Author: Duane Finley

Ronda Rousey is the most dominant female fighter to ever compete in the realm of combat sports. 

The “Rowdy” one’s meteoric ascension to the top of mixed martial arts has been a journey filled with one amazing accomplishment after the next, as the former Olympic judoka has solidified her position as one of the best (male or female) pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. The 28-year-old Californian has smashed every opponent put in her path and has parlayed her popularity inside the cage into a lucrative career beyond the Octagon with movies and high-profile sponsors lining up to attach themselves to women’s bantamweight champion.

Where UFC President Dana White once publicly stated women would never compete inside the Octagon, Rousey has not only kicked those doors wide open but has paved the way for other female mixed martial artists to further their careers on the biggest stage in the sport. Simply put: Rousey is the very definition of the word phenom, and there appears to be no measurable limitations or ceiling to what she can accomplish.

Nearly three years have passed since she submitted rival Miesha Tate to become the women’s 135-pound champion under the Strikeforce banner, and Rousey‘s notorious drive over that stretch has brought major changes to the landscape of the sport in which she competes. She’s notched five more wins since the night she tapped “Cupcake” in Columbus, Ohio in March of 2012, and all five of those victories have come via various forms of destruction.

So impressive has Rousey‘s dominance been that it’s left many in the MMA community to wonder how many legitimate challenges remain for her inside the Octagon. That’s why her bout with Cat Zingano at UFC 184 was such a crucial juncture of her career.

For the past year-and-a-half, the scrappy Denver-based bantamweight has been hovering on Rousey‘s radar, with an eventual showdown between them a foregone conclusion. “Alpha Cat” was originally slated to square off with the Olympic bronze medalist after defeating Tate in 2013, but an unfortunate knee injury would not only take Zingano out of a coaching role opposite of Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter, but cost her the title shot as well.

Personal tragedy would extend Zingano‘s time on the sidelines, but after a triumphant return where she smashed Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 last September, the cards once again aligned for the undefeated Black House MMA representative to get her long-awaited championship opportunity and the chance to derail the queen of the women’s bantamweight division.

Questions as to whether or not Zingano would be the toughest test of Rousey‘s stellar career generated a solid amount of hype heading into UFC 184 on Saturday night, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Not even remotely.

From the opening bell, Zingano sprinted across the cage, and 14 seconds later she was tapping out. It was a flawless performance from Rousey, as she set the record for the fastest finish in the history of title fights under the UFC banner. She’s simply on another level, and thus far, no one is within miles of where Rousey stands.

While there wasn’t a title on the line in the co-main event at UFC 184, there wasn’t any shortage of buzz surrounding the official UFC debut of Holly Holm on Saturday night. “The Preacher’s Daughter” left a successful boxing career to compete in mixed martial arts, and her bout against Raquel Pennington was her first taste of competition at the highest level of the sport. 

That said, the Albuquerque native has been figured by some to be the one who finally dethrones Ronda Rousey—all talk that generated before she ever stepped foot inside the Octagon. Her bout against Pennington was figured to be a solid gauge as to where Holm stood in the grand scheme of things, and by fight’s end it was clear she still has a long road to travel before a championship opportunity.

Although she was certainly effective and her technique looked crisp, her performance lacked the “WOW” factor throughout the three-round affair. With her bout with Pennington being her first against a solid opponent, there is no issue with Holm being a ways out from being on par with the best in the women’s bantamweight division.

It was a crazy night of fisticuffs in Los Angeles. Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 184.

 

The Good

Ronda Rousey is an unstoppable force.

While that may seem like a lofty description in most cases, the women’s bantamweight champion is simply in a class all by herself. Coming into her tilt against Cat Zingano at UFC 184, the “Rowdy” one had smashed all four of her previous opponents inside the Octagon. After putting a lightning-quick drubbing on Alexis Davis at UFC 175 last July, a bout against Cat Zingano appeared to be the last tough test waiting for her in the 135-pound fold.

The undefeated Denver-based scrapper is as game as they come inside the cage, but in an unreal turn of events, Rousey put “Alpha” away quicker than any challenger had been finished in the history of title fights under the UFC banner. Rousey only needed 14 seconds to make her opponent tap and secure her fifth consecutive successful title defense. To think she’s won her last two bouts in a combined 30 seconds is insanity when considering she’s competing at the highest level of the sport.

It’s brutal and technically beautiful violence, plain and simple, and done so in a fashion which makes it crystal clear there is no one currently in the bantamweight ranks that can touch her. Miesha Tate has had two previous chances and has been put away in both. Bethe Correia has some heat, but she’s never faced anyone in the elite tier of the 135-pound weight class. Jessica Eye presents some interesting possibilities, but if Rousey snuffed Zingano that quickly, what makes anyone believe Eye can shut her down?

That said, the only remaining threat to Rousey‘s reign rests in a the featherweight smashing machine she once dropped a weight class to avoid under the Strikeforce banner. Cristine “Cyborg” Justino is the one opponent lurking out in the shadows that has the skill set to put Rousey in jeopardy and has the power to end the Glendale-based fighter’s run as champion.

Still, Cyborg has never made 135 pounds, and Rousey has refused to bend on fighting her outside of the weight class she champions. Whatever it takes to make Rousey vs. Cyborg happen, UFC President Dana White needs to make it work, because that is the biggest fight that can be made in the history of women’s MMA.

*** There was a lot of hype and expectation surrounding Holly Holm‘s arrival to the UFC stage. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was figured to become a major player in the women’s bantamweight mix, but following her victory over Raquel Pennington at UFC 184, it’s clear the Albuquerque native is still a few steps off running with the big guns of the division. While the former boxing champion’s hands were sharp and her technique strong, she struggled to do any real damage to Pennington throughout the bout. In fact, Pennington started to tag her up in the final round, and that served to tarnish her debut a bit.

Nevertheless, Holm is still developing as a mixed martial artist, and getting the victory in her first showing on the big stage is a huge accomplishment to put behind her.

*** Coming into his bout with Josh Koscheck at UFC 184, Jake Ellenberger‘s spot on the welterweight roster was definitely on the line. Where “The Juggernaut” was once within striking distance of a shot at the 170-pound title back in 2012, a three-fight skid had pushed the Omaha native to the edge of obscurity in the stacked welterweight division.

The Team Reign representative needed a win in the worst way, and he put himself back into the win column by submitting Koscheck in the second round of their tilt. While Ellenberger looked hesitant in the opening round, his killer instinct was still on point as he pounced on the choke that forced the former title challenger to tap and earned his first victory since March of 2013.

*** He may be a model outside of the Octagon, but Alan Jouban has plenty of scrap to back up his looks inside the cage. The Louisiana native had two previous showings coming into UFC 184, and both of those fights were barnburners from start to finish.

The 32-year-old middleweight looked to add another impressive showing to his resume and absolutely accomplished that task by bashing Richard Walsh on the pay-per-view portion of Saturday night’s card. Jouban smashed Walsh with a perfectly timed elbow before unleashing a flurry that forced the referee to jump in and stop the fight. While Walsh never lost consciousness, his legs were completely gone as Jouban picked up his second win in three outings under the UFC banner. 

*** The UFC’s lightweight division is a shark tank filled with talent and Tony Ferguson has been smashing his way up the divisional ladder as of late. “El Cucuy” had won four consecutive bouts coming into his tilt with Gleison Tibau at UFC 184, and The Ultimate Fighter alum wasted no time putting away the Brazilian powerhouse. Ferguson landed a crisp right hand that wobbled the American Top Team product, then used his submission skills to secure the victory. With the win, Ferguson has now won five straight outings and is all but guaranteed to land an opponent from the top-10 tier of the crowded 155-pound collective for his next bout.

*** More than six years had passed since the last time Roan Carneiro had competed inside the Octagon, but the Brazilian submission ace made a memorable return by submitting Mark Munoz at UFC 184. Where “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” certainly held the higher profile of the two, that didn’t faze “Jucao” in the slightest as he dispatched the Team Reign leader in quick fashion. Despite Munoz being a former NCAA Div. I national champion wrestler, Carneiro had his way once the two fighters locked up as he quickly took Munoz’s back on the mat and closed out the fight with a rear-naked choke.

Submitting a fighter with Munoz’s credentials in less than two minutes is not only a strong statement, but proof that Carneiro is going to be a legitimate threat in the middleweight division.

*** Although his first tour of duty with the UFC didn’t produce the desired results, Tim Means is absolutely making the most of his second run on the biggest stage in MMA. Fighting at a new weight class appears to agree with “The Dirty Bird” as the Albuquerque native picked up his third consecutive victory at the expense of Dhiego Lima at UFC 184.

The Ultimate Fighter alum was overwhelmed from the start, as Means dotted him up with punches and elbows against the fence, until a crisp left hand sent Lima crashing to the canvas and forced referee Herb Dean to step in and stop the fight. Means looked better than ever on Saturday night and his performance should earn him a tough opponent in his next outing.

*** Derrick Lewis came into his bout with Ruan Potts at UFC 184 determined to get things back on track. The Houston-based fighter was on a solid roll before suffering a knockout loss at the hands of Matt Mitrione back in September and wanted to resume his climb up the heavyweight ranks by putting a beating on Potts in Los Angeles. While he would have to battle his way out of a leg lock in the opening frame, Lewis rebounded strong and battered Potts on his way to earning the second-round stoppage victory. With the win, Lewis has now won three of his four showings under the UFC banner and should draw a solid name for his next outing.

*** The fighters that represent Team Nova Uniao have built a strong reputation for bringing the noise inside the Octagon. On Saturday night, at UFC 184, it was Valmir Lazaro’s turn to put in work for the squad of Brazilian wrecking machines. The scrappy lightweight squared off with veteran James Krause on the Fight Pass portion of the card, and the two 155-pounders went toe-to-toe for the entirety of the 15-minute affair. While both Lazaro and Krause had their moments throughout the bout, it was ultimately the Brazilian who took the split decision on the judges’ scorecards in a fight that truly could have gone either way.

*** The first bout on any card in MMA can have a big impact on how the tone of the night is set, and Masio Fullen and Alexander Torres wasted zero time getting down to business on Saturday night. The two featherweight newcomers went at one another from the opening bell, with “Lobo” getting the better of the exchanges early on. Torres would rebound in the second frame to find some success, but it was a closely contested affair until the final bell. When the judges’ scorecards were read, Fullen took the split-decision victory and made his first showing inside the Octagon a successful one.

 

The Bad

There is no way to sugarcoat how rough things have been for Mark Munoz in recent years.

Where “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” was once within striking distance of getting a shot at the middleweight title at the start of 2012, things have taken a drastic turn south for the former NCAA Div. I national champion wrestler from Oklahoma State University. The Team Reign leader was forced out of his scheduled bout with Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 due to injury, and unfortunately for Munoz, he’s never been able to regain that momentum.

The 37-year-old California-based fighter had lost three of his last four coming into his bout with Roan Carneiro at UFC 184 and desperately needed to turn things around against the Brazilian grappler. Munoz came into the tilt determined to reclaim his footing in the middleweight division, but that wasn’t to be the case on Saturday night. From the opening bell, Munoz appeared hesitant to engage with the American Top Team representative, and once the distance was closed, Carneiro was able to take control of the fight on the canvas.

Munoz attempted to roll out of danger but ultimately put himself in a more dangerous position as Carneiro locked on a rear-naked choke. Rather than tap out, Munoz chose to go out on his shield as Carneiro put him to sleep and picked up the victory. The only thing more unfortunate than Munoz’s lackluster performance was referee Jerin Valel being about 15 seconds too late to stop the fight as Munoz was clearly out well before he jumped in to stop the choke.

Nevertheless, Munoz will now be facing a tough choice in his MMA career. While three straight losses is never a good thing at the highest level of the sport, the Orange County staple is truly one of the best ambassadors the sport has ever seen. With the UFC finally making its first stop in Manila in May, it’s hard to imagine Munoz not being attached to that event in some shape or form.

Still, it’s also difficult to see Munoz going forward competing inside the Octagon, as he’s not only lost three in a row but has been absolutely shut down in each of those performances.

While being stopped in the first round against fighters with the championship credentials Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi possess, being submitted in the opening frame by Roan Carneiro will be a tough one to shake off. There’s no doubting Munoz is one of the most well-liked fighters in the sport, but being finished in four of his last five outings is a sign that he’s turned a corner he’s highly unlikely to recover from.

Another fighter who will have some hard decisions in front of him after Saturday night is Josh Koscheck.

The former welterweight title challenger was dealt his fourth straight loss inside the Octagon at the hands of Jake Ellenberger who secured the victory via North/South choke in the second round. Of the four consecutive losses “Kos” has suffered inside the cage, three have come via finish, as he was knocked out by Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley prior to being submitted by “The Juggernaut” at UFC 184.

While a rash of losses in the talent-rich welterweight division is never a great thing, Koscheck has been fighting the best competition the weight class has to offer since his time on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. That said, his days of being a perennial contender have long since passed, and his time on the UFC roster could very well be at an end as well. 

That said, it was less than two years ago when the Pennsylvania native was barely edged out by future champion Johny Hendricks—in a fight many believe Koscheck actually won. Nevertheless, judging by his performances in his past few fights, it is obvious that whatever killer instinct Koscheck once possessed is lacking in his current form.

*** Ruan Potts won’t be competing inside the Octagon again anytime soon. While the former EFC heavyweight champion came over to UFC with a little bit of buzz and expectation, the 37-year-old South African wasn’t able to validate any part of him being signed during his three fights inside the Octagon. Potts was finished via strikes in each of his first two bouts under the UFC banner, then added another lackluster showing against Derrick Lewis at UFC 184 on Saturday night.

Save for a leglock attempt in the first round, Potts had very little to offer as “The Black Beast” drubbed him en route to picking up a TKO finish in the second round. The result was another poor performance from Potts, who will certainly be cut from the promotion’s roster in the aftermath of his third consecutive loss inside the Octagon.

 

The Strange

MMA is truly a unique animal.

Although the sport often draws comparisons to boxing, in reality there are few things outside of athletes getting punched in the face that are even of a similar nature. This especially rings true when the way cards or events are structured is put under the microscope. 

Where “the sweet science” puts all of the focus on a high-profile main event then drops a few bouts between lesser known fighters to fill out the card, MMA takes a different approach. While events are always built off a buzz-worthy matchup in the headlining slot, promotions such as the UFC use the rest of the card to pack in a solid amount of what they hope will be fan-friendly dust-ups.

When an organization puts together a 12-fight card, the “subject to change” clause will come into play more often than not, and UFC 184 certainly utilized the promotion’s ability to switch things up before fight night arrived. The UFC’s return to Los Angeles was originally slated to feature Chris Weidman defending his middleweight title against Vitor Belfort in the main event in a bout fight fans have been anxiously anticipating for quite some time.

Unfortunately, the champion was forced to withdraw due to injury, and the original co-main event between Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano was bumped up to the headlining spot. While losing Weidman vs. Belfort was a tough pull for the UFC, the card would take even more damage when the potential title-eliminator bout in the middleweight division between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yoel Romero was also scrapped due to the former Strikeforce champion being forced to drop out due to catching pneumonia.

In a quick turn, UFC 184 went from being a must-see affair to a card that left many in the MMA community indifferent to the event. Granted, anytime Rousey competes, eyes are going to follow, and with former women’s boxing champion Holly Holm‘s official promotional debut being put in the co-main event slot, the event turned into a showcase for women’s MMA in the UFC.

While the fights at the top of the billing were attention-grabbing matchups, when UFC 184 went down at the Staples Center on Saturday night, it was a completely different product than what was originally sold to the fans at the ticket counter. That is a strange situation by all measurable standards and one that would be difficult to duplicate anywhere other than MMA. 

Could boxing lose a bout between stars like Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez and still press on with the two best female fighters in the sport taking their place? Granted, that is a curious comparison but one that shows the moxie the UFC brings to the table. With the exception of a few cards that were ultimately cancelled due to crazy circumstances, the top promotion in MMA always manages to keep rolling. And with how things ultimately played out on Saturday night, the UFC not only went on with the show, but also delivered on many fronts.

One fighter who can’t seem to get the delivery aspect of his game down is Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto.

The Japanese star forged his name and storied reputation for being one of the best bantamweights on the planet on the strength of his success competing for Japanese promotions. When he signed on with the UFC in 2011, the MMA world was excited to see Yamamoto mix it up with the best fighters Zuffa had to throw him into the Octagon with. The UFC would have plenty of great matchups to offer, and many fight fans kept their fingers crossed that one day the world would see the lightning-quick veteran square off with former WEC poster boy Urijah Faber.

Nevertheless, Yamamoto‘s transition to the UFC has been nothing short of rough. He suffered setbacks in his first three bouts inside the Octagon, then would disappear to the sidelines for the next three years without disclosing the reason for his exit. The 37-year-old would finally make his return to action against Roman Salazar at UFC 184, in a bout that would make or break his future competing for the promotion.

There was no denying the stakes were high for Yamamoto in Los Angeles, but once again things just didn’t go smoothly. Both Yamamoto and Salazar were hesitant throughout the opening round and were just starting to loosen up when the action was brought to a halt due to “Kid” accidentally poking Salazar in the eye. During the official timeout, referee “Big John” McCarthy asked Salazar multiple times if he could continue fighting despite the fighter telling him that he couldn’t see.

With Salazar unable to continue, the bout was ruled a no-contest, and that makes it nearly five years since Yamamoto has won a fight.

But hey…regardless of what happened inside the cage on Saturday night at UFC 184, former heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar just randomly decided to show up and check out the action. Fedor Emelianenko donned a Bellator sweatshirt during Bellator 134 on Friday night, and “The Beast Incarnate” enjoyed some face-punching with former boss Dana White one day later in L.A. 

Nothing strange about that!

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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