm’s prestigious training partner. The total on rounds hasn’t been released yet, but I’d expect it to be set at 1.5 rounds. I’ve never seen one lower than that, but if there’s one person that could break that tradition, it’s Ronda Rousey. Could we see a .5 round total?
THE GREG JACKSON CONNECTION
Holm trains at one of MMA’s premier gyms, Jackson-Wink in New Mexico. This is an all-star gym that rosters UFC stars like Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Kennedy, Donald Cerrone and Cub Swanson. But its most accomplished fighter by far is the sport’s current pound-for-pound king, Jon Jones.
And while he’s suspended for ongoing legal issues, he’s focused on helping to bring another title into the gym.
“He’s been helping Holly Holm a ton,” Brandon Gibson, Holm’s coach stated. “Jon is a leader and he inspires the team and we just try to do the same for him. We try to inspire him wherever we can. He’s getting stronger every day.”
“Jon is very creative and Winkeljohn has been grooming Holly since she was a teenager. I think Jon just brings a different perspective and a different view, whether it’s technically or the mental aspect of it, to help prepare our sister for this championship fight and to take the title.”
That’s great. Holm is going to need all the help she can get against Rousey, who has yet to be even be challenged inside the cage. Ronda’s last five fights have all been finished under 90 seconds, which is just mindblowing.
While Holm trains with one of the best gyms in all of MMA and Rousey posts up at the relatively unknown Glendale Fighting Club, that doesn’t make up for the talent gap between the two. We know it, oddsmakers know it, and Holm seems to know it.
“I fear everything about her,” Holm stated. “Standup, ground, clinch, all that. And I feel like that’s the way you need to be with any fighter. Everybody’s beatable. Is it going to be hard as heck? Absolutely. It’s going to be the hardest fight of my career.”
That’s not an overstatement by a fighter during the pre-fight buildup. There simply is nobody like Rousey in the women’s fight game, and there might not be for several more years. No matter who Holm faces over the course of her career, it’s likely she’ll never meet another fighter like Rousey.
HOW TO BET
Sign into BookMaker Sportsbook to get odds on Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm, which takes place at UFC 193 on Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Austrialia. The card will be televised on pay-per-view. Our online MMA odds includes money lines, totals, prop bets and more.
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