Each week, ESPN.com writer and MMA Live Extra analyst Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.
This week, Okamoto squares off with UFC flyweight contender Henry Cejudo to debate the latest news and trends. Cejudo (9-0), who is 3-0 in the UFC, returns to the Octagon against Jussier da Silva on Nov. 21 at UFC Fight Night in Monterrey, Mexico.
1. Will Ronda Rousey's title defense against 12-to-1 underdog Holly Holm last more than one round?
Cejudo: I do believe Holly Holm is tougher than that. She does come from a boxing background, she's not a grappler, but she's a tough human being. When you get a tough human being in there, in MMA, that will just fight you, that's a difficult thing. So I do believe she'll last longer than a round.
Okamoto: No, but it will last more than a minute. I think Holm's size and athleticism will be a bit of a factor. I think Rousey will take her time, perhaps not rushing in quite as much as she usually does. She's wired to be aggressive though -- basically her whole entire athletic life has instilled that in her, so even if the game plan calls for her to be slightly conservative, I don't think she'll be able to do it for long. I could see Holm doing some good things early, defensively speaking, but I'm guessing about 1:30 in, Rousey gets it to the floor and armbars her.
2. Who will finish her career with more title defenses: Rousey or Joanna Jedrzejczyk?
Cejudo: I think Rousey. I think Claudia Gadelha is a big threat to Joanna. I was on the same card when they fought the first time [in December] and I thought Gadelha won, to be quite honest with you.
Okamoto: That's a good question. Rousey has a head start with six to Jedrzejczyk's one. I guess the question is, how long will Rousey fight? That has always been the question with her, and even though you can come up with a million reasons for her to retire early, she seems to be enjoying herself. I would agree with Cejudo that Jedrzejczyk is probably more vulnerable to a loss. Gadelha is a serious threat. Then again, Cris "Cyborg" Justino is a threat to Rousey, and I still believe that fight will eventually happen. I could see either one, but I'll pick Rousey.
3. Of all Rousey's opponents, who would you be most interested in seeing fight her again?
Cejudo: I think Cat Zingano. I think she deserves a second shot. She put herself in a position in that fight where there was just no way, but the way she beat Miesha Tate was ridiculous. I think that fight needs to happen again.
Okamoto: A big part of me says Miesha Tate, mostly because Tate has earned it. As much as MMA is about entertainment and promoting fights that sell, I still like to believe it's a professional sport, which means I like seeing someone rewarded with a shot at winning a championship if he or she has earned it. That said, yeah, I'd be most interested in a rematch between Rousey and Zingano. Zingano got her shot, but it almost feels like she didn't really get it, it was over so soon. Add in all the personal circumstances she faced going into that fight, I'd want to see her get a second chance.
4. Bellator's open-weight fight between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock: Love it or hate it?
Cejudo: Eh, I mean, it's good. It's Bellator. It's good marketing. They want to pay a tribute to the old-school guys -- battle of the old school. I think it's good because they're both legends. A legend is fighting a legend, it's not like they're letting one of them fight a younger guy. A lot of people will say they won't watch it, but then they will. Who knows? I'll watch it.
Okamoto: Hate. I mean, it's not like I'm standing outside of the Bellator headquarters with a protest sign. If these two want to fight at the ages of 49 and 52, respectively, it's a free country. It's impossible to not see this as a "freak show" fight, though. Anyone who says different is either lying or delusional. I believe the intent is not to make a mockery of Gracie and Shamrock in doing this, but it's almost like, how else is this going to end? Isn't that sort of an inevitable part of this? The intrigue here isn't: What do they still have left? It's: How much of a train wreck will it be? When you consider the importance these two have had in this sport, that feels dirty.
5. Bellator's heavyweight fight between Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000: Love it or hate it?
Cejudo: I have no idea who Dada 5000 is. Is that the street fighter thing? Huh, well, I like it, he's a ghetto legend. It's the sport of MMA. It gets these guys off the street, doesn't force them to do underground fighting anymore. That's MMA, man. Gives guys like that an opportunity. Why not?
Okamoto: Now see this -- this I'm actually OK with. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite, but with this one, you're not talking about godfathers of the sport. You don't have to step on history to put this one together. In a way, it's almost like I don't even consider this to be mixed martial arts. This is it's own different thing. And if you haven't watched the documentary on Dada 5000 -- it's titled "Dawg Fight" -- I highly recommend it. There's a good backstory to this fight that's rather fascinating, believe it or not.