CHICAGO — UFC president Dana White said all the right things coming out of UFC on FOX 16 concerning the title picture in the women’s bantamweight division.
Meisha Tate had just done her part, as the former Strikeforce champion scored an impressive victory over Jessica Eye in the evening’s co-main event for her fourth consecutive victory.
In White’s view, that was enough to give “Cupcake” another shot at the UFC title currently held by Ronda Rousey.
“She did it again, tonight,” White said during the post-fight press conference at United Center. “She’s worked her way back to Ronda Rousey.”
(Let’s pause here for the perfunctory disclaimer: By this time next Sunday, we might be discussing how Bethe Correia scored an all-time upset over Rousey at UFC 190. Also, Donald Trump could get elected president, and the Cubs could win a World Series one of these years).
Of course, not every promised UFC title shot comes to fruition. And although a third bout with the popular Tate remains a bankable pay-per-view event, White could simply be trying to engage in a little triangulation in order to move Rousey toward an eventual fight with Cris “Cyborg” Justino.
Put yourself in White’s shoes for a moment (minus the part where you lash out at teenagers on Twitter). What are your options going forward with Rousey? As hot as she is in the mainstream at the moment, the public is only going to be interested in quick, one-sided fights for so long. God forbid if Eye had won last night; Rousey vs. Eye would have made Rousey vs. Sara McMann look like Dan Severn vs. Ken Shamrock in comparison.
So if you’re White, and you know you’re running out of credible challengers to present your champion, you’ve come down to two sellable options: The Justino superfight which has been elusive for so long, or a third Tate matchup.
Which will appeal more to Rousey, who can dictate her path like few UFC fighters ever will: That fight with Cyborg, or another rematch with an opponent Rousey has already twice defeated? By coming out and declaring Tate the next challenger, White is putting the ball in Rousey’s court.
As for Tate, she’s simply done an admirable job going out controlling what she can as she works toward another title shot. While she’ll never be the very best at any one particular skill set, her ability to make in-fight adjustments and her sheer will to win has made her a fan favorite and she remains Rousey’s most sellable foe if the Cyborg fight can’t get made.
“I feel like I made some necessary changes in this camp and have become a better athlete,” Tate said. “I feel like I added my strength and conditioning program, and I feel so much stronger, so much more powerful, especially where when I’m fighting Ronda. She doesn’t like to be hit, and I need to be able to deliver that finishing power on the feet.”
UFC on FOX 16 quotes
“We’ve got guys like Dominick Cruz and Raphael Assuncao. They’re both great fighters but they’re hurt now. Whenever they come back, I don’t know what the plan is, but I’d like to see either one of those guys. I don’t know. I’m not sure.” — T.J. Dillashaw, on who’s next after finally putting Renan Barao in his past.
“Gomi was clearly unconscious. He’s face down. I’m hitting him in the head a couple of times. He’s not moving at all. There was no doubt in my mind at that moment the fight was over.” — Joe Lauzon on walking away from Takanori Gomi before Herb Dean waved off their fight.
”Stitch’ Duran needs to learn what the meaning of the word friend is. ‘Stitch’ Duran and I were never friends. We were work associates.” — White’s take on the firing of cutman Stitch Duran.
“I’m here to win. In the moment, you don’t know. These fights are so close, and with a guy like Edson, I left it in the hands of the judges. I didn’t capitalize when I needed to capitalize. The third round, I took off like an idiot. I tried a takedown, which is never my game plan. And he scored a lot in the third round. I know what I did wrong, and it won’t happen again.” — Paul Felder, who would have preferred a win over of Edson Barborza to his Fight of the Night bonus money.
Stock report
Up: T.J. Dillashaw. When Dillashaw downed Barao the first time, it was considered one of the sport’s biggest upsets. After a rematch performance which was more impressive than the first, though, Dillashaw looks to be settling into a long reign. Dillashaw’s speed, timing, footwork, and angle work are impeccable, matched in the division only by an uninjured Dominick Cruz. But can Cruz match Dillashaw’s power? Last night looked like a man who just asserted himself as a champion for a long time to come.
Down: Renan Barao. This is easy to say in hindsight, but it could be that the pair of beatings Barao has taken from Dillashaw are the sort that knock a fighter out of his prime in the blink of an eye. Additionally, Barao’s drastic weight cuts have taken their toll. With consecutive beatdowns from the champ and no real path back to the top, a move to featherweight seems his best option. Granted, he’ll be on the smallish side for 145, but it still seems a better than direction he’s currently heading.
Down: Jessica Eye. There’s really no way around this one. Eye laid an egg on her biggest stage. Tate made one adjustment late in the first round, then cruised the rest of the way. For all the talk that Eye would have been in line for a shot at Ronda Rousey with a victory, the fact is, Eye now stands at 1-2 with a no-contest at 135 pounds and doesn’t figure to be a major factor in the bantamweight division.
Up: Paul Felder. In your classic “fight which raises both fighters’ profiles” bouts, Philadelphia’s Felder and Edson Barboza threw down in one of the most dazzling battles of flashy strikes you’ll ever see. We already know Barboza’s capabilities, but Felder proved he belongs at this level, even in a losing effort. Leading up to the fight, Felder specifically requested to be part of the open workouts even though he wasn’t scheduled to appear because he wanted to get out in front of the fans. He put on a great show in defeat, then afterwards, was mad at himself for letting the fight slip away, despite all the praise — and the Fight of the Night bonus — he received. Quite simply, this is a guy who gets it.
Up: Joe Lauzon. We wouldn’t recommend fighters acting as their own referee too often. But Lauzon’s literal walk-off win over Takanori Gomi was the exception that proved the rule. Herb Dean seemed content to let Lauzon rain punches down on Gomi, who wasn’t defending or reacting. Lauzon, who talked in the buildup to the fight about how he had Gomi fights on his hard drive when he was in high school and used them as inspiration to get into the sport, didn’t want to keep dishing out unneeded punishment on his aging idol. Lauzon has long earned respect from the fans for his exciting fight style; now he also stands out as a sportsman.
Interesting calls
UFC on FOX 16 didn’t go down as a night officials bathed themselves in glory. It started in the Fight Pass opener, when referee Otto Torriero stood around and let Dominique Steele take a wicked beating from Zak Cummings before finally stepping in. Then the judges handed Indiana’s Andrew Holbrook one of the very worst decisions of the year against Ramsey Nijem. And it continued on to the main card, in which Dean seemed content to let Lauzon knock Gomi all the way back to Japan, then let Barao take a few too many punches from Dillashaw before waving off the main event. Perhaps Dean was subconsciously reacting to those who said he waved Conor McGregor’s win over Chad Mendes too soon. But a little too early is always better than a little too late.
Fight I’d like to see next: Dillashaw vs. Cruz*
Yes, there’s an asterisk next to this one. On the surface, this is the only fight to make at 135 pounds. Cruz was the long-time champion who never lost the title in the cage and has never been defeated in the weight class. And while there’s little dispute Dillashaw is championship material, the fact Cruz never really lost the belt will hang out there as long as the two don’t fight. The only hangup, of course, is Cruz’s injury history. That’s the only question I have at the moment, and thus the asterisk: Given his inactivity, should the UFC give Cruz a tune-up fight before going to the title shot? Or, not wanting to risk him getting hurt again, do you make Dillashaw-Cruz straightaway, and then put another matchup of top bantamweight contenders on the card and have one step in if Cruz gets hurt again? That’s the question the UFC will face in the upcoming weeks.