Ronda Rousey is amazing. Simply amazing. The UFC women’s bantamweight champion possesses world-class Judo, and apparently some highly-effective Muay Thai as well. Her propensity for snatching and breaking arms was developed at an age before most kids can ride a bicycle without training wheels. As a competitor, she’s given us very little to criticize. The problem with Rousey is that she may quickly run out of competition. With Sara McMann bumped out of the picture, the women’s 135-pound division currently lacks athletes who can legitimately challenge Ronda’s dominance.
If Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino does in fact drop to 135 and is signed to the UFC, a super-fight years in the making could take place. Cyborg is a challenge for any woman, and some men. Her athleticism, power, aggressiveness, and diverse set of skills have brought her nothing but victories for the last nine years (except for that one no-contest). Needless to say, the former handball player turned fighter may be the biggest — and most profitable — test lurking in the future for Rousey, assuming that Cyborg ever settles her beef with Dana White.
Outside of that, there are painfully few challengers that the UFC could throw at Ronda, and call it a “competitive matchup” with a straight face.
I was beyond excited to see Rousey take on Cat Zingano, whose striking skills and power, purple belt in BJJ, and high-level wrestling background make her more than qualified to give Rousey a great fight. Watching her finish Miesha Tate toward the end of their three-round back-and-forth battle gave me confidence in her abilities to contend for the title. However, after her knee injury and the devastating loss of her husband, she has been sidelined for the time being. According to her manager Ed Soares, however, she could be ready to step back into the cage “as early as June.”
Ronda Rousey is amazing. Simply amazing. The UFC women’s bantamweight champion possesses world-class Judo, and apparently some highly-effective Muay Thai as well. Her propensity for snatching and breaking arms was developed at an age before most kids can ride a bicycle without training wheels. As a competitor, she’s given us very little to criticize. The problem with Rousey is that she may quickly run out of competition. With Sara McMann bumped out of the picture, the women’s 135-pound division currently lacks athletes who can legitimately challenge Ronda’s dominance.
If Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino does in fact drop to 135 and is signed to the UFC, a super-fight years in the making could take place. Cyborg is a challenge for any woman, and some men. Her athleticism, power, aggressiveness, and diverse set of skills have brought her nothing but victories for the last nine years (except for that one no-contest). Needless to say, the former handball player turned fighter may be the biggest — and most profitable — test lurking in the future for Rousey, assuming that Cyborg ever settles her beef with Dana White.
Outside of that, there are painfully few challengers that the UFC could throw at Ronda, and call it a “competitive matchup” with a straight face.
I was beyond excited to see Rousey take on Cat Zingano, whose striking skills and power, purple belt in BJJ, and high-level wrestling background make her more than qualified to give Rousey a great fight. Watching her finish Miesha Tate toward the end of their three-round back-and-forth battle gave me confidence in her abilities to contend for the title. However, after her knee injury and the devastating loss of her husband, she has been sidelined for the time being. According to her manager Ed Soares, however, she could be ready to step back into the cage “as early as June.”
There is one other women fighting outside the UFC, who I believe would be an interesting and tough match-up for Ronda Rousey. Holly Holm is an incredibly accomplished boxer, on a level we have not seen in either women’s or men’s MMA. With a astonishing 18 boxing titles in three weight classes, and a kickboxing record of 2-1, Holly steps into the cage with a striking background most MMA fighters would fear. With five KO/TKOs (including four via kicks) and one decision in her professional MMA record, she would seem to be her way to being signed by the UFC — as long as her management and the UFC can agree on a price. These are the women I see putting on exciting fights against Rousey, and the fact that only one of them is currently under contract with the UFC is a bit of a problem.
Rousey is great for the UFC, and she might very well be the promotion’s biggest star as of right now. Having her as a champion is a good thing, but without quality opponents, her pay-per-view buys will drop and her star will fade, as fans lose interest in the latest Ronda Rousey squash-match. The three women mentioned above would hypothetically make for better fights than the champ has had in the UFC so far, but there is no guarantee that she will ever fight any of them. Cyborg may not make weight, or get signed. Cat Zingano may not come back to fight at the top level, and Holly Holm may continue fighting on MMA’s regional circuit, competing in boxing and kickboxing on the side.
Women’s MMA is several years, if not a full decade behind the men’s divisions in terms of competition and depth of talent. There are fewer fighters, fewer weight classes, and fewer opportunities for women to compete. But the tide is turning. Ronda may remain on top, unchallenged for years until the sport catches up to her and young athletes who have been training all of their lives (like the champ herself) start fighting in the Octagon. In the meantime, I hope for the sake of the sport — and for Ronda Rousey herself — that we get to see her in competitive match-ups against the existing cream of the crop. Until then, we can only wonder how far ahead of the game she really is.
(Don’t worry, this is the only time you’ll be seeing this guy on the list.)
With three of the fights on UFC 170‘s main card ending in the first round, the CagePotato.com staff has decided to revisit the greatest one-round fights in MMA history during today’s CagePotato Roundtable.Despite their brevity, these fights were memorable enough to be worthy of any discussion on the greatest fights in MMA history. Read on for our picks, and please continue to send your ideas for future roundtable discussion topics to [email protected].
Greatest fight that only went one round, you say? Psh, please. How about a fight that had more total strikes thrown in the first 30+ seconds than in the entire multi-year relationship between that (piece of crap) Ike Turner and Tina? Ok, ok, maybe not that many but Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama still resulted in a shit load of punches. So, to all the other contributors to this RoundTable, I respect your opinions but much like the original Highlander – There can be only one – your choices are all The Kurgan (and he was “the hardest screw that ever walked a turn at Shawshank State Prison” mind you, so you can take solace in that you losers).
After a multitude of viewings, according to my bloodshot eyes and my bourbon breath, there were 91 total strikes thrown by both Don Frye and Yoshirho Yamasaka in the opening 34 seconds of their epic collision way back at Pride 21 in June of 2002. True, I am not Reed Kuhn and these figures are not exact like a Cagepotato Databomb but let those punch-stats sink in. For a little more than half a minute, almost 3 strikes were thrown per second with almost ALL of them landing.
(Don’t worry, this is the only time you’ll be seeing this guy on the list.)
With three of the fights on UFC 170‘s main card ending in the first round, the CagePotato.com staff has decided to revisit the greatest one-round fights in MMA history during today’s CagePotato Roundtable.Despite their brevity, these fights were memorable enough to be worthy of any discussion on the greatest fights in MMA history. Read on for our picks, and please continue to send your ideas for future roundtable discussion topics to [email protected].
Greatest fight that only went one round, you say? Psh, please. How about a fight that had more total strikes thrown in the first 30+ seconds than in the entire multi-year relationship between that (piece of crap) Ike Turner and Tina? Ok, ok, maybe not that many but Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama still resulted in a shit load of punches. So, to all the other contributors to this RoundTable, I respect your opinions but much like the original Highlander – There can be only one – your choices are all The Kurgan (and he was “the hardest screw that ever walked a turn at Shawshank State Prison” mind you, so you can take solace in that you losers).
After a multitude of viewings, according to my bloodshot eyes and my bourbon breath, there were 91 total strikes thrown by both Don Frye and Yoshirho Yamasaka in the opening 34 seconds of their epic collision way back at Pride 21 in June of 2002. True, I am not Reed Kuhn and these figures are not exact like a Cagepotato Databomb but let those punch-stats sink in. For a little more than half a minute, almost 3 strikes were thrown per second with almost ALL of them landing.
The two combatants literally played the roles of the Blue Bomber and the Red Rocker while trying to knock each others blocks off. Most hockey fights fail to deliver that type of jackhammer-punching and mano y mano awesomeness. Even Ryu and Ken have fewer strikes thrown in a three round contest than Frye and Yamasaka unleashed in the opening moments of their one round affair.
Sure, the fight was not exactly a technical masterpiece but it even had the passionately polite crowd at the Saitama Super Arena in a fanatical frenzy. The Frye vs Yamasaka contest went on to win Fight of the Year in many publications and it now lives in online infamy. Because Frye. Because Pride.
The 2004 PRIDE heavyweight grand prix semi-final between PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and 1992 Olympic silver medalist in judo Naoya Ogawa ended in less than a minute with Fedor winning via armbar. But the result was a combination of Fedor’s thwarted Olympic aspirations, PRIDE’s deception and skilled management.
When Fedor was on Russia’s national judo team, resentment collected as he was unable to surmount the politics that kept him from representing Russia in the world championships or the Olympics:
“In all of the Russian championships I was always third-third-third. In our sport the first place always goes to the world competitions, the second to Europe’s. I was always third. I was tired and was asking them if they had a conscience at all. I’m fighting, and the entire room’s yelling at the judge, ‘What are you watching?’ I couldn’t get through, so I left.”
Pro wrestler Ogawa had many asterisks next to his 7-0 win column in MMA. Gary Goodrige said he was offered a bribe of $20,000 to lose to Ogawa (Goodridge, who lost via keylock, claims he turned the bribe down). Going into the first round of the 2004 grand prix against Ogawa, kickboxer Stefan Leko could barely walk, but when his compensation was more than doubled from $150,000, Leko agreed to be shot full of painkillers and the fight went on. Leko quickly lost to Ogawa via arm-triangle choke .
Said Fedor and Leko’s then-manager Miro Mijatovic, “Fedor knew humiliating Ogawa was another step in building his legend amongst the general Japanese public. We insiders knew Ogawa was crap, and I was pissed at our role in allowing that fraud to get so far.”
The PRIDE brass wanted Fedor to take on Sergei Kharitonov in the semi-finals, but Fedor’s team knew that smashing Ogawa was a better proposition.
That Ogawa was an elite judoka who had enjoyed the opportunities to shine on the world stage denied to Fedor provided the fuel. The lack of a handshake before the contest was dropped like a lit match as Fedor coldly dismantled Ogawa in the first round en route to winning the 2004 PRIDE heavyweight grand prix.
So what if it’s a little under 10 minutes long – technically, the first battle in the three-part war waged by Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson took place within a single round, so it qualifies for this list. Silva and Jackson, two of the greatest light heavyweights (or in PRIDE terms, middleweights) in the history of the sport, met in the culmination of the 2003 Pride Grand Prix for Silva’s middleweight title. At the time, the argument could be made that they were the best fighters on the planet. Jackson had just defeated Chuck Liddell earlier in the night, and Silva had dominated a game Hidehiko Yoshida as well. Silva was in the midst of his prime and Jackson was just entering his own.
If that context wasn’t enough, there was no love lost between these two heading into the finals. Following a knockout win over Kevin Randleman at Pride 25, Jackson had called out Silva for a title fight. Silva responded in kind by rushing into the ring, yelling “MY BELT” at Jackson and shoving him across the ring. Before it even came to blows, they engaged in one of the most intense staredowns in MMA history – Jackson unblinking and snarling as Silva hopped back and forth, their eyes never dropping for an instant. When the fight began, Jackson rushed across the ring to slam Silva as was his wont in those days. Silva countered by pulling guard and attempting a guillotine. While unsuccessful, he was able to avert the fate of Ricardo Arona and the fight continued from his guard. Jackson was active, but Silva was able to avoid any significant damage by utilizing an effective defensive guard.
Jackson was able to pass Silva’s guard after the latter attempted an armbar, and proceeded to land knees to Silva’s face from side control. Silva regained half-guard, but Jackson continued to work with body shots. His success was fleeting; Silva quickly regained guard and proceeded to stall where he was able. A somewhat questionable standup followed, as Wanderlei received a yellow card for inactivity but also benefitted from returning to his feet. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Silva managed to stun Jackson with a knee from the clinch. What followed was one of the most brutal and memorable displays of sanctioned violence ever. Silva chased down the backpedalling Jackson and managed to secure a Muay Thai plum. He proceeded to deliver 17 unanswered knee strikes to Jackson’s head, with the occasional soccer kick thrown in for good measure. In a surreal moment, Jackson and Silva seemed to lock eyes one final time and smile at each other before Silva delivered the final blow and Jackson crumpled to the canvas.
The fight itself is one of the most exciting and vicious you will ever see in MMA. It featured two of the best fighters at their peaks fighting for a title after each had already dispatched legitimate fighters earlier in the evening. Not only was it a seminal moment in the history of the sport, it contained seminal moments within it. Few other fights can claim to possess these accolades. None can do so having only lasted a round. That’s why this is the greatest one-round fight that ever was, and perhaps the best that will ever be.
We all may rip on Nick Diaz for being a delusional, numb-skulled stoner with sociopathic tendencies around here, myself included, but it’s hard to deny that the man was destined to be a mixed martial artist (which makes it all the more frustrating that he up and retires every time a fight doesn’t go his way). Few fighters display such a blind sense of confidence in the cage, and Diaz’s ability to do so from the very get-go of a fight, or regardless of whether he’s actually winning a fight, is a thing of beauty to watch. It’s goddamn heroic, is what it is. Call Nick Diaz stupid all you want, but I bet you’d be willing to trade in a few brain cells for the gift of fearlessness in a heartbeat. I sure as hell would. I sleep with a night light to keep out the monsters to this day. Nick Diaz sleeps under his bed every night hoping that one of those punk-ass bitches *tries* to start some shit with him when he’s not looking.
And that’s not even to mention his skill set. Diaz not only possesses some of the best Jiu-Jitsu in the game, but the kind of smothering, in-your-face boxing skills that have broken many a so-called “superior striker” in his heyday. Take his fight with Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Daley vs. Diaz in 2011, for instance. Although Diaz was the promotion’s welterweight champion at the time, Daley was the one being heralded as the guy who could change the complexion of a fight with a single punch. We expected nothing less than a Rock’em Sock’em match in Diaz vs. Daley, and they delivered one in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
To his credit, Daley was able to drop and nearly finish the unbreakable Diaz with punches on two separate occasions in their one round war. As was the case in most of Diaz’s fights, it took getting dropped for Stockton’s finest to realize that his opponent hit like a bitch. Had Daley known that rocking a Diaz is like cutting one head off a Hydra, he would have probably pulled a Claudinei Angelo right then and there. Yet he kept fighting, the brave bastard.
Diaz quickly recovered on both occasions, picked his shots, clinched when necessary, and waited for his moment of opportunity, never reverting from his signature “come at me, bro” pose in the face of danger. That moment came with 20 seconds left in the first round, when during an exchange along the fence, Diaz blistered Daley with an overhand right that sent him tumbling to the canvas. A few follow up punches in the closing seconds came shortly thereafter, and just like that, Nick Diaz became the first man to ever stop Daley with strikes.
Nick Diaz, the guy who strikes with strikers and wins. The champion who favors a good fight over a gameplan, a back-and-forth slugfest over an easy decision win. How can you hate that?
On one hand, this is an extremely tough spot to be in: Both Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II and Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry are still on the board, yet I can only pick one of these fights as my choice. Yet on the other hand, this really isn’t a difficult decision. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry gets the nod here.
Everything that can possibly be written about this classic already has been, so I’m not going to beat a dead horse and recap it blow-by-blow. Besides, if you’ve ever so much as heard about this fight, you know exactly what happened. Kongo vs. Barry had everything that a great fight should: evenly matched opponents, logical strategies, and a dramatic build-up to the a climactic finish. And that was before Cheick Kongo came back from seemingly being knocked out to shut out Pat Barry’s lights.
You could take two of the best fight choreographers in Hollywood, two of the most talented professional wrestlers in the WWE, and give them an entire year to build up a fight to such an exciting finish in only two minutes and thirty-nine seconds, and their creation wouldn’t hold a candle to this. “Anything can happen in a cage fight,” MMA promoters will tell you. Sometimes, it’s actually true.
Did we omit your favorite one-round fight? Let us know your pick in the comments section.
The UFC’s ongoing quest for world domination will see the promotion hold over forty events in 2014, including the “European Tour” that kicks off March 8th in London with UFC Fight Night 38. After that, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Poland, and Turkey will also host Fight Night events, catering to the many fans across Europe who are hungry for their UFC fix.
Since these events will be broadcast on the UFC’s online service Fight Pass, they will likely be filled with European talent, to not only attract local crowds but to keep the costs down. The UFC’s European Head of Operations Garry Cook previously revealed that the promotion was on the lookout for another matchmaker to join Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, specifically to help fill those events. So, I’ll do the job for them and highlight four European fighters that UFC needs to sign this year…
Current Employer: KSW Notable Wins: Mevlin Manhoef, Kendall Grove, Rodney Wallace, Matt Lindland, James Irvin Why the UFC Should Sign Him: We’ve been Khalidov-nuthuggers for years, but can you blame us? Currently riding an eight-fight win streak (all wins by stoppage) the Polish wrecking machine is widely regarded as the best middleweight not signed to a major promotion. Admittedly, his opponents have mainly consisted of cans and UFC washouts, but he has dispatched them in brutal fashion. The Chechnya native has displayed a wide range of attacks as he continues to swallow the competition KSW feeds him, utilizing his devastating submission game and vicious striking.
Many of the big players in the MMA world have tried to get the elusive signature of Khalidov, with Bellator, Strikeforce and the UFC all failing. Khalidov went as far as to call the UFC’s offer “laughable” back in 2012, but with the 33-year-old racking up more wins since the initial offer, the Zuffa brass might be convinced to dig deeper into their pockets to make another offer. Despite the possibility of being a fairly “expensive” European signee, he would provide a stiff test for many of the top 185-pounders on the UFC’s roster. And if the UFC really wants to break into the Polish market, they need this guy.
(Mamed Khalidov squints in celebration after choking out Melvin Manhoef last June. Photo via Piotr Pedziszewski/Sherdog)
The UFC’s ongoing quest for world domination will see the promotion hold over forty events in 2014, including the “European Tour” that kicks off March 8th in London with UFC Fight Night 38. After that, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Poland, and Turkey will also host Fight Night events, catering to the many fans across Europe who are hungry for their UFC fix.
Since these events will be broadcast on the UFC’s online service Fight Pass, they will likely be filled with European talent, to not only attract local crowds but to keep the costs down. The UFC’s European Head of Operations Garry Cook previously revealed that the promotion was on the lookout for another matchmaker to join Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, specifically to help fill those events. So, I’ll do the job for them and highlight four European fighters that UFC needs to sign this year…
Current Employer: KSW Notable Wins: Mevlin Manhoef, Kendall Grove, Rodney Wallace, Matt Lindland, James Irvin Why the UFC Should Sign Him: We’ve been Khalidov-nuthuggers for years, but can you blame us? Currently riding an eight-fight win streak (all wins by stoppage) the Polish wrecking machine is widely regarded as the best middleweight not signed to a major promotion. Admittedly, his opponents have mainly consisted of cans and UFC washouts, but he has dispatched them in brutal fashion. The Chechnya native has displayed a wide range of attacks as he continues to swallow the competition KSW feeds him, utilizing his devastating submission game and vicious striking.
Many of the big players in the MMA world have tried to get the elusive signature of Khalidov, with Bellator, Strikeforce and the UFC all failing. Khalidov went as far as to call the UFC’s offer “laughable” back in 2012, but with the 33-year-old racking up more wins since the initial offer, the Zuffa brass might be convinced to dig deeper into their pockets to make another offer. Despite the possibility of being a fairly “expensive” European signee, he would provide a stiff test for many of the top 185-pounders on the UFC’s roster. And if the UFC really wants to break into the Polish market, they need this guy.
(Pendred vs. Che Mills @ Cage Warriors 55, 6/1/13)
Current Employer: Cage Warriors Notable Wins: Che Mills, Nico Musoke, David Bielkheden Why the UFC Should Sign Him: Pendred is already set to appear on TUF 19: Penn vs. Edgar in pursuit of a UFC contract, but being on the reality show doesn’t guarantee him one. Regardless of how he performs, the Irishman warrants a space on the UFC roster. He may not be as brash or have any special talents like his teammate Conor McGregor, but Pendred is definitely a talent to watch as he provides non-stop action, and an effective grinding style that has helped him remain unbeaten since 2010.
The former CWFC welterweight champion, who was born in Boston, campaigned hard to get on last year’s debut FOX Sports 1 show, but failed in his attempt. Most recently he asked Dana White for a spot opposite Alessio Sakara as Tom Watson fell victim to the injury bug, but the gig eventually went to Nico Musoke, a former scalp of Pendred. And so, Pendred is entering the UFC the hard way — through the booze-fueled reality show chaos of TUF. Pendred is familiar with UFC competition as he trains regularly at Straight Blast Gym in Ireland which houses McGregor and Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson.
(Barnaoui vs. Colin Fletcher @ BAMMA 14, 12/14/13)
Current Employer: BAMMA Notable Wins: Colin Fletcher, Curt Warburton Why the UFC Should Sign Him: Born in Tunisia and now residing in France, the current BAMMA lightweight champion has looked very impressive with back-to-back first round finishes over ex-UFC fighters Curt Warburton and Colin Fletcher. Warburton employed a heavy grappling offense which Barnaoui was able to stifle by getting back to his feet whenever taken down and punishing Warburton with strikes, eventually getting the finish. The rangy striker is always the aggressor in the stand-up, and his knee strikes have also made him very dangerous in the clinch.
Barnaoui’s title defense against Fletcher was a wild brawl. Nevertheless, Barnaoui showed more composure during the battle, ultimately pulling through after he was dropped, then avoiding a submission before pulling one off himself. The man also known as “Tarzan” has already racked up thirteen professional fights, and as he continues to develop his skills the 21-year-old is only getting better.
(Buchinger vs. Stevie Ray @ Cage Warriors 63, 12/31/13)
Current Employer: Cage Warriors Notable Wins: Stevie Ray, Jamal Magomedov Why the UFC Should Sign Him: Bellator light-heavyweight champion Attila Vegh isn’t the only well known MMA fighter representing Slovakia, as Cage Warriors featherweight champion Ivan Buchinger has also done his home country proud. More known for his defeat to Conor McGregor — which has led to the footage being played over, and over again — “Buki” has since redeemed himself by going on a four-fight win streak which saw him capture the CWFC featherweight title.
Buchinger has demonstrated his durability and endurance by finishing opponents late in his fights, including a fourth-round submission victory over then-champion Stevie Ray. Buchinger has a varied attack which paves the way for his buttery smooth ground game, which has helped him win a majority of his fights by submission. The Slovak doesn’t play it safe and always looks to end the fight before the last bell. With the way things have been going lately, the UFC could use more guys like that.
Ronda Rousey kneed Sara McMann into oblivion in a minute…or at least Herb Dean thought McMann had been kneed into oblivion. MMA fans were split about that part. Some thought the stoppage was deserved—McMann stopped intelligently defending herself when she crumpled to the mat clutching her sides. Others disagreed, citing the fact that McMann managed to rise to her feet immediately after Dean called off the bout (an intrepid Wikipedia vandal belonged to this school of thought).
The irritating ruckus that follows any disputed stoppage polluted Twitter and message boards before Rousey’s hand was even raised. MMA fans were (and still are) pissed.
Ronda Rousey kneed Sara McMann into oblivion in a minute…or at least Herb Dean thought McMann had been kneed into oblivion. MMA fans were split about that part. Some thought the stoppage was deserved—McMann stopped intelligently defending herself when she crumpled to the mat clutching her sides. Others disagreed, citing the fact that McMann managed to rise to her feet immediately after Dean called off the bout (an intrepid Wikipedia vandal belonged to this school of thought).
The irritating ruckus that follows any disputed stoppage polluted Twitter and message boards before Rousey’s hand was even raised. MMA fans were (and still are) pissed.
And that’s fantastic.
The UFC women’s bantamweight division is essentially a feeder system for Ronda Rousey, as well as a promotional vehicle for the conventionally attractive (they’ll never let you forget that) Judo star. Dana White admitted that he only allowed women in the UFC because of her. The rest of the division has no chance at taking the belt from her—did you seeAlexis Davis vs. Jessica Eye? Those women are two of the best in the weight class yet they’re both still milesastronomical units away from Rousey.
This formula of sacrificing over-matched fighters to the UFC’s sacred cash cow has worked. Ridiculous Dana White assertions aside, Rousey is one of the UFC’s only stars in a roster so bloated and bland that Lorenzo Fertitta himself probably couldn’t name half the fighters. Rousey is legitimately a super-awesome bad-ass who wrecks people and, to borrow Tomas Rios’ parlance, a Bro Queen. She’s tailor made for the MMA fan, from her unique Judo stylings down to the one-of-a-kind face she sports when walking to the cage. But as great as she is, the conveyor belt of challengers who pose no challenge will get boring.
After a while, fans will realize that the Woman to Beat Rousey™ conveniently always happens to be whoever she’s fighting next, and always gets destroyed anyway despite the hype of being Ronda’s “most dangerous opponent to date.” One day fans will get sick of Rousey crushing fighters that aren’t on her level in any aspect of MMA or even athleticism.
Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino seems the likely solution for this problem. She’s the only fighter scarier than Rousey. She’s so tough she made Gina Carano—then WMMA’s biggest star—retire after five minutes in the cage with her.
Too bad Dana White has zero interest in booking that fight, at least in the immediate future. Either he’s posturing, trying to downplay Justino’s value for the sake of negotiations, or he’s afraid that the female version of PRIDE-era Wanderlei Silva will slaughter his prized cash cow, Rousey. It seems White is content to not book what would be the biggest fight in WMMA history so Cyborg can continue to torture lesser fighters outside the UFC and Rousey can continue to torture lesser fighters inside the UFC.
Well what about famed boxer Holly Holm? She’s an impressive 6-0 in MMA and Rousey even expressed interest in fighting her. Too bad White doesn’t seem interested in that match either. This December he called Holm’s manager a “lunatic” and questioned the strength of Holm’s competition, insinuating she wasn’t UFC caliber (despite that term being obscenely meaningless in 2014).
The UFC doesn’t want to book the two biggest fights for Rousey. What’s left for her, then? Crushing the same cadre of women ad nauseam until she leaves for Hollywood or baby-making?
That’s why a controversial stoppage in Rousey vs. McMann was the best thing that could’ve happened. Many fans contested Herb Dean’s choice to stop the fight. The UFC can do the whole “Did Rousey REALLY beat McMann?” angle this time, and people will respond positively to it because it’s not a manufactured “OMG OLYMPIANS” gimmick. It’s appealing to the real emotions present. People felt the stoppage was BS, they want to see McMann fight Rousey again because she was doing well until Rousey’s knee smashed her liver.
The stoppage gave the UFC women’s bantamweight division a storyline—something to potentially look forward to other than clinch-throw-armbar-tap. And what if McMann gets a rematch and wins? Then WMMA will no-doubt have its first great trilogy when Rousey and McMann fight a third time. With Rousey’s star power it’ll be huge.
So let’s be thankful for Herb Dean’s questionable call, without it we’d have yawned and asked “who’s Rousey beating next?”
UFC veteran Dan Hardy will anchor a new broadcast team that will handle several upcoming UFC events on the promotion’s Fight Pass streaming service, the promotion announced Friday. The team will perform the announcing duties for six Fight Pass events. The news came in Las Vegas at a UFC Q&A for members of its Fight Club […]
UFC veteran Dan Hardy will anchor a new broadcast team that will handle several upcoming UFC events on the promotion’s Fight Pass streaming service, the promotion announced Friday. The team will perform the announcing duties for six Fight Pass events. The news came in Las Vegas at a UFC Q&A for members of its Fight Club […]
Just 56 days after her last Octagon appearance, Ronda Rousey will headline UFC 170 this Saturday, and she’s by far the biggest draw on the card. As a result, Rousey and the UFC marketing machine have gone to absurd lengths in order to pump up her fight against Sara McMann. Here are five eyebrow-raising lines that stuck out during the recent media push…
This is exactly why Holly Holm needs to sign with the UFC. Because as ludicrous as that claim seems at first — the best grappler in women’s MMA is also the best *striker*? get out of town! — there really aren’t any female bantamweights in the UFC who can prove Ronda wrong right now.
Clearly, they meant the first American female to medal in Judo. But how did this slip-up make it into an official UFC promo without anybody catching the error? Maybe the UFC felt that the halfway-accurate talking point would become true if it was repeated enough times?
Just 56 days after her last Octagon appearance, Ronda Rousey will headline UFC 170 this Saturday, and she’s by far the biggest draw on the card. As a result, Rousey and the UFC marketing machine have gone to absurd lengths in order to pump up her fight against Sara McMann. Here are five eyebrow-raising lines that stuck out during the recent media push…
This is exactly why Holly Holm needs to sign with the UFC. Because as ludicrous as that claim seems at first — the best grappler in women’s MMA is also the best *striker*? get out of town! — there really aren’t any female bantamweights in the UFC who can prove Ronda wrong right now.
Clearly, they meant the first American female to medal in Judo. But how did this slip-up make it into an official UFC promo without anybody catching the error? Maybe the UFC felt that the halfway-accurate talking point would become true if it was repeated enough times?
Ugh. Didn’t we learn our lesson with BJ Penn? Your willingness to die during an internationally-televised sporting event is only impressive to the most sociopathic of meatheads, and somebody would stop the fight if your life was actually in danger. But feel free to tune in Saturday night to UFC 170: RONDA MIGHT SERIOUSLY DIE, W/ SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY THE BRAWLIN’ BARISTA.
“Under the right circumstance,” meaning Velasquez would be asleep and duct-taped to a chair. I kid, Ronda. Your confidence is a blessing. On the other hand, “I simply believe in my possibilities” borders on Jon Jones douchebag territory.
I give up. After two fights, Rousey has made more than Georges St-Pierre in sponsorship money? She’s a bigger star than Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in their primes? She earns more than Brock Lesnar and Anderson Silva ever did when they were UFC champions? Is it true what Hitler said about a lie so colossal that it wouldn’t be questioned, because nobody could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously?
I guess I should stop writing, considering that I just Godwin’d my own post. But seriously, what kind of mark would believe this crap?
