Author: Nathan McCarter

Will a Liz Carmouche Victory Doom Women’s MMA in the UFC ?

Would a Liz Carmouche upset at UFC 157 put an end to women’s MMA in the UFC?Absolutely not. There is no question that without Ronda Rousey, without her unique personality and skill set, that women would not be fighting inside the Octagon. Rousey …

Would a Liz Carmouche upset at UFC 157 put an end to women’s MMA in the UFC?

Absolutely not.

There is no question that without Ronda Rousey, without her unique personality and skill set, that women would not be fighting inside the Octagon. Rousey has given the bantamweight division that chance. However, she is not required to be the champion for it to succeed.

Rousey will enter Saturday as a massive favorite. Everyone is expecting her to win and to win via first-round armbar.

But this is MMA and anything can happen.

If Carmouche does upset Rousey, it could be argued that it would be more positive than negative for women’s MMA.

If Rousey wins, as expected, all will be right with the world and fans will begin to look at who her next challenger is. Who will be the next victim?

There may also begin to be rumblings, again, about how the 135-pound division is not deep enough to be sustained in the UFC. If Rousey wins, not much will change about the question marks. Those who feel that it won’t last will still hold that opinion, and they will believe that it all rest on Rousey’s shoulders.

If Carmouche is victorious and completes the historic upset, it will show that the bantamweight women are legit. That is because there will not just be one supreme female athlete in the division, but a strong list of fighters behind her that will makes the division more interesting.

Furthermore, a loss would not crush Rousey’s popularity. Her style of fighting is exciting, and she knows how to sell a fight with her mouth. The UFC can re-build her up for another significant bout within the promotion. This is not a one and done. The UFC has options to market their star, even with a loss.

Also, the UFC has signed four other women. Is the UFC going to cut Sara McMann, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, and Alexis Davis immediately following UFC 157? No, they will not. That is ludicrous to even suggest.

The public relations backlash alone that could result makes that a terrible idea, and anyone with half a brain knows it. The UFC is an incredibly smart and efficient business. They know how they would come off to the public if they cut the division after one fighter loses one bout. It is asinine to even suggest that they would do such a thing as they begin to dump money in to the newly minted division.

This is a process. The UFC has to sign more women to the division, market those new athletes and show fans who have not been exposed to women’s MMA that is it just the same as the men. The UFC has already begun to do that and they will remain committed to the cause.

The other side of the coin is that Carmouche, and others, are also marketable. Yes, the focus of UFC 157 has been on Rousey. That is to be expected, but Carmouche is a marketable star.

Her story has not been fully told. McMann’s Olympic backstory has yet to be sold to the public, Tate is marketable and the list goes on.

Rousey is the unquestioned star, but there are more women behind her that are marketable and hold value to the UFC business. It is not as if the lower weight classes in the UFC draw massive numbers. UFC 150, featuring Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson, failed to break 200,000 buys. The compelling stories of the women can surely match that with a similar undercard.

Rousey’s star power can help women’s MMA grow, and a win would keep everything right on track. However, if she happens to lose, women’s MMA is not dead in the UFC. There is a line of marketable athletes waiting behind her waiting for their shot. They are waiting to be pushed by the UFC’s strong marketing arm.

Women are a part of the UFC brand and family. Get used to it. They are not going anywhere.

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Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida: Hendo’s Road to UFC 157

Dan Henderson’s road to UFC 157 has been a winding one. His journey back to the Octagon started once he left the promotion in 2009. He signed a deal with Strikeforce and debuted in April, but dropped a middleweight title bout to Jake Shields. His…

Dan Henderson’s road to UFC 157 has been a winding one.

His journey back to the Octagon started once he left the promotion in 2009. He signed a deal with Strikeforce and debuted in April, but dropped a middleweight title bout to Jake Shields. His road back to the top began with his trip back to 205 pounds.

He met Renato “Babalu” Sobral in a title eliminator and the fight lasted less than two minutes.

Henderson knocked Babalu out and earned himself a shot against Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in Columbus, Ohio.

The grizzled veteran would claim another major championship for his collection. He won via TKO at :50 of the third round. What came next for Hendo was unclear. Zuffa LLC, the UFC’s parent company, purchased Strikeforce and the light heavyweight division lacked contenders. His next, and last, Strikeforce bout would take place at heavyweight against one of the greatest of all-time, Fedor.

The fight was a legacy fight for both men. Henderson was not given much of a shot. He was a small light heavyweight taking on one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Surely, this would be a rebound fight for Emelianenko. Henderson’s power had other plans.

Henderson became the first, and only, person to knock out Fedor.

With the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship a part of his collection, Henderson would re-sign with the UFC and make his return at UFC 139 against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The winner would likely become the No. 1 contender to Jon Jones and the UFC crown.

What came was one of the most exciting five round fights in MMA history.

Henderson won the early rounds and nearly stopped Rua, but Shogun survived and nearly pulled off the victory by taking the later rounds. It was a compelling back and forth battle. Henderson got his hand raised, and looked to have another shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

UFC 151 was the event marked on everyone’s calendar. However, an injury would force Henderson off the card just a little more than a week until the big day. When Jones turned down a fight with Chael Sonnen it became the first ever UFC card to be canceled.

It also forced Henderson out of the title fight. Now he would have to fight one more time. Lyoto Machida made his own claim for the championship, and thus this match was set to determine the No. 1 contender in the division.

Henderson says in a short interview on a UFC YouTube video, “I’m planning on just staying in his face and making him fight me, and take advantage of just touching him on his chin a little bit.”

Machida has been a tough matchup for fighters with similar gameplans in the past, but one of the most successful in employing this strategy was Shogun Rua. Henderson can learn a lot from that fight, but he does not have the same style as Shogun. Former Team Quest teammate Randy Couture tried to press forward, but Machida managed the distance extraordinarily well and finished him with a crane kick.

Henderson’s road to UFC 157 went from Strikeforce back to the UFC, and has been sidelined with an injury. Now he has to find a way to solve the puzzle that is Machida in order to reclaim the title shot he lost at UFC 151.

If there is one fighter that can use that fork in the road to get back to the title, it is Henderson. He is one of the sport’s greatest fighters. Machida is up first on the docket. The co-main event at UFC 157 will have fans on the edge of their seat.

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UFC 157 Preview: Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 157 features an interesting welterweight clash between Josh Koscheck and Robbie Lawler.Lawler makes his UFC return by dropping back to the welterweight division. Koscheck returns to the Octagon after an extended period away from the cage following …

UFC 157 features an interesting welterweight clash between Josh Koscheck and Robbie Lawler.

Lawler makes his UFC return by dropping back to the welterweight division. Koscheck returns to the Octagon after an extended period away from the cage following a loss to Johny Hendricks in May 2012. The two veterans are attempting to make one last run at the title.

This is one of the most interesting fights on the card, and one that has a chance to collect a post-fight bonus check.

Here is how the welterweight action breaks down heading into UFC 157.

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UFC 157: Lyoto Machida’s Road to the Octagon

Lyoto Machida’s road to UFC 157 began with his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 140. Machida had the opportunity to reclaim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship that night, but was choked unconscious in the second round. Typically, that would move a fi…

Lyoto Machida’s road to UFC 157 began with his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 140.

Machida had the opportunity to reclaim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship that night, but was choked unconscious in the second round. Typically, that would move a fighter down the rankings significantly. However, Machida showed enough against Jones in the first round to give hope of a rematch.

That is of significance and cannot go unstated.

Eight months later he would step in to the Octagon to battle Ryan Bader, but Jones’ dominance created some issues in the 205 pound division. Jones had one legitimate contender remaining, Dan Henderson, but after that it was a sea of fighters he had already defeated and young prospects not ready.

That put the UFC in an interesting position leading in to the UFC on FOX show, where Machida vs. Bader and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera were booked. UFC President Dana White said whoever looked best on that night would be next in line for the title shot.

Shogun and Vera had a back and forth fight. A fun fight, but nothing that would suggest either should get a title shot. Machida put Bader out. The Dragon earned his title shot.

Then came the drama that was UFC 151.

An injury forced Henderson off the card just a little more than a week outside of the event. Jones refuses to face late-replacement Chael Sonnen, and White decided that at UFC 152 it would be Jones vs. Machida. Machida turned down that fight, citing inadequate time to prepare for Jones.

With Jones and Sonnen booked to coach The Ultimate Fighter, and to meet inside the Octagon for the title later in 2013, that left both Machida and Henderson on the outside looking in. It made sense to put them together for an all-out number one contender’s fight.

UFC 157’s focus is on the historic first-ever UFC women’s fight and rightfully so. Yet, the co-main event of the evening may be the best matchup on the card.

Machida has shown the importance of looking competitive in a fight. If he does not win the first round against Jones back in December of 2011, then he likely falls down the ladder significantly and loses favor with the fans.

The road to UFC 157, and this fight in particular, has been very interesting. Injuries, knockouts and rejected fights all lead us to one of the best possible contender fights in recent memory. Let’s just hope that Machida doesn’t ride horseback in to Anaheim.

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Early Preview and Predictions for Full UFC 158 Fight Card

UFC 158 is less than a month away. Georges St-Pierre will defend his UFC welterweight crown against Nick Diaz in the main event.After more than a year of anticipation, the fight will finally happen.Other big-time welterweight bouts line the 12-fight ca…

UFC 158 is less than a month away. Georges St-Pierre will defend his UFC welterweight crown against Nick Diaz in the main event.

After more than a year of anticipation, the fight will finally happen.

Other big-time welterweight bouts line the 12-fight card. Top contender Johny Hendricks battles Jake Ellenberger, and the co-main event features the long-awaited rematch between Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit.

The focus of 158 is on the 170-pound division, and after the night concludes we will have a clear champion and top contender. Here is an early look at the March 16 card.

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4 Takeaways from UFC on Fuel 7

UFC on Fuel 7 has come and gone. The card looked quality on paper, but it produced the most decisions on one card in UFC history with nine.Renan Barao retained the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship with a fourth-round submission victory over Michae…

UFC on Fuel 7 has come and gone. The card looked quality on paper, but it produced the most decisions on one card in UFC history with nine.

Renan Barao retained the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship with a fourth-round submission victory over Michael McDonald. The competitive fight came to a close with an arm-triangle. If Dominick Cruz can return soon they will battle it out to determine the undisputed champion of the 135-pound weight class.

The card looked great on paper, but that is why they step inside the cage. The main event and co-main event saved the evening from being marred by an underwhelming undercard.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s event.

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