Written]By Andrew Richardson at MMAMania.com
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight elites Holly Holm and Miesha Tate scrapped last night (March 5, 2016) at UFC 196 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Holm’s victory over Rousey was absolutely sensational, but her two performances prior were less than impressive. More than anything else, last night was Holm’s opportunity to solidify her control of the division.
On the other hand, this was something of a last chance for Tate. It would be extraordinarily difficult for “Cupcake” to earn another shot at the 135 lbs. crown were she to lose here, so Tate had to lay everything on the line.
She did just that, and it all paid off.
Both women opened the bout with patience, finding their range on the outside. After that feeling out process, Tate was the first to score, as she caught a kick and landed a hard punch on the break of the clinch.
While Tate did land a couple more nice strikes, Holly definitely scored better in most exchanges. It was nothing devastating, but Holm threw a higher volume and landed more accurately with her long strikes.
It was a smart and measured approach to the fight from both women, but Holm took the first round.
After starting the round with some aggression and level change feints, Tate timed a shot brilliantly and scored top position. From within the half guard, Tate showed some very slick positional control and land decent ground strikes as well.
With about 90 seconds remaining, Tate used an attempted stand up from Holm to take the back. In an excellent series of attacks, Tate managed to get her arm under the chin a couple of times and nearly finished the bout, but Holm hung tough and survived until the bell.
To continue reading this article, click here.
