Seven first round wins all by the same method. No one in UFC history, probably MMA history, has ever accomplished this. Liz Carmouche put up one hell of a fight, but in the end, she faced the same fate as the rest of Rousey’s opponents.
There was a bit of a slugfest early in the fight, with neither really getting the best of the strikes. When they two came together, Rousey immediately looked for a takedown. Quickly getting the fight to the ground, she took side control, but Carmouche rolled out and mounted the champ for a brief moment before more scrambling occurred. This time, the Rousey found her opponent on her back seeking the rear naked. Carmouche couldn’t get under the chin of the champ, so instead went for a neck crank that had everyone watching on the edge of their seats.
In a nail biting struggle, Rousey eventually shrugged of the submission attempt, got the fight back to the canvas, and worked to side control again. The former Marine gave a valid effort to roll out of side control like before, but the barrage of punches to the face was only making it more difficult. Carmouche took the chance to buck out when Rousey looked like she was going for an arm triangle choke, but in the brief scramble, Carmouche then found herself defending an armbar. As we all know, never a good position to be in with Rousey.
Showing her heart and determination, Carmouche defended well. She even showed the dexterity of her legs by using them to help defend against the armbar attempt. Despite superb submission defense, the champion was able to pry her opponent’s hands apart and force the tap.
This win marked the third consecutive victory over an elite female opponent, non of which that could even make it to the second round. It’s unclear as to whom could possibly challenge Rousey for her title at this time, but one thing can be said for sure; Ronda Rousey is as dominate a champion as any.
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek