UFC 225 Fight Preview : Holly Holm v Megan Anderson

UFC 225 Fight Preview : Holly Holm v Megan Anderson

By Dan McConnell

The biggest UFC fight card of the year is just around the corner at the United Center in Chicago Illinois on Saturday night. As is potentially, the biggest fight within the newly formed UFC Women’s Featherweight division and a turning point for talent to follow suit and join the UFC Women’s 145 pound division.

The Women’s Featherweight division is a latest addition to the women’s roster and is headed by fearsome phenom champion, Cris Cyborg who is an athlete not many have wanted to cross paths throughout her career, including former Strikeforce and UFC Bantamweight dominator Ronda Rousey.

However, the division has become unstuck for a number of reasons but mostly it has been the UFC’s part who have not successfully built up the division with credible talent and one that seems up in the air, will it still remain if Cyborg leaves the UFC when her contract is up.

This Saturday night the UFC octagon heads to Chicago for the first time in it’s history.

Former UFC Bantamweight champion Holly Holm (11-4) the woman to dethrone the former face of the company Ronda Rousey, welcomes former Invicta Featherweight champion Megan Anderson (8-2) to the Windy City of Chi-town.

As a fight fan styles make fights and this fight fits into this bracket perfectly. Holm and Anderson employ methods of kickboxing throughout their combat assault inside the cage. For a casual fan, this is the type of stand and trade war that will certainly appeal to the masses.

Holm in-corporates leg kicks into her slick technical technique, opening up the vision for fight finishing TKO head kicks which has knocked out or dazed her opponents in the past, followed up with a flurry of accurate strikes in bursts.

Australian Anderson isn’t a household name to most MMA fans, but don’t under-estimate her offense. Anderson employs her Muay Thai to perfection. Just like Holm she has the ability to knock you out via head kick as well as launch reigning punches onto you after her kicks have taken its toll on her opponents body. Don’t rule out Anderson’s ground game either, who likes to crank on that neck for a rear-naked-choke or attack your upper body for an arm-bar submission.

This fight could be won or lost on the ground. In the past, we have seen Holm give up her back to Miesha Tate loosing the UFC Bantamweight title due to submission, she may need to employ her submission defence early on in this fight against the unpredictable Anderson.

If Holm looses this fight where does she go from here? Which would show five defeats on her record from her victory against Rousey for the title in 2016. What if Anderson wins? This victory would be a huge feather in her cap going forward in her UFC career and be an opening debut win over a very tough opponent, that would surely showcase the MMA world to this new-found talent.

This fight is on the main-card of UFC225 for a reason. Anything outcome is possible for this fight whether it’s knockout, submission or the fight goes to a decision. It would be unfair of me to give my own personal prediction, so let’s just sit back and enjoy what should be an offensive masterclass.