Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey (7-0) squares off Saturday, Dec. 28, against Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (13-4) in the co-main event of UFC 168 and there will be plenty of fireworks in this UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship showdown.
This is the second fight in the rivalry between these two MMA women. The first bout took place in the Strikeforce promotion for the company’s women’s title and ended in the first round when Rousey forced Tate to submit via her signature armbar.
Now, after serving as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 18, the two combatants will go head-to-head once again with the championship on the line. The resulting in-ring war has fans genuinely excited about UFC 168 and its co-main event.
Here is all the vital viewing information and a full preview of Rousey vs. Tate 2.
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Dec. 28, at 10 p.m. EST
Watch: Pay-per-view
Live Stream: UFC.com
Co-Main Event Preview and Prediction
There is serious hype around the UFC Middleweight Championship rematch between Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva, but there is just as much talk surrounding the women’s bantamweight title fight.
Rousey vs. Tate 2 should be a great co-main event.
These two MMA veterans first met March 3, 2012, in one of the highest-profile women’s fights in the sport’s history. With both stars drawing mainstream notoriety due to their elite ability and good looks, each has helped put the sport of women’s MMA on the map.
The rematch is also coming at the perfect time.
After the success of The Ultimate Fighter 18, Tate and Rousey have successfully told a backstory to this fight that even casual fans can enjoy. Rousey came off as a bully during the production of the competition show, and Tate looked like the down-to-earth person fans could relate to.
Rousey spoke to Jim Rome about why her opponent was put in this fight:
Miesha has a nice ass and she has an ongoing rivalry with me and that’s the only reason she was picked for this fight. The rivalry is why she is even around. It’s not because of her athletic merit. She really has to play that part of it up (rivalry) because that’s all she really has. She has to make it personal because you can’t make it an athletic rivalry because there really is no comparison. I’m an Olympic athlete and she’s a high school wrestler.
With weeks of interaction and tension, the frenzy over the title fight has reached a fever pitch. UFC fans have been forced to take sides in this match due to all of the well-publicized, pre-fight banter.
As much as this fight will draw fans to buy UFC 168, the action in the Octagon will not live up to the hype. Tate deserves credit for her elite wrestling, striking and submission work (it helped earn her 13 career wins), but there is no fighter in the sport more dominant right now than Rousey.
Rousey has seven career victories. While that doesn’t feel overly impressive, all have come via submission due to an armbar. Most credit her ability to force her opponents to tap out to her elite work in the sport of judo.
As one of the best female judoka in the world, Rousey will match Tate’s wrestling ability and use her momentum against her. If the challenger doesn’t shift her game plan of taking the fight to the ground early to a more stand-up-oriented mentality, the champion will dominate this fight as she did the first.
Tate is a great fighter, but Rousey is the most dangerous woman in the world.
Predicted Winner: Ronda Rousey via first-round submission.
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