UFC 184 was headlined by Ronda Rousey‘s defense of the women’s bantamweight title, but it was not the only women’s fight of the weekend.
The star of the weekend was Rousey, as she went up against No. 1-ranked contender Cat Zingano. It was the talk of the town. Rousey‘s greatness was the storyline of this event, but it was just the capstone of what turned out to be a great weekend for the women of this sport.
Friday kicked things off with Invicta FC 11. It was only an eight-fight card, but it was a great showcase of how to make a fun event out of prospects and a star in a mismatch.
Cris “Cyborg” Justino vs. Charmaine Tweet headlined Invicta FC 11. It was a one-sided fight on paper and played out exactly in that fashion. Cyborg ended the fight in the first minute. While it wasn’t competitive, it was good matchmaking. Invicta put its star in a fight where she could showcase her skills in the most dominant fashion imaginable.
What made it strong was that Invicta led into that fight with an amazing co-main event—a co-main event that UFC President Dana White raved about.
Strawweight prospects Alexa Grasso and Mizuki Inoue went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes. Grasso controlled the fight overall, but it was never a one-sided battle. Inoue was constantly scoring her own offense, but Grasso was just a bit better on Friday.
There were also solid performances from Irene Aldana, Jamie Moyle, Christine Stanley and Aspen Ladd. Aldana is the most UFC-ready of this crop of fighters, and she is the teammate of Grasso. The other three are all green fighters who showed quality skills that they can build upon slowly in Invicta.
After Invicta FC 11, it was time for the UFC’s headlining bouts.
Holly Holm‘s UFC debut was first up. It was a successful debut, albeit a little underwhelming. However, it was underwhelming in a way that will actually benefit Holm and the UFC. The company will not get pressure from fans to put Holm against Rousey right away because of the former’s striking credentials. The heat was turned down, allowing the promotion to bring her along in more favorable fights.
And Raquel Pennington, Holm‘s UFC 184 opponent, did well enough to show off her progression. She plays a nice role within the UFC bantamweight roster.
Finally, Rousey‘s incredible performance against Zingano capped off the weekend.
The 14-second submission was remarkable. It tied the modern-day UFC record for fastest submission. The performance adds to her lore but also continues to keep fans excited about women’s MMA.
The entire weekend was successful in that regard.
Other female fighters such as Miesha Tate, Jessica Eye and Bethe Correia were all in Los Angeles, mingling with fans and doing media duties for the UFC. Laura Sanko showed off her post-fight interview skills on the Invicta FC 11 stream.
UFC 184 and Invicta FC 11 were great events for women in this sport. They carried the weekend. They were the stars. MMA is unique in that fans care about the female contingent almost as much as the men. That is certainly not the same in other sports.
This weekend treated us to fantastic fights, great performances, new prospects and a stellar performance from the most dominant woman in the sport. Let’s hope this trend continues as women’s MMA grows into a significant portion of the sport that can enthrall us with great in-cage action.
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