UFC 157 goes down this Saturday from the Ronda Center in Rondaheim, Rondafornia. It should be a great night, as Ronda Rousey, who is a woman, defends this UFC belt she has against this other woman, Liz Carmouche.It is going to be something. Two women. …
UFC 157 goes down this Saturday from the Ronda Center in Rondaheim, Rondafornia. It should be a great night, as Ronda Rousey, who is a woman, defends this UFC belt she has against this other woman, Liz Carmouche.
It is going to be something. Two women. One night. One fight, between two women. It is going to be Rondacular.
There are also some other fights. Some of these other fights may determine a few people’s careers. No big deal. Actually, now that I think about it, after Wednesday’s UFC bloodletting, maybe every fighter should consider it a possibility.
Suddenly, the stakes seem higher for everyone. If that’s the case, consider these the fighters on extra double super notice.
The concept of a second round is a foreign one to UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.After all, the 26-year-old superstar hasn’t needed more than five minutes to emerge victorious in any of her first six professional fights. That’s why fans…
The concept of a second round is a foreign one to UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
After all, the 26-year-old superstar hasn’t needed more than five minutes to emerge victorious in any of her first six professional fights. That’s why fans can expect more of the same from Rousey in her UFC debut at UFC 157 on Saturday night.
Look for Rousey to not only win in Anaheim, Calif., but do so quickly.
Don’t get me wrong, Liz Carmouche is no slouch. She’s won her last two fights after dropping two in a row in 2011 (including her first title shot vs. MarloesCoenen). With that being said, there is little reason to expect Carmouche to survive the first round against the armbar queen.
Rousey, the top pound-for-pound women’s fighter on the planet, is an Olympic medalist in judo and one of the most lethal female fighters in mixed martial arts. She possesses the ability to end a fight in the blink of an eye with her patented armbar.
Even when her opponent knows it’s coming.
Carmouche, who is three years older than Rousey, boasts impressive knockout power. Five of her eight wins have come via knockout. She is much less likely to pull off a successful submission, which doesn’t bode well against Rousey, who is more likely to take the fight to the mat rather than keep it standing.
Rousey hasn’t become the face of women’s mixed martial arts by happenstance. Her dominance over the past 23 months has taken the sport by storm, and points to her as the favorite this weekend.
Based on what we’ve seen from both fighters in recent years, Saturday’s UFC 157 main event can only end one way—with Rousey retaining her championship via another awe-inspiring first-round ambar submission.
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“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey has rocketed to fame as the latest “Face of Women’s MMA,” and she’s pushed awareness and enthusiasm for her sport to new heights. Now making history as the first female champion in the UFC, it’s entirely possible that the best thing that could happen to WMMA is for Ronda Rousey to lose.
Ronda Rousey made her pro debut two years ago this March, defeating a scary Brazilian lady very quickly via armbar. Since then, she’s burst into the mainstream consciousness — as much as she can inhabit the mainstream, competing in a fringe sport like MMA —and has almost single-handedly driven interest in women’s mixed martial arts competition. Her background as a lifelong judoka and Olympic medalist immediately establishes her a legitimate athlete, while her looks have won her a bit of extra hype. Not that the hype was undeserved: Rousey has demolished her competition, notching six straight first-round stoppages by armbar.
That dominance is what gained her the attention of the man who previously maintained that he had no interest in female cage-fighting. After gaining control of a double-handful of women’s contracts when Zuffa obtained rival promotion Strikeforce, Dana White couldn’t help but change his mind about gender-equality in the Octagon. Rousey was pushing attendance, she was a moneymaker, and White chases money like a Kardashian chases famous dick: single-mindedly, without shame, and intent to take it all in. That he would also be cockblocking (snirk) another promotion by denying them the most marketable fighters in the market would just be icing on the cake.
And make no mistake: that’s exactly what’s going on here. What may at first seem like a boon for female fighters — the increased visibility of the world’s top MMA promotion in the UFC — also has the effect of skimming the top talent from the free agent pool and keeping them from Invicta Fighting Championships, a promotion that’s actually dedicated to the advancement of the women’s division.
(Wow, we even got *Ronda’s* attention with that troll-headline. Photo via Neil Davidson/Canadian Press)
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey has rocketed to fame as the latest “Face of Women’s MMA,” and she’s pushed awareness and enthusiasm for her sport to new heights. Now making history as the first female champion in the UFC, it’s entirely possible that the best thing that could happen to WMMA is for Ronda Rousey to lose.
Ronda Rousey made her pro debut two years ago this March, defeating a scary Brazilian lady very quickly via armbar. Since then, she’s burst into the mainstream consciousness — as much as she can inhabit the mainstream, competing in a fringe sport like MMA —and has almost single-handedly driven interest in women’s mixed martial arts competition. Her background as a lifelong judoka and Olympic medalist immediately establishes her a legitimate athlete, while her looks have won her a bit of extra hype. Not that the hype was undeserved: Rousey has demolished her competition, notching six straight first-round stoppages by armbar.
That dominance is what gained her the attention of the man who previously maintained that he had no interest in female cage-fighting. After gaining control of a double-handful of women’s contracts when Zuffa obtained rival promotion Strikeforce, UFC president Dana White couldn’t help but change his mind about gender-equality in the Octagon. Rousey was pushing attendance, she was a moneymaker, and White chases money like a Kardashian chases famous dick: single-mindedly, without shame, and intent to take it all in. That he would also be cockblocking (snirk) another promotion by denying them the most marketable fighters in the market would just be icing on the cake.
And make no mistake: that’s exactly what’s going on here. What may at first seem like a boon for female fighters — the increased visibility of the world’s top MMA promotion in the UFC — also has the effect of skimming the top talent from the free agent pool and keeping them from Invicta Fighting Championships, a promotion that’s actually dedicated to the advancement of the women’s division.
Invicta could certainly use some of that star power right now. The fledgling promotion, just ten months into operation with its fifth show planned in April, has done a fantastic job of putting together a roster full of talent, but they’ve had to build their own stars from scratch. The shows themselves are really entertaining, but casual fans don’t know more than a few female fighters, and none of them are under contract with Invicta FC.
If Liz Carmouche manages to pull an upset on Ronda Rousey, we’ll probably see Dana lose interest in the women’s division. Zingano-Tate is already buried on a TUF Finale card, the winner would maybe get Carmouche sometime in the fall, and then all the ladies would be quietly let go. The numbers just weren’t right, they’ll say. The fans just aren’t ready.
Then, in January of 2014, Invicta FC’s eighth event — a $20 pay per view over a reliable HD stream headlined by Invicta FC Bantamweight champ Sara McMann vs rebounding “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey — breaks all previous records for WMMA audiences.
In November of 2017, Invicta will broadcast its first show on NBC, featuring five title fights ranging from atomweight to featherweight.
In July of 2023, Gina Carano will induct McMann and Rousey as part of the inaugural Women’s MMA Hall of Fame, calling their fight “the turning point” for female mixed martial arts.
In October of 2056, former UFC president Dana White drifts into his eternal slumber, whispering the name of his boyhood sled as he passes from this world into the next. Nobody is around to hear him.
Ronda Rousey has become everything to the sport of mixed martial arts that female fighters could have asked for, and then some. Not only has she broken barriers in the mainstream, having appeared on late-night talk shows and magazine covers, but o…
Ronda Rousey has become everything to the sport of mixed martial arts that female fighters could have asked for, and then some.
Not only has she broken barriers in the mainstream, having appeared on late-night talk shows and magazine covers, but on Saturday night she will become the first UFC women’s champion to defend her title. And she is doing it in the main event on pay-per-view, against Liz Carmouche.
There was a time when it looked like women’s mixed martial arts was going to break down walls before Rousey came into the sport.
Gina Carano was quickly becoming that kind of star in Strikeforce. She had a profile feature on ESPN’s E:60 program. She drew ratings like no other female fighter in the sport, setting a new Strikeforce record for her bout with Cris Cyborg in 2009.
However, despite her claims that she wanted to fight first and leave everything else to the media, Carano was not long for the sport. Her budding star made her too big for Strikeforce and she moved on to making movies.
There is nothing wrong with what Carano did. In fact, when you are a young woman with a chance to capitalize on your fame in a profession that doesn’t require you to train constantly and get beat up, you would be a fool not to take it.
But Rousey is a different kind of animal. She is a fighter to her very core. She has been trained in Judo and fought in the sport during the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, becoming the first American woman to medal in the event when she won a bronze medal in 2008.
On top of all that, as good as Carano was in the cage, Rousey trumps her when it comes to personality.
MMA is a sport that is all about self-promotion. You have to be willing to go out of your way to talk if you want to become a star. Rousey has never been shy about talking trash on an opponent.
Her battles with Miesha Tate and Sarah Kaufman on Twitter and YouTube last year were better than most of the storylines that the media created leading up to the Super Bowl between Baltimore and San Francisco.
But that was on the Strikeforce stage. Now Rousey has the biggest stage that mixed martial arts has to offer: UFC.
Dana White, who has previously been dead-set against having women fighting in UFC, has embraced Rousey because he knows that she is a potential game-changer for the business.
Women’s MMA is still trying to find an audience in this country. It also needs a forum to grow so that young women interested in the sport know that they will be given a fair chance to showcase what they can do on the biggest stage in the sport.
Having Rousey headline the show on her first UFC pay-per-view is a big deal that will have a huge and positive impact on the sport for years to come. It will take time to build the division, but at least we have some place to start.
I know Ronda Rousey has enormous star potential, but her UFC debut shouldn’t be the headline bout of UFC 157.It is groundbreaking because the fight represents a milestone for women’s MMA, but from a pure fighting standpoint, this matchup doesn’t measur…
I know Ronda Rousey has enormous star potential, but her UFC debut shouldn’t be the headline bout of UFC 157.
It is groundbreaking because the fight represents a milestone for women’s MMA, but from a pure fighting standpoint, this matchup doesn’t measure up to the standards one should have for a UFC pay-per-view main event.
Rousey would have to be considered the premier female MMA fighter in the world, but Liz Carmouche doesn’t have the resume to be included in this fight.
She’s 7-2, but those two losses have come in her most recent fights. The latest defeat came at the hands of Sarah Kaufman, a woman Rousey easily defeated in her last bout.
How can MMA fans be excited to see Rousey‘s debut, when her opponent is someone that shouldn’t be able to challenge her?
This match comes off as a cheap way to get Rousey over with the UFC audience. As a matter of fact, it could be taken as an insult to MMA fans’ knowledge of the women’s game.
I don’t think anyone is disputing that Rousey is the woman to beat in the sport, but she is also one of the few female names most MMA fans have ever heard of. That level of ignorance is being exploited here.
If Rousey is top dog, then Carmouche is somewhere in the middle of the pack—or even at the bottom of the division. Essentially, this fight could be compared to Anderson Silva taking on someone like Tom DeBlass in a main event.
I strongly believe that matchup would raise some eyebrows if it was packaged to MMA fans as a bout worthy of headlining a pay-per-view.
We all know Silva is perhaps the best fighter in the world, but DeBlass is middle of the road at best as far as middleweight contenders are concerned. There really isn’t much difference between the two matchups.
Since many MMA fans are unaware of many of the fighters in the woman’s bantamweight division, does that make this fight more acceptable as a main event?
That shouldn’t be the case.
Rousey‘s debut has every right getting a good amount of attention, but as fights go, this should be one of the bouts featured on F/X.
In the end, it is always about money, and I understand that. But I just hope Dana White doesn’t try to sell us on how great and intriguing this fight should be.
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MMA fighter Ronda Rousey was profiled on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on Tuesday leading up to her UFC debut on Saturday against Liz Carmouche.The interview spanned from the 26-year-old’s childhood when her father committed suicide to her rise …
MMA fighter Ronda Rousey was profiled on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on Tuesday leading up to her UFC debut on Saturday against Liz Carmouche.
The interview spanned from the 26-year-old’s childhood when her father committed suicide to her rise into mixed martial arts with the help of her mother, Ann Maria RouseyDeMar, a former judo world champion.
Rousey‘s life started with complications, strangling on her mother’s umbilical cord. She wasn’t able to speak until she was 6 years old. It was her father who got her through it.
After a sledding accident, Rousey‘s father dealt with extreme pain and complications. He ended up committing suicide when she was just 8 years old. Rousey started out as a swimmer, but gave up the sport when her father passed because she couldn’t bear to swim without her father.
That changed the California native’s life forever.
Rousey began taking up judo with the help of her mother from that point on. She said it came natural to her, noting, “I hate losing.”
She even learned her trademark armbar from her mother, which has since defeated all six of her opponents as a pro in MMA. She teared up when talking about winning the Strikeforce bantamweight women’s championship against rival Miesha Tate in March 2012.
When asked whether she enjoyed hurting other fighters, Rousey simply replied, “It’s a fight. We’re not baking cakes for each other.”
Beyond that, Rousey talked about her appearance in ESPN The Magazine‘s 2012 Body Issue. She noted that if you want exposure, you need to expose yourself.
On the other hand, Rousey was adamant she would never pose for Playboy. She said in the HBO interview, “No one should be able to see my ‘cash and prizes’ for $5.”
Overall, Rousey‘s interview with HBO’s Real Sports showed a strong, confident young woman who has already been through a lot. She will headline UFC 157 on Saturday and she’s earned every bit of the opportunity.
The concept of a second round is a foreign one to UFC women’s bantamweight champion 
