Sarah Kaufman’s #1 Fan Looks Familiar

We’re not sure, but we think that the gal in the above video calling herself Sarah Kaufman‘s “number one fan,” is actually Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey. Kaufman challenges Rousey for her 135lb women’s title belt on August 18th in San Diego and we think the champ might be having a lil fun with this video.

Rousey Kaufman’s super fan goes on for nearly four minutes talking about what a bad, entitled attitude the Strikeforce champ and Judo Olympic medalist has, as demonstrated by her career ambition. There’s also a weird dude taping and joining in on the fun in the video, and then Rousey Judo flips and “arm bars” a vacuum cleaner. Like most things Rousey does, it is impressive, scary and hot.

Really, we have no idea what she’s doing in the video but we still watched it and so should you. After the jump, video of Rousey Judo-flipping and arm barring Bas Rutten. Just because.

We’re not sure, but we think that the gal in the above video calling herself Sarah Kaufman‘s “number one fan,” is actually Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey. Kaufman challenges Rousey for her 135lb women’s title belt on August 18th in San Diego and we think the champ might be having a lil fun with this video.

Rousey Kaufman’s super fan goes on for nearly four minutes talking about what a bad, entitled attitude the Strikeforce champ and Judo Olympic medalist has, as demonstrated by her career ambition. There’s also a weird dude taping and joining in on the fun in the video, and then Rousey Judo flips and “arm bars” a vacuum cleaner. Like most things Rousey does, it is impressive, scary and hot.

Really, we have no idea what she’s doing in the video but we still watched it and so should you. After the jump, video of Rousey Judo-flipping and arm barring Bas Rutten. Just because.

2012 Olympics: Kayla Harrison Becomes First American to Win Gold Medal in Judo


(Harrison [top] grapples with Gemma Gibbons of Great Britain during the gold medal match earlier today. Photo props: SFGate)

Without throwing around too many spoilers, it’s been a monster of a day for American women at the 2012 Olympics. And for martial arts fans, it’s a historic one, as women’s 78kg competitor Kayla Harrison became the first American athlete ever to win a gold medal in judo. She’s just the second American woman to medal at the Olympics, following Strikeforce champ Ronda Rousey (her former training partner), who took bronze in 2008. Women’s 57kg competitor Marti Malloy also won a bronze on Monday, making the 2012 London games the first Olympics since 1998 in which the USA has earned two medals in judo.

Harrison, who entered this year’s competition ranked fourth in the world, reached the finals by defeating Vera Moskalyuk (Russia), Abigel Joo (Hungary), and world-ranked #1 Mayra Aguiar (Brazil), all by ippon. She faced Great Britain’s Gemma Gibbons in the gold-medal match, and won 2-0 on a pair of yukos. In your face, world.

After the jump: A Boston Globe video-profile on Harrison’s life and training, and a TV-shot video of the end of her finals match against Gibbons.


(Harrison [top] grapples with Gemma Gibbons of Great Britain during the gold medal match earlier today. Photo props: SFGate)

Without throwing around too many spoilers, it’s been a monster of a day for American women at the 2012 Olympics. And for martial arts fans, it’s a historic one, as women’s 78kg competitor Kayla Harrison became the first American athlete ever to win a gold medal in judo. She’s just the second American woman to medal at the Olympics, following Strikeforce champ Ronda Rousey (her former training partner), who took bronze in 2008. Women’s 57kg competitor Marti Malloy also won a bronze on Monday, making the 2012 London games the first Olympics since 1998 in which the USA has earned two medals in judo.

Harrison, who entered this year’s competition ranked fourth in the world, reached the finals by defeating Vera Moskalyuk (Russia), Abigel Joo (Hungary), and world-ranked #1 Mayra Aguiar (Brazil), all by ippon. She faced Great Britain’s Gemma Gibbons in the gold-medal match, and won 2-0 on a pair of yukos. In your face, world.

After the jump: A Boston Globe video-profile on Harrison’s life and training, and a TV-shot video of the end of her finals match against Gibbons.

Friday Link Dump: UFC 149 Weigh-In Video, Bones’s Beef With Hendo, Tito’s Secret Knee Surgery + More

(Live UFC 149 weigh-in video, via YouTube.com/UFC. First fighter steps on the scale at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.)

Keep Sending Us Your Fighter Run-In Stories for Next Week’s Roundtable! (CP)

A Conversation With Paul Daley: From British Boxing to Bellator (MMAFighting)

Jon Jones Says “Disrespectful” Dan Henderson Has Given Him New Motivation (BleacherReport/MMA)

– Former UFC Fighter Sherman Pendergarst Loses Battle With Cancer (MMAJunkie)

EXCLUSIVE: Dana White Fight Day Video Interview (HeavyMMA)

UFC’s Jonathan Brookins Tells Us That Bellator Is Suing Him and He Isn’t a Fan of Bjorn Rebney (MiddleEasy)

Alan Belcher Hopes Belfort, Weidman Willing To Exchange In Near Future (Fightline)

– Tito Ortiz Had Knee Surgery Before Fight With Forrest Griffin (FiveOuncesofPain)

– Train Like an Olympic Judoka (MensFitness)

– Video: Australian Track and Field Hurdle Hottie Michelle Jenneke’s Warm-Up Dance (MMAMania)

Joaquin Phoenix Licks Window Panes in the Full Trailer for ‘The Master’ (FilmDrunk)

– The Funniest Masturbation Arrests of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

– The Gentlemen’s Guide to Tattoos (MadeMan)


(Live UFC 149 weigh-in video, via YouTube.com/UFC. First fighter steps on the scale at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.)

Keep Sending Us Your Fighter Run-In Stories for Next Week’s Roundtable! (CP)

A Conversation With Paul Daley: From British Boxing to Bellator (MMAFighting)

Jon Jones Says “Disrespectful” Dan Henderson Has Given Him New Motivation (BleacherReport/MMA)

– Former UFC Fighter Sherman Pendergarst Loses Battle With Cancer (MMAJunkie)

EXCLUSIVE: Dana White Fight Day Video Interview (HeavyMMA)

UFC’s Jonathan Brookins Tells Us That Bellator Is Suing Him and He Isn’t a Fan of Bjorn Rebney (MiddleEasy)

Alan Belcher Hopes Belfort, Weidman Willing To Exchange In Near Future (Fightline)

– Tito Ortiz Had Knee Surgery Before Fight With Forrest Griffin (FiveOuncesofPain)

– Train Like an Olympic Judoka (MensFitness)

– Video: Australian Track and Field Hurdle Hottie Michelle Jenneke’s Warm-Up Dance (MMAMania)

Joaquin Phoenix Licks Window Panes in the Full Trailer for ‘The Master’ (FilmDrunk)

– The Funniest Masturbation Arrests of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

– The Gentlemen’s Guide to Tattoos (MadeMan)

Potato Nation, Sit Back and Let Ronda Rousey’s Mom Teach You a Proper Armbar

(Ann is lucky Bas didn’t have a salt shaker or a bar stool handy, or this would’ve gone down WAY differently.) 

If you are one of those conspiracy theorists out there who believe that Ronda Rousey sold her soul to the devil for the Ultimate Armbar of Absolute Victory (perhaps we’re naming that a little soon), then it’s time for a wake up call. Aside from Ronda’s extensive judo background, her ability to maim and disfigure her female counterparts is equal parts experience and genetics. Because believe it or not, her mother, Dr. Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, was the first American woman to ever win a World Judo Championship. How’d she do it, you ask? Mainly through the help of her friends; Harai Goshi, Uchi Mata, and Mr. Armbar.

Well Taters, it seems that Ronda’s mom has taken some time out of her busy schedule to bestow some knowledge upon us all, via her personal blog. Today’s lesson is titled “How to do a Perfect Armbar.” Enjoy:

Join us after the jump to get your knowledge on. 


(Ann is lucky Bas didn’t have a salt shaker or a bar stool handy, or this would’ve gone down WAY differently.) 

If you are one of those conspiracy theorists out there who believe that Ronda Rousey sold her soul to the devil for the Ultimate Armbar of Absolute Victory (perhaps we’re naming that a little soon), then it’s time for a wake up call. Aside from Ronda’s extensive judo background, her ability to maim and disfigure her female counterparts is equal parts experience and genetics. Because believe it or not, her mother, Dr. Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, was the first American woman to ever win a World Judo Championship. How’d she do it, you ask? Mainly through the help of her friends; Harai Goshi, Uchi Mata, and Mr. Armbar.

Well Taters, it seems that Ronda’s mom has taken some time out of her busy schedule to bestow some knowledge upon us all, via her personal blog. Today’s lesson is titled “How to do a Perfect Armbar.” Enjoy:

Random arm bar notes: I. How to do a perfect arm bar

Let’s suppose you are in a tournament, or even practice, and you have the great good fortune to have an opponent beneath you and you get hold of your opponent’s arm. I am going to assume that your opponent is not an idiot and having grasped the severity of the situation will grab on to his own arm for dear life. How to do a perfect arm bar, according to me.

1. Have both hands at your opponent’s wrist, locking the forearm against your body. 

2. Have both of your legs across the opponent’s body, one on either side of said arm (I learned to refer to things as “said” from reading too many contracts)

3. Rotate toward the opponent’s head to break the arm free

4. Rotate back toward the opponent’s hips so you are now at a perfect 270 degree angle from the opponent’s body (for non-math majors, a 270 degree angle is shown below. This is nothing if not a full-service blog)

5. Legs are squeezed together holding the opponent tight at the shoulder, with your thighs

6. Pinch knees tight together, touching, allowing no space for the opponent to pull his arm through if he did by some miracle manage to pull his wrist free,

7. Legs are bent, curling his body back toward you with your feet. (If you’ve ever done the leg curl at the gym, it’s that motion. If you’ve never done a leg curl, what the heck is wrong with you?)

8. Arch your hips to apply the arm bar. If you have ever had a boyfriend, yeah, it’s that motion. (Unless you’re a gay male in which case I am not sure.)

As you can see, Ronda has not only inherited her death-like vice grip from Ann, but a good deal of her wit as well. But you heard her, ladies! Get out there and start practicing armbar “techniques” on your boyfriends, husbands, or any random mixed martial arts bloggers that you catch eyes with from across the room/bar. Seriously, DO IT.

As for Ronda, we will see if she can make it six straight armbars come August 18th, when she defends her title against former (and first ever) Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman. But what we’d really like to know is when our girl Carmen Valentina and Ronda plan on making a series of instructional DVD’s to help some of us study these techniques at home. Yeah…study. With the doors locked. And the blinds closed.

J. Jones

The Gentle Way: Strikeforce Champion Ronda Rousey and the Birth of a Judo Star

Part One of a two-part series looking at the art of judo in MMA. The Title Miesha Tate thought she had a chance against 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey. After all, Tate was the Strikeforce bantamweight champion and had been competit…

Part One of a two-part series looking at the art of judo in MMA. The Title Miesha Tate thought she had a chance against 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey. After all, Tate was the Strikeforce bantamweight champion and had been competitive with everyone she had ever fought. More than competitive, in fact. Her world-title […]

Ronda Rousey: “No High School Wrestler Can Beat a Judo Player”

Strikeforce female bantamweight Ronda Rousey is not known for mincing words. I had the privilege of hosting a live chat with Rousey for the Houston Chronicle yesterday, and she was in rare form leading up to Saturday’s championship bout with Mies…

Strikeforce female bantamweight Ronda Rousey is not known for mincing words. I had the privilege of hosting a live chat with Rousey for the Houston Chronicle yesterday, and she was in rare form leading up to Saturday’s championship bout with Miesha Tate. A reader asked Rousey if Tate’s wrestling pedigree could possibly compare to the […]