Author: Nathan McCarter

UFC 184 Caps off Incredible Weekend for Women’s MMA

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 t…

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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Bethe Correia, Jessica Eye Chomping at the Bit for Fight with Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey continued her reign of dominance at UFC 184 with a swift submission finish over Cat Zingano.
That may be underselling the finish. It was 14 seconds long, an incredible performance.
A fight like that may scare away some challengers, but in …

Ronda Rousey continued her reign of dominance at UFC 184 with a swift submission finish over Cat Zingano.

That may be underselling the finish. It was 14 seconds long, an incredible performance.

A fight like that may scare away some challengers, but in the women’s bantamweight division, two are still clamoring for a championship opportunity with the most dominant fighter in the UFC today. Their names are Bethe Correia and Jessica Eye.

Both women were in Los Angeles for the event.

Eye was doing several press events for the UFC during fight week. Correia flew to the venue and was hanging out backstage throughout the evening. UFC President Dana White said at the post-fight press conference that both want the next title shot. Will they get it? Do they deserve it? Those are different questions.

Correia is ranked as the No. 7 contender in the division. She holds no wins over Top 10 bantamweights. What she does bring to the table is a built-in storyline of picking off Rousey‘s teammates. Correia may not be the most qualified challenger, nor may she deserve a title fight, but she is the only fighter on the roster who has any sort of backstory to work with.

It is something fans love. The story of Correia beating Rousey‘s teammates adds something to the potential fight. If the UFC puts Correia in the cage against top contenders like Miesha Tate or Cat Zingano, it risks losing that potential fight.

You also have Jessica Eye, who is ranked No. 6 in the division.

Where Correia is an undefeated fighter, Eye is not. In fact, Eye is not even on a winning streak. She is 1-1 with one no-contest in her last three fights. She dropped a split decision to Alexis Davis in their title eliminator.

Conventional wisdom would say that she needs at least one more win to earn a title shot, but with Rousey‘s dominance, she is right there in the mix.

Eye brings an aggressive style that is pleasing to the fans. She also has natural charisma that makes her marketable. The struggle is building her into a respectable challenger coming off just one win. The UFC would have to be creative in how it markets the fight.

Rousey said at the press conference that she will be taking time off to film another movie. That should give the UFC time to sort out who should be the next title challenger. A potential fight between Correia and Eye would make sense. It clears up who, of the two, deserve that chance.

The silver lining is that these women are not scared of Rousey. They relish the challenge. They believe they have what it takes to dethrone her. That is a special quality, one some may define as insane. But to be a prize fighter that steps inside the cage, you have to be a little insane.

Whomever gets that call to face Rousey will be facing a steep challenge, but the UFC at least has two women who are ready to test their abilities against one of the most special athletes of our generation.

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UFC 184 Results: Recapping Fight Bonuses from Rousey vs. Zingano Fight Card

UFC 184 gave us some great performances, but who walked away with some extra cash?
UFC President Dana White stepped up to the mic at the post-fight press conference to announce the selected fighters who outperformed their counterparts. The UFC 184 figh…

UFC 184 gave us some great performances, but who walked away with some extra cash?

UFC President Dana White stepped up to the mic at the post-fight press conference to announce the selected fighters who outperformed their counterparts. The UFC 184 fight card had several quality bouts, and seven total finishes out of 11 scheduled fights.

Usually there are two performance bonuses and a Fight of the Night, but that wasn’t the case here. They selected four separate performances to award and also promised to send a check to other fighters with good finishes on the night.

These are your UFC 184 performance bonus winners.

 

Performance of the Night No. 1: Tim Means

Tim Means has really come into his own as of late. At UFC 184, he walked through Dhiego Lima.

Means hurt Lima with a elbow and then poured it on. He rocked Lima several times before the actual finish came. It was knees, punches, kicks and elbows—the full gamut. Means brings this kind of style into every fight, and it makes him one of the most fun to watch on the entire roster.

 

Performance of the Night No. 2: Jake Ellenberger

Jake Ellenberger and Josh Koscheck were both entering this fight on losing streaks to the upper echelon at welterweight, but it was Ellenberger that walked away with the all-important win.

Ellenberger locked in a choke, and his impressive grip did not allow Koscheck a way out. He squeezed until Koscheck was foaming at the mouth. The tap came, but the referee did a terrible job of noticing it. It came late, but it made for an impressive visual.

 

Performance of the Night No. 3: Tony Ferguson

There are not many fighters on the roster on a roll as good as Tony Ferguson. The lightweight moved to 7-1 in the UFC.

Ferguson tore through a quality veteran in Gleison Tibau.

This finish all started by Ferguson rocking Tibau on the feet. He kept the pressure on Tibau,= and got a rear-naked choke on the canvas. In just a little over half of a round, Ferguson got the win. When the rankings come out Monday, do not be surprised to see Ferguson make a leap into the rankings.

 

Performance of the Night No. 4: Ronda Rousey

Then easiest selection for a bonus was the champion. In just 14 seconds, she defeated the No. 1-ranked contender in Cat Zingano.

Zingano closed the distance and a scramble ensued. Out of nowhere, Rousey had Zingano‘s arm. There are few words to describe just how special she is. We as media are running out of superlatives to describe what we see. It’s incredible.

Rousey, like the other three, earned her bonus with a great performance. These were all well-earned bonus checks. And for the other fighters that have their checks in the mail? They earned theirs too. There were a lot of excellent finishes at UFC 184.

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UFC 184 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Rousey vs. Zingano Fight Card

UFC 184 came to Los Angeles on Saturday evening, and Ronda Rousey delivered again.
The women’s bantamweight champion finished via armbar, and this time it only took 14 seconds. That’s right, 14 seconds.
UFC newcomer Holly Holm put in a workmanlike perf…

UFC 184 came to Los Angeles on Saturday evening, and Ronda Rousey delivered again.

The women’s bantamweight champion finished via armbar, and this time it only took 14 seconds. That’s right, 14 seconds.

UFC newcomer Holly Holm put in a workmanlike performance against the ever-tough Raquel Pennington to get her first win. Jake Ellenberger submitted Josh Koscheck to put himself back in the win column. All-in-all it was a solid night of fights for the UFC’s final February fight card.

We know who won and lost the fights, but who are the real winners and losers from UFC 184?

This is your chance to find out. Here is the real winners and losers coming out of Los Angeles.

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Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington: What We Learned from Bantamweight Tilt

UFC 184 proved to be a successful debut for highly touted former boxing champion Holly Holm.
Holm defeated Raquel “Rocky” Pennington in Saturday night’s co-main event.
Holm started the fight by being methodical with her striking. She did no…

UFC 184 proved to be a successful debut for highly touted former boxing champion Holly Holm.

Holm defeated Raquel “Rocky” Pennington in Saturday night’s co-main event.

Holm started the fight by being methodical with her striking. She did not put a lot of power in her strikes. She focused on finding her range and touching up Pennington. She also kept her weight low to defend the takedowns from her opponent.

The talented striker continued to pile up strikes against Pennington throughout the fight. Rocky could not get a takedown, and Holm was too technical on the feet. Pennington landed a single shot here and there but nothing too significant. Only a couple of shots in the final round really managed to connect flush. Holm would reset and establish herself as the better striker.

It was an easy decision win for Holm, even though one judge scored it for Pennington. But we will all agree to ignore that nonsense.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

This feels terrible to say about two quality fighters who stepped inside the cage to entertain us all, but there was nothing memorable about this fight.

Pennington didn’t get too aggressive to open herself up to a fight-ending counter, and Holm was content to add up points on the scorecards. There was one brief exchange where Holm went to the mat after a punch from Pennington, but it was more of a slip from Holm.

It wasn’t a terrible fight, but nothing occurred that you will remember by the next UFC fight card.

 

What We Learned About Raquel Pennington

Nothing. And that’s not a shot at Pennington, but this is who she is.

She is a tough, gritty fighter with middle-of-the-road skills. She has some raw tools that can be honed, but they are not up to snuff yet. Her toughness allows her the chance to stay in fights, and she can capitalize on mistakes.

Holm did not offer up those mistakes. Pennington was the right choice for Holm’s first opponent, but the UFC either needs to send Rocky to Invicta or give her low-level opposition to allow her to develop.

 

What We Learned About Holly Holm

We learned right away that Holm has some solid takedown defense. Pennington tested it early, and Holm defended easily. She is a good athlete, and in the infancy of women’s MMA that plays a big role.

There are way better wrestlers than Pennington, but this was the first test to show that Holm has some quality defensive grappling skills.

Other than that, we didn’t learn much because we already knew she was a fantastic striker.

 

What’s Next for Pennington

Pennington’s 5-6 record is misleading, but after the defeat at UFC 184, the promotion has to give her lesser competition or cut her so she can sign with Invicta. She can still sharpen her raw tools against lesser opponents.

The loser of the upcoming Valerie Letourneau vs. Jessica Rakoczy fight makes a lot of sense if she remains in the UFC.

Neither of those two fighters is elite, and should Rakoczy win, it would lead to a rematch from their time on The Ultimate Fighter, where she won a decision. Both Rakoczy and Pennington have improved since that time, and it would be an official three-round contest.

The UFC is still fleshing out the division, but Pennington versus the loser of that fight would fit on an upcoming Fox Sports 1 undercard. They both need more work and development, and by pitting them against each other, the UFC would gauge how much they have improved.

 

What’s Next for Holm

Some people may want to see Holm jump immediately into a title tilt, but that would be premature. UFC 184 was her first foray into the deep end of the talent pool.

Her background makes her a more marketable contender than most, and that is why she only needs one more fight before a title shot. Who makes sense in a title eliminator? Jessica Eye.

Eye was at UFC 184 doing a lot of press for the event, and she was a logical choice for Holm’s debut. The UFC went with Pennington instead, and Eye might be next up. She has a complementary fighting style for Holm and also brings in a Top 10 ranking.

Some of the other top-tier bantamweights are wrestlers like Sara McMann. That is not a route the UFC wants to go with Holm.

Holm vs. Eye could co-main event any show. The winner would make a lot of sense as the next title contender.

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Jon Jones, Anthony Johnson Prank Dana White by Reenacting Jones-Cormier Brawl

The UFC held a press event hours before Saturday’s UFC 184 entitled “Welcome to the Show.” It was similar to its “The Time Is Now” event held earlier this year, but this one focused on the next wave of slated fights.
And the eve…

The UFC held a press event hours before Saturday’s UFC 184 entitled “Welcome to the Show.” It was similar to its “The Time Is Now” event held earlier this year, but this one focused on the next wave of slated fights.

And the event had a little comedy at the end. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones have jokes.

The press event saw headliners from most of the upcoming cards field questions from the media and fans alike. It was mostly upbeat and jovial in nature.

For a brief moment, all that looked to change when Jones and Johnson met eye to eye.

Last year, all the buzz was fueled by the hatred between Jones and contender Daniel Cormier. The two had a wild brawl during a press event to hype their title fight, and the video went viral.

At the tail end of Saturday’s press event, each pair of fighters got up for staredowns. Jones and Johnson were the final pairing, and out of nowhere there seemed to be a bit of a skirmish. UFC President Dana White jumped in to separate the two elite fighters, but it was quickly apparent that they were merely playing around with their boss.

Although it was all fun and games at Saturday’s event, Jones and Johnson will fight for real on May 23 in Las Vegas.

Johnson earned the title shot with a stunning January 24 knockout over top-ranked contender Alexander Gustafsson on Fox, putting him ahead of all other contenders. Jones is coming off a big win over Cormier and will return following an out-of-cage issue involving cocaine.

The laughing stops when the cage door shuts in late May. Another top-tier light heavyweight battle is upon us.

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