We take a look back on some of the happenings on the women’s side of the sport in the month of March
March was a massive month for the women of our sport as we had a shift in the landscape and a fair amount of growth outside of the UFC’s women’s divisions as well.
First we start off with the biggest winner, Miesha Tate. After years of toiling around and losing twice to bantamweight kingpin (queenpin? should we make that a thing?) Ronda Rousey, things looked really bleak for the former Strikeforce champion. There was a near-unanimous consensus that she’s never get another title shot, especially as long as Rousey remained at the top of the division. After Rousey’s loss to Holly Holm, however, she was granted that elusive title shot and capitalized on it in a major manner at UFC 196 with a stunning submission win in the final minutes of the final round.
Interestingly enough, the fight could have very well ended with a decision win for Holm had Tate not gotten the finish in the end – or even possibly a draw. She showed a tremendous amount of determination and grit after failing to replicate the success of the second round in which she controlled and came quite close to finishing the fight with the same submission. Whether or not Rousey comes back to an immediate third bout against her is still unclear (or whether or not she returns at all), but this has certainly crumbled the narrative of Holm being an unbeatable champion after her dominant performance against Rousey, as well as the idea that Tate couldn’t seal the deal. She’s now at the top of the division after working her way past various top opponents and it’s going to be very compelling to see where the UFC decides to go with her from here.
March also brought the surprising news that Cris Cyborg was finally coming to the UFC, albeit at a catchweight bout against bantamweight contender Leslie Smith at 140lbs. It wasn’t the opponent fans may have either expected or clamored for, but apparently she was the most enthusiastic of prospective opponents that was offered the bout.
The UFC also announced two female bouts for the upcoming May event from Rotterdam in which Karolina Kowalkiewicz will be fighting the returning Heather Jo Clark, while recently signed Anna Elmose takes on bantamweight veteran and punishing kickboxer Germaine de Randamie.
Shortly after UFC 196 we were treated to Invicta FC 16, which was a show that was something of a culmination of the development process that the organization has been in over the last year or so after matchmaker Julie Kedzie took the reins. This was the most talent-rich card from top to bottom that they’ve put on with some of the most compelling matchups, and the card delivered on solid action. Two title fights took place, and both were surprisingly exciting and showcased how far the divisions have come with Jennifer Maia avenging her 2011 loss to Vanessa Porto with a wild back-and-forth battle. Atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki also had a tremendous performance against the very game and resilient Amber Brown, relentlessly attacking with submissions and ending the bout with an excruciating-looking armbar in a fight that exceeded expectations.
Notable vetaran Roxanne Modafferi continued her resurgence in her post-UFC run by handing DeAnna Bennet what is only her second defeat in her professional career. Angela Hill put on another exciting performance and managed to finish former title contender Stephanie Eggink via TKO, and Strikeforce veteran Sarah D’Alelio fought back after some serious adversity to submit Andrea Lee after a drop to flyweight. Former UFC bantamweight Jessamyn Duke returned to her Invicta stomping grounds, but was finished by the much more poised and polished rising prospect and former title challenger Irene Aldana.
Invicta also announced the signing of Super Fight League talent Manjit Kolekar on their next card, which is to be headlined on May 7th by bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger taking on established veteran Colleen Schneider, who is currently on a four-fight win streak that includes a win at Pancrase 270 against Bryanna Fissori and an Invicta win against Raquel Pa’aluhi. Evinger appears to be unstoppable right now, and this should certainly make for a dynamic matchup between two fighters that are very offense-oriented.
This upcoming month promises to have some fun action as well with Carla Esparza taking on Juliana Lima at UFC 197 and the Bellator debut of kickboxing specialist Anastasia Yankova. We’ll be providing coverage of those events as usual.