Melbourne to host first UFC event after eight-year ban lifted

Melbourne, Nov 12: The Australian state of Victoria is set to stage its first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event this Sunday after laws were changed recently that overturned an eight-year ban on cage fighting. The show, billed as UFC 193, will be headlined by UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who is defending her title against former boxing world champion Holly Holm, and UFC strawweight champion Joan Jedrzejczyk who is being challenged by Valerie LeTourneau. Rousey, who won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is undefeated since joining the UFC and is now the sport’s highest paid fighter, with earnings of around five million US dollars.

The champion will be defending her title for the seventh time after being awarded the iugural women’s title when she was the first women signed to the UFC in November 2012.

Rousey has domited the sport in the way few fighters - male or female - have since UFC’s inception. Her last three fights have lasted 16, 14 and 34 seconds, respectively, as she has dismissed all challenges to her crown.

While Holm is also unbeaten, Rousey remains an overwhelming favourite, with most experts and bookmakers expecting the American to bludgeon her way to another title defense. Five Australians are scheduled to fight on the card, which has 13 fights in total, amounting to over six hours of octagon action including a rematch of 2013 fight-of-the-year candidate involving New Zealander Mark Hunt and Brazilian Antonio Silva. IANS