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Strikeforce: Ronda Rousey Is Right, but Should Still Wait to Fight Miesha Tate

The world of women’s MMA has been on fire this week after the controversial comments made by a new face to Strikeforce, Ronda Rousey. After a dominant, early first round submission victory in her second fight for the promotion, Rousey has been s…

The world of women’s MMA has been on fire this week after the controversial comments made by a new face to Strikeforce, Ronda Rousey.

After a dominant, early first round submission victory in her second fight for the promotion, Rousey has been speaking out to anyone who will listen about why she believes that she should be the next one who fights current Strikeforce bantamweight women’s champion Miesha Tate…And the world is listening.

Rousey claims that while she is new to the sport, she is the one who should receive the next title shot because it’s what the fans want to see and women’s MMA needs the boost in media attention.

The truth is that Rousey has hit the nail on the head when it comes to the problems within the current landscape of women’s MMA. While her fellow Strikeforce combatants like Sarah Kaufman, Alexis Davis and Miesha Tate have been quietly staking their claims as some of the top female fighters in the world, Rousey has realized that the division is missing the controversy and often times volatile scenarios that help make the men’s divisions so much fun to follow even outside of the cage.

Rousey may be right. There may be too much of the same thing right now. Maybe being a respectful martial artist isn’t what every fan wants to see right now. After all, everyone loves to have someone to cheer against.

Chael Sonnen has proven that in recent years over on the men’s side as he has transformed himself into an almost unbearably obnoxious jerk who picks on everyone in sight any time he has a camera in front of him.

Chael understood that sometimes you have to make a few enemies in order to make some serious money in this business. At only 24 years old and with only four fights under her belt, Ronda Rousey has already begun making use of what most of the rest of the sport of women’s MMA has failed to realize—controversy creates cash.

With that said, Rousey needs to understand that even though she might be the most talked about fighter in women’s MMA today, she needs to wait her turn for a title shot.

Women’s mixed martial arts already struggles to receive credibility from mainstream media and even many MMA fans; compounding that by giving Ronda Rousey a title shot so soon in her MMA career is just a bad idea all-around.

If Rousey truly believes she is as good as she claims she is, then she should have no problem proving it against some of the true top 135-pound women fighters in the world. The Sarah Kaufman’s, Liz Carmouche’s and Alexis Davis’ of the world are waiting—it’s time for her to step up and take one of them out.

If she can do that, then there is every reason in the world to immediately begin booking a Rousey-Tate title fight. These two fighters bring legitimate skills to the cage as well as the kind of personalities that audiences just gravitate toward. It’s the kind of title fight that could realistically rival the Gina Carano vs. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos fight which actually headlined a Strikeforce event back in 2009.

It might be too early to say this, but it could even be the kind of fight that could help save women’s mixed martial arts under the Zuffa banner.

Women’s MMA needs some sort of “story” to sell to the fans and a Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate story is already building up to be very entertaining. But like any good book, you can’t just skip from the beginning to the end. This story still has plenty of chapters to be written.

It might sound like a great time to book this fight already, but the truth is that letting Rousey earn the title shot along with her mouth, like Chael Sonnen did, is the best way to create true intrigue in this potential fight with Miesha Tate.

Rousey seems to comprehend how to sell a fight, but let’s see if she understands that sometimes she is going to have to pass on the quick-money sale in order to make a big profit down the road.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce’s Alexis Davis on Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate: This Is MMA, Not Judo

The too-often overlooked sport of women’s MMA has suddenly received quite a bit of attention this week following controversial comments coming from new Strikeforce contender Ronda Rousey, who recently flawlessly submitted Julia Budd in her second fight for the promotion. The young fighter has already made a splash by calling out current Strikeforce 135-pound women’s champion, Miesha Tate.

After competing in just a total of four MMA fights, though, Rousey has received quite a bit of backlash from her fellow contenders as well as Tate herself, who believe that Rousey should have to take her place in line behind those who have established themselves in the division already.

One of those competitors who has already made a name for herself as a contender, is Strikeforce 135-pounder, Alexis Davis. The Canadian mixed martial artist is on a three-fight win streak which includes two huge victories in recent months over Julie Kedzie and Amanda Nunes.

Davis was not going to sit on the sidelines while a new face to the division shot past her into immediate title contention. Still, she understands that while Ronda Rousey has frustrated some, what she has been doing since her most recent victory has put the kind of spotlight on women’s MMA that it has rarely received.

“Morally, I wouldn’t do it quite that way, but it’s gotten everyone’s attention, hasn’t it? With her being so forthright about it, it’s really getting everybody talking,” Davis told Bleacher Report MMA. “If she gets a chance in there, that’s going to be why… She’s coming out, she’s calling out people, she’s causing controversy with all of women’s MMA. Everybody’s looking at her, she’s going to sell tickets. But a lot of us aren’t like that. We’re humble. That’s just the way we are.”

That humble way of addressing the media, and respectful way that Davis and other women in the sport have gone about presenting themselves, has done a great job of bringing legitimacy to women’s MMA. However, while Davis admires what Rousey has done throughout her young MMA career, she is not quite sold on the budding star as a championship contender at this point.

“I think Ronda is a great fighter, she has a lot of skills,” Davis admitted. “But do I think she should get a title shot? I don’t think so. Not right now. She’s had four fights and that’s fantastic. You did awesome in those four fights, but to go from where you haven’t even fought in the division to ranked in the top of it, I don’t agree with that.”

This sentiment was shared by Miesha Tate, who joined Bleacher Report MMA’s Steven Muehlhausen on the Fight Club Chicago earlier this week. Davis and Tate seem to agree that while Rousey is a former Olympic medalist Judo player, that should not change the fact that she has only fought in four professional MMA fights.

“That’s great, she fought Judo in the Olympics, but that’s been how long ago? It wasn’t yesterday,” Davis explained. “No one can take those accomplishments away from her. She’s a great Judo fighter, but it’s not Judo! Just like if somebody comes in and wins the world [championship] for jiu-jitsu. Do you think, right away, they should be high-ranked? No, because it’s MMA. It’s mixed martial arts. It’s not Judo, it’s not jiu-jitsu. It’s not Muay Thai, it’s not kickboxing. It’s combined martial arts.”

While she didn’t discount the chances of Rousey eventually earning a title shot, Davis does believe that the newcomer needs to prove herself against a higher level of competition before she starts calling out the top 135-pound women’s fighter in the world.

“I think there’s a lot of people out there who underestimate Miesha Tate. She is the women’s champion and she’s the women’s champion for a reason.”

Fellow top-level contender Sarah Kaufman has also been involved in this situation, as some believe that she should be the next contender for the women’s 135-pound title. Davis understands why Kaufman feels that way, but has a differing opinion from the woman who defeated her in her professional MMA debut.

“I want a title shot and I think I deserve one. If it was my decision, I would say I should have one, and I bet Sarah [Kaufman] is thinking the same way,” Davis said. “But if I have to fight another fight before I get that opportunity, then I will. If Strikeforce thinks that Ronda should be a top contender, then obviously I’m going to prove, not just to myself but to Strikeforce, that it should be me.”

Davis’ management told Bleacher Report MMA that Strikeforce has instructed them to be ready to compete in January 2012. While no opponent has officially been named, Davis has quite a few options with whom she would be satisfied fighting.

“I would love to fight Miesha, obviously, she’s the title-holder. If I can’t have her, I’d love to have a chance at Sarah Kaufman to avenge a loss,” she continued. “[Sarah]’s got a target on her back, too, because she’s fought so many top contenders out there. And you know what? I’d like to see Marloes [Coenen] come back, too. So there are some top contenders out there who you can have other than Ronda. If it is Ronda, I’m obviously going to fight her. I’m not going to let her walk by me to get her title shot. I think I deserve it more than she does and I won’t sit on the sidelines.”

No matter who she fights, though, Davis understands that women’s mixed martial arts needs to get more attention somehow. She’s just not sure that the way Rousey is going about is the best solution.

“We may all disagree with Ronda and the way she’s doing it, but there’s a problem… We need to get more attention on women’s MMA. It’s just a shame that it’s got to be bad press and we have to talk crap about each other in order to get attention.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Minnesota MMA: TUF Hopeful Brandon Girtz Broke Arm, Not Spirit vs. Eric Wisely

MMA was alive and well in Minneapolis, Minn. this past Saturday night when local prospect Brandon Girtz fought Strikeforce veteran Eric Wisely in the main event of the Sterling Entertainment Group’s Downtown Showdown. The 150-pound catchweight …

The 150-pound catchweight bout bookended an excellent fight card, but the fight did not go the way that Girtz had hoped for or expected.

After controlling the contest for much of the first two rounds, Girtz’s luck took an unforeseen turn for the worst when he blocked a head kick thrown from Wisely. Although textbook in defense, the thunderous kick from the Strikeforce vet broke Girtz’s forearm upon impact.

“I felt it right away. I wasn’t positive that I had broken it. I knew it was jacked up, but I kind of wanted to keep going and see what I could actually do,” Girtz told Bleacher Report MMA after the event. “But when it was flopping around, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hit him like that, so I knew the fight needed to be stopped before I messed it up more.”

After attempting to fight through the pain for about a minute, Girtz eventually called a stop to the fight. The frustration was evident on his face as he headed to his corner while Wisely celebrated in the cage.

“I feel like it was going my way. I don’t feel like I was doing as well as I would’ve hoped to do, but I definitely felt like it was going my way,” he continued. “He got me with that spinning back-kick in the beginning that kind of caught me off-guard. That pretty much did most of his damage other than the kick that broke my arm.”

Though he feels like he was winning the fight, Girtz made sure to give plenty of credit to his opponent for his unique fighting style as well as the power he put behind the kick that ended the fight.

“He got a good win. He got a kick that broke an arm, I mean, that’s pretty crazy to me!” he said. “Hats off to him, that’s pretty nuts.”

Surgery was required to repair the broken arm, which will now be placed in a cast. The estimated time that he will be able to return to training is four to six weeks.

There’s never a good time to break a bone, but for Girtz, the timing could not have been more unfortunate. The lightweight prospect was set to travel to Las Vegas the following weekend try out for season 15 of the UFC’s hit reality show The Ultimate Fighter.

“I was really looking forward to the tryouts this Monday,” he said. “That was the plan. I was going to fly out there with another teammate and try out for this one. But it’s a little tough now that I have a broken arm [laughing]. We’re still going to try to see when the actual air is and try to see if I can send in a tape and at least try, but this arm put a little damper on all of that.”

A broken arm may prevent his immediate ascent into the top MMA promotion in the world, but this young fighter is not letting his unfortunate situation get him down. He’s also not looking to pad his record against easy opponents when he does make his return.

“I want another tough fight,” he said. “I’m trying to prove myself.”

Perhaps a rematch with Wisely would make sense given the somewhat fluky circumstance of the ending of their fight. Though Girtz admits that the rematch intrigues him, he also understands that the fight may not benefit Wisely much at this time.

“I don’t know what’s in it for him right now,” he said with a laugh. “But if he wanted a rematch, definitely. It was a good fight, but I definitely feel like I would’ve had the advantage if it would’ve kept going. I can’t say I would’ve beat him in a decision. Do I think I would have? Absolutely. I might’ve finished it if [the broken arm] wouldn’t have happened.”

Time will tell when and whom he will step in the cage with, but with an attitude like his, the will to win that he possesses and the top-level team he works with at coach Greg Nelson’s gym “The Academy,” the sky is the limit for Brandon Girtz.

Special thanks to Sandy Hackenmueller of Fight to Finish Photography.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Minnesota MMA Fighter Mike Richman: I Will Be in the UFC or Bellator in 2012

The Hyatt hotel in downtown Minneapolis, MN will play host to Saturday night’s MMA Downtown Showdown event presented by the Sterling Entertainment Group. The event will feature a number of local fighters, including one of the area&…

The Hyatt hotel in downtown Minneapolis, MN will play host to Saturday night’s MMA Downtown Showdown event presented by the Sterling Entertainment Group. The event will feature a number of local fighters, including one of the area’s brightest up-and-coming competitors, Mike “The Marine” Richman.

Richman is set to fight Wisconsin native Morgan Sickinger in a featherweight bout. He has been training extensively for a fight on this night and has been very happy with his new team at The Academy [formerly known as Minnesota Martial Arts Academy] in Brooklyn Center, MN.

“I’m training with the best of the best, which has totally elevated my game,” Richman told me regarding his new team. “I feel if I would’ve started my career training here, I would be 11-0, not 10-1. That’s how strongly I feel about training at The Academy.”

The level of competition at the gym is fierce. With numerous veterans of the sport all training together, Richman has benefited from finally being able to work with the top-level fighters.

“You don’t get any better than training with Jacob Volkmann, Nik Lentz, Sean Sherk, Paul Bradley and all the other upcoming prospects that you will be seeing on TV,” he said.

Another one of Richman’s training partners, Brandon Girtz, will also be competing on Saturday night’s fight card as he battles in the main event against former Strikeforce veteran Eric Wisely.

“I haven’t been training there even a year. I’d say about six months. I feel like I’ve elevated my game tremendously in that time and a lot of that has to do with the guys I train with,” he credited his team. “You can’t fly with the eagles if you’re hanging out with the crows.”

Perhaps it is this philosophy that will help propel Richman into stardom in 2012. Before he even joined The Academy, the now 26-year-old former Marine had already competed for a spot on season 12 of the hit UFC television show The Ultimate Fighter. Unfortunately, those plans were spoiled when he lost his final fight, ending his chances to be on the weekly show as he was one of the final round of eliminations.

“It was kind of frustrating for me,” Richman admitted. “I felt like I underperformed and it’s one of those things where it was at 155, so it wasn’t my weight class, but I wanted to try out anyway. I just underperformed. I lost a decision to Aaron Wilkinson and it was just a sh–ty situation for me. I’m trying to rally back and hopefully Dana White will give me a chance to fight for them in the future.”

He will attempt to keep the rally going on Saturday night when he faces off against “Captain” Morgan Sickinger, who took the fight on only about a week’s notice when Richman’s previous opponent, Josh Kasee, had to drop out do to an injury.

“The Marine” expects this new fight to be an interesting contrast of styles.

“[Sickinger] is more of a wrestling-grappler while [Kasee] was more of a striker. So it’s a little switch of styles, but I feel like in order to really show how good you are in this sport, you’ve got to be able to take on wrestlers and grapplers,” Richman explained. “I like to stand and I like to fight, but I feel like I can take [Sickinger] down, I can stuff his takedowns. I work with better wrestlers than he’s working with, so I’m taking that mindset into the cage.”

A win would move Richman one step closer to his eventual goal of performing in front of a much larger audience. But surprisingly, while he was only one win away from having a career-changing experience on The Ultimate Fighter, he is not necessarily chomping at the bit to get on the show in the future.

“I’m more or less just looking to get into a straight UFC fight by getting called up to fight on the undercard or something like that,” he said. “If I don’t make it to the UFC by then, maybe the next time they do a featherweight or bantamweight season, maybe I’ll try out again.”

It’s one rung at a time for this former Marine who is focused on moving up the ladder, but his goals are well-defined and to the point. A victory on Saturday night over Sickinger would be a nice feather in the cap of this confident young fighter, but he is confident that the world will be seeing much more of him in the next year.

“In 2012, you’re definitely going to see me in Bellator or the UFC. You’ll see me in a big promotion in 2012 and that’s a guarantee.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Georges St-Pierre: 8 Reasons Nick Diaz Is GSP’s Biggest Threat Ever

It has now been more than four years since the UFC welterweight champion tasted shocking defeat from the hands of Matt Serra at UFC 69. The top-ranked 170-pounder has since established himself thoroughly as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in th…

But now a new challenger has risen. Well, technically he might be considered an old challenger now, but it appears as if we’re finally going to see the long-awaited fight between Georges St-Pierre and former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz.

UFC 137 was originally set to be the host for this monumental bout, but complications with Diaz and his refusal to “play the game” cost him what was set to be his shot at the UFC welterweight championship.

Carlos Condit replaced Diaz as the scheduled opponent for GSP in the main event, while Diaz was pushed down the card to fight in the semi-main event against former champion BJ Penn.

However, an injury to St-Pierre resulted in the UFC completely scrapping the headline fight between GSP and Condit, thus pushing Diaz-Penn into the main event. Diaz crushed Penn that night, which eventually resulted in UFC president Dana White announcing him as the new No. 1 contender for the title at the UFC 137 post-fight press conference.

With the Diaz-GSP fight now back on, there is growing concern the UFC welterweight champion’s days on top may be numbered—and rightfully so.

Here are the top eight reasons why Nick Diaz, as crazy as he may be at times, is the biggest threat St-Pierre has ever faced as champion.

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The Best Up-and-Coming UFC Fighter in Each Weight Division

The most common discussions regarding MMA fighters almost always revolves around the top fighters in each weight class.This makes sense given that almost every main event in any fight card includes two of the top-level fighters, but for those who are l…

The most common discussions regarding MMA fighters almost always revolves around the top fighters in each weight class.

This makes sense given that almost every main event in any fight card includes two of the top-level fighters, but for those who are looking to get a glimpse at the future, sometimes it helps to look a little further down the card.

Often times it is the undercard fighters who are the ones to watch, as many of the future stars in the sport are making names for themselves by entertaining fans with their sometimes erratic, but nevertheless entertaining styles.

These young fighters have not yet perfected their craft, however they have done enough to impress even some of the harshest critics. They are the best up-and-coming fighters in the UFC.

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