Author: Riley Kontek

3 Fighters Who Should Get the Winner of Ronda Rousey-Miesha Tate

At the end of this month, UFC 168 will be the stage that hosts the women’s bantamweight title fight between undefeated champion Ronda Rousey and former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate. The rivalry has been played out in the media and on The Ultimate…

At the end of this month, UFC 168 will be the stage that hosts the women’s bantamweight title fight between undefeated champion Ronda Rousey and former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate. The rivalry has been played out in the media and on The Ultimate Fighter, where both women coached.

Rousey, of course, won the Strikeforce title from Tate not long ago and defended it against Sarah Kaufman. She was then crowned UFC champion and successfully defended that title against Liz Carmouche. 

When the dust settles from this intense rivalry, who will be there to step in and challenge for the belt next? Let’s look at three ladies who could fit the bill.

 

Cat Zingano

The obvious top candidate to get the next title shot is the woman who was set to be in Miesha Tate’s place to begin with: Cat Zingano. Zingano defeated Tate, earned a coaching spot opposite Rousey and earned her title shot.

Then she got injured. It was a devastating knee injury that required surgery and has laid her up to this day.

One has to think she’ll be the top contender when she returns. Zingano is undefeated as a pro, holding an 8-0 record with all but one finish.

Her last three wins came over Takayo Hashi, Raquel Pennington and Tate. That type of resume speaks for itself.

Plus, she is very good on the mat. I don’t know if she can outgrapple Rousey, but she could definitely give her a run for her money.

 

Sara McMann

The fighter most similar to Rousey in the UFC is definitely Sara McMann, given their Olympic backgrounds and success in international competitions. Rousey was a bronze-medal judoka, while McMann was a silver-medal wrestler.

McMann has been missing in action for a while, which has been a head-scratcher to WMMA fans. She was set to fight Kaufman back in August, but she mysteriously pulled out of that fight and hasn’t really been heard from since.

That being said, McMann is undefeated and has the wrestling to test both Tate and Rousey. To this day, she has defeated Shayna Baszler, Hitomi Akano and Tonya Evinger, among others.

She has the blueprint to be a champion. The sky is the limit, and if she is ready in the near future, she could potentially draw a title shot.

 

Alexis Davis

The dark horse of the entire women’s bantamweight division has to Canadian Alexis Davis, who rarely gets brought up in the mix of the title hunt. That is a mistake, as she has proved to be well-rounded and capable at the highest level.

Her current four-fight win streak has been impressive, to say the least. In that stretch, she has dominated Liz Carmouche, choked out Shayna Baszler and tapped Hitomi Akano, all of which have drawn great praise.

She is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, which would be a great challenge to either Rousey or Tate. She may be one more win away, but keep your eye on Davis in the future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 18 Finale Medical Suspensions: Pena, Akira Among Possible Lengthy Layoffs

The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale featured just 10 fights, but of the 20 people that competed, a good percentage of them will be on the shelf for a while.
The UFC released the medical suspensions today, with fighters such as Akira Corassani, Drew Dober an…

The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale featured just 10 fights, but of the 20 people that competed, a good percentage of them will be on the shelf for a while.

The UFC released the medical suspensions today, with fighters such as Akira Corassani, Drew Dober and Ryan Benoit grabbing the lengthiest of suspensions. For a smaller-than-usual card, there were definitely a decent share of casualties.

The most high-profile of the suspensions comes to Corassani, whose fight was stopped due to an illegal knee from opponent Maximo Blanco. That knee broke Corassani‘s nose in five different places, showing the pure violence and destruction that fight-stopping knee caused.

Dober and Benoit also came out of the card wounded and with possible fractures. Benoit appears to have injured (fractured or broken) his hand, while Dober likely has a fractured orbital from the one-sided beating he took from Sean Spencer.

Another possible lengthy suspension could come for Julianna Pena, the first-ever women’s winner of the long-running reality show. She has to have one of her thumbs x-rayed for possible damage before she is cleared to return to training.

That thumb injury came on the heels of a one-side drubbing of Jessica Rakoczy. The fight saw Pena ground the former champion boxer, pound her into oblivion and claim the TUF 18 women’s title.

Plus, any fighter who was either stopped by strikes or competed in a rough bout got the normal suspension length that could be anywhere from a couple weeks to a month.

Here are the full medical suspensions from the card:

  • Gray Maynard: suspended until January 30, 2014, with no contact prior to January 15, 2014.
  • Jessica Rakoczy: suspended until January 15, 2014, with no contact prior to December 31, 2013.
  • Julianna Pena: must have her right thumb x-rayed; if positive, must be cleared by orthopedic doctor.
  • David Grant: suspended until January 15, 2014, with no contact prior to December 31, 2013.
  • Peggy Morgan: suspended until January 15, 2014, with no contact prior to December 31, 2013.
  • Akira Corassani: suspended until May 30, 2014, unless nasal fracture is cleared by doctor. He is suspended at least until January 30, 2014 with no contact prior to January 15, 2014.
  • Drew Dober: suspended until May 30, 2014, and must have orbital fractures cleared by doctor. He is suspended at least until January 30, 2014 with no contact prior to January 15, 2014.
  • Ryan Benoit: must have left hand x-rayed. If positive, he must be cleared by doctor or he is suspended until May 30, 2014. If there are no fractures, he is suspended until December 31, 2013 with no contact until December 22, 2013.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Invicta 7 Preview and Predictions

The all-women’s MMA promotion that is Invicta returns with its seventh show ever, as Invicta 7 comes to you live on pay-per-view on Saturday night in Kansas City. It is a stacked card that features three title fights and a couple big debuts.
The headli…

The all-women’s MMA promotion that is Invicta returns with its seventh show ever, as Invicta 7 comes to you live on pay-per-view on Saturday night in Kansas City. It is a stacked card that features three title fights and a couple big debuts.

The headlining bout features flyweight champion Barb Honchak, who defends her belt for the first time since winning it opposite Vanessa Porto. She will take on former bantamweight contender Leslie Smith, who recently made a successful drop to 125 and earned top contender status.

Also, Carla Esparza defends her 115-pound title against Claudia Gadelha, while Miriam Nakamoto and Lauren Murphy square off for the vacant bantamweight championship.

Here are the predictions for all nine fights on the card.

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The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale: Grades for Every Main Card Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter 18 came to an end on Saturday night, as the UFC crowned two new champions in the men’s and women’s bantamweight divisions. It was a night that saw much excitement and a glimpse into the future.
When it was all said and done, J…

The Ultimate Fighter 18 came to an end on Saturday night, as the UFC crowned two new champions in the men’s and women’s bantamweight divisions. It was a night that saw much excitement and a glimpse into the future.

When it was all said and done, Julianna Pena and Chris Holdsworth of Team Tate took home the season titles. In the main attraction, Nate Diaz took the rubber match over Gray Maynard in impressive fashion.

Here are the grades for each main card fighter.

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The Beaten Path: 5 Non-UFC Prospects to Watch in December

2013 is ending in a big way. The month of December hosts a bevy of MMA events from the UFC to Invicta to World Series of Fighting. Every weekend, fans of the sport can find a number of fights to keep them occupied and provide them with never-ending ent…

2013 is ending in a big way. The month of December hosts a bevy of MMA events from the UFC to Invicta to World Series of Fighting. Every weekend, fans of the sport can find a number of fights to keep them occupied and provide them with never-ending entertainment.

While watching established stars like Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman fight is great, watching prospects battle their way up the ladder and pay their dues is just as exciting. That’s what we at the Beaten Path do—to provide fans with an insight into the bright future that is MMA.

Here are five prospects you need to keep your eye on for the month of December. 

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TUF 18 Finale: Prelim Card Predictions

The long road that is The Ultimate Fighter 18 comes to an end this weekend, when the live finale goes down Saturday night in Las Vegas. We will crown two new TUF winners, including the first-ever female winner.
Headlining is a light…

The long road that is The Ultimate Fighter 18 comes to an end this weekend, when the live finale goes down Saturday night in Las Vegas. We will crown two new TUF winners, including the first-ever female winner.

Headlining is a lightweight match between former title challengers Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz, both of whom are looking to return to the win column. It is the third encounter between the two, as Diaz took an exhibition bout by submission and Maynard took a pro bout via decision.

Before that, though, we get the prelims. Here are the predictions for those fights.

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