Preview: UFC 193 ‘Rousey vs. Holm’

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Middleweights

Uriah Hall (12-5) vs Robert Whittaker (14-4)

THE MATCHUP: Remember when we in the MMA media were all talking about how Hall would need a Hail Mary super kick to beat Gegard Mousasi and then watched him go out and do it? That stunning knockout was a useful reminder of just how dangerous Hall can be, despite a sometimes piecemeal approach to mixed martial arts.

Can he count on the Hail Mary against Whittaker? Since moving to middleweight, Whittaker has delivered on all of the promise he seemed to have at 170 pounds. Allowing his frame to fill out seems to have added to his power rather than diminish it, and the Auckland, New Zealand, native now seems comfortable letting his punches go in greater numbers than ever before. As always, Whittaker’s left hook is the shot to watch out for, but he is not averse to throwing elbows and snapping kicks to keep things fresh.

Unpredictability is not all Hall has to offer, however. “Prime Time” has been quietly improving the less flashy aspects of his game, tightening his lateral movement and adding a complement of quick, disruptive low kicks and straight punches to fill out the time between spinning attacks and flying knees. Hall’s wrestling has surprised more than a few UFC opponents since his “Ultimate Fighter” hype train fell off the rails, and a few well-timed takedowns may be just what he needs to topple Whittaker. As he showed in his unsuccessful but not entirely unimpressive first round against Mousasi, Hall has been developing his submission grappling, as well.

THE ODDS: Hall (-135), Whittaker (+115)

THE PICK: Hall will likely try to stick and move, shooting occasional takedowns to keep Whittaker off-balance. Whittaker has always been a relatively stout wrestler, however, and his high volume of strikes will have the same disruptive effect on Hall’s striking. No matter how much he improves, Hall always prefers to have time to work and space to work in -- and Whittaker has been getting better and better at taking away those things. The pick is Whittaker by unanimous decision.

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