Tag: Ronda Rousey

A Lot at Stake in UFC 157’s Main Event Between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche

A quick glance at the UFC’s website shows that there are currently only two female fighters on the promotion’s official roster: champion Ronda Rousey and the woman who will challenge her for that title in the main event of UFC 157, Liz…

A quick glance at the UFC’s website shows that there are currently only two female fighters on the promotion’s official roster: champion Ronda Rousey and the woman who will challenge her for that title in the main event of UFC 157, Liz Carmouche.

That roster may fill up in the days following the February 23 fight card, or it may disappear altogether. 

It wasn’t that long ago that UFC president Dana White remarked that women would never compete inside the Octagon, but that statement was made in the days before Rousey began her arm-snapping spree with Strikeforce. Rousey fought four times in Strikeforce and only once went beyond the one-minute mark, winning each fight via armbar.

White described Rousey as outspoken on the Jim Rome Show.

I’m telling you, this girl, she’s nasty. She might be beautiful on the outside, she’s a Diaz brother on the inside. She’s a real fighter and she’s very talented. She has the credentials, the pedigree, everything. And she has the ‘it’ factor. I think she’s going to be a big superstar.

It’s not too difficult to see that UFC’s interest here is not in WMMA, but in Ronda Rousey. And that’s fine. That’s the UFC’s prerogative as a fight-promoting business, but it’s also a dangerous proposition.

There’s a lot riding on this UFC 157 bout, not just for the UFC, but for Rousey, Carmouche and every other female fighter who is hoping for a chance to enter the Octagon and make some of that UFC money.

No one is sure how Rousey vs. Carmouche will fare as the headlining bout at UFC 157. Hopes are high that Rousey has crossover star potential and will be able to reach out to markets and fans that the UFC has had difficulty bringing in. But the fact remains that a good deal of the general population, sports fans or not, is going to be reluctant to watch two women stand inside a cage and punch each other in the face. 

If you don’t believe that, ask yourself why Laila Ali never turned into a huge sports star.

If the pay-per-view sales flop, odds are that the next time Rousey defends her title she will not be the headlining fighter but slotted into the co-main event spot, fighting under a main event that features another UFC champion from the welterweight or higher ranks defending his title. 

And that’s if she wins. 

The odds are against Carmouche pulling off the upset and taking the title, but we recently saw Antonio Silva knock out Alistair Overeem in a bout that very few thought Silva would even get out of the first round.

That’s the beauty of the fight game—the odds are not that meaningful.

That’s also the UFC’s nightmare when it comes to the main event of UFC 157.

Overeem losing to Silva, in the big picture, isn’t that big of a deal. Another fighter will rise in the UFC heavyweight ranks to take his spot, and with Silva’s victory the UFC can sell him as a king crusher, the man who overcame the odds. If Carmouche defeats Rousey in Anaheim, that’s not going to happen. 

Like I said before, the promotion is in the Ronda Rousey business. A Carmouche win puts that business on life support. Sure, it sets up a rematch somewhere down the road, but it also puts every other fight on hold in the women’s division until that rematch is decided.

If Rousey were to win the rematch, more signings will surely take place, but if Carmouche defeats Rousey a second time, that will be the second nail in the coffin for WMMA in the UFC. I wouldn’t expect any more nails would be needed to put the experiment in the ground.

That’s not to take anything away from Carmouche. If she defeats Rousey, it will be a huge accomplishment on her part and will go down as one of the biggest upsets in the history of MMA. Just don’t expect it to launch her to the exalted status in the UFC that Rousey is enjoying right now. 

There’s a huge amount of pressure resting on Rousey’s shoulders heading into UFC 157. It’s not a stretch to say that the future of WMMA in the UFC—and maybe WMMA as a whole—depend on her beating Carmouche. A Rousey win on a UFC pay-per-view could very well have a trickle-down effect on promotions such as Invicta as the press Rousey will garner should increase interest in WMMA.

If you think the bout between Rousey and Carmouche is just a small experiment for the UFC, you couldn’t be more incorrect.

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UFC: Is Ronda Rousey the Most Overhyped Fighter in the UFC’s 20 Year Existence?

Ronda’s brash attitude and free flowing tongue have served as a point of controversy on more than a single occasion. Rousey is often overtly outspoken in regards to potential foes. She’s not afraid to issue a challenge, toss a few verbal ba…

Ronda’s brash attitude and free flowing tongue have served as a point of controversy on more than a single occasion. Rousey is often overtly outspoken in regards to potential foes. She’s not afraid to issue a challenge, toss a few verbal barbs or take to the net to express disdain.

Polarizing is certainly a word befitting.

Ronda has been at the forefront of mixed martial arts media for months. She’s quickly becoming a familiar face in pop culture, having already been afforded exposure by high end media outlets ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Maxim (Girl of the Day on Aug. 14, 2012), and Sports Illustrated. Ronda is everywhere.

Dana is well aware of her marketability, as he’s afforded the woman a damn strong push himself. Ronda’s got a UFC Primetime running, her visibility is stronger than ever and White is heaping a world of hype and expectation on the woman’s shoulders.

Rousey might very well be the most hyped fighter we’ve ever seen. To Ronda’s credit, her accolades speak for themselves, having picked up a medal for Judo competition in the Olympics, swarmed through her first six opponents in roughly seven combined minutes. Did I mention that each and every fight was finished with Rousey’s lethal armbar?

Ronda’s hype is deserved. She appears a genuine phenom who has taken action in refining her game and developing a diverse attack. You may see an elbow capsule popped from time to time, but the woman’s striking looks to be improving virtually every fight out and she’s finding her confidence in all facets of the sport.

While Ronda is indeed worthy of the thick veil of praise engulfing her, it’s impossible to deny that the excessive Rousey campaign will eventually wear thin on fans. There’s nothing wrong with praising a fighter, but putting a fighter on a pedestal that may threaten to birth a strong overconfidence could be dangerous.

I say keep “Rowdy” in the spotlight, but pull back a tad on the reins. Overexposure leads to redundancy, which leads to fans simply growing tired of the same name and face, and predictable fight outcomes.

Let Ronda Rousey develop as she should, with strong, but not overbearing promotion. She’s talented, attractive and outspoken enough to make her career a success without being shoved into countless press conferences, photo shoots, television appearances and high profile interviews.

Let a woman breathe and prove her worth, damn it!

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Cris Cyborg Asks for Release from UFC, Abandons Ronda Rousey Superfight

After several arguments about weight divisions and tuneup matches, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is taking her ball and asking to go home.That’s the latest development in negotiations for a once-potential UFC superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg…

After several arguments about weight divisions and tuneup matches, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is taking her ball and asking to go home.

That’s the latest development in negotiations for a once-potential UFC superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg, according to a recent episode of Inside MMA on AXS TV.

As relayed via Cyborg’s manager, former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, the first (and only) Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion is no longer interested in working for the UFC.

To that effect, she has reportedly asked for her early release from the promotion:

Right now, we’re actually waiting for [the] UFC to release [Cyborg]. We asked for them to release her, so Dana White actually talked to me yesterday. They gave an offer, I went to Cyborg and she said she didn’t want to do it—and we just asked for her release.

Since [the UFC] isn’t doing a 145-pound weight class, what else can they do? Now, she’s going to be released. Maybe we’ll go look somewhere else and you can see Cyborg crush another woman’s face in.

Inside MMA host Bas Rutten immediately inquired whether or not Invicta FC would be a possible destination for Cyborg, as the all-female MMA promotion currently hosts a healthy featherweight division.

Ortiz noted that the UFC’s intent was to offer Cyborg a “huge deal,” but she specifically wanted a three-fight deal with a fourth fight against Rousey at a 140-pound catchweight.

However, UFC president Dana White had previously stated that match would only happen at 135 pounds—requiring a weight drop that Ortiz says would permanently harm Cyborg’s health.

As Ortiz elaborated on Inside MMA, “family is what it’s truly about” for Cyborg, as she believes the health risks will impair her ability to have children.

Of course, future offers for Cyborg may be dry, as the Brazilian is suspected of several years of drug use, especially following a positive test for anabolic steroids in January 2012, which has halted her MMA career ever since.

Additionally, Ortiz also drew some fire from White for statements made to The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting) claiming that Rousey “hasn’t proven anything” in her fighting career yet.

White’s response was especially barbed, telling the press (via MMA Weekly) that Rousey—an undefeated champion, sports superstar and history-making U.S. Olympic medalist—is in another class compared to Ortiz, blowing his career “out of the water” with her relative age and accomplishments.

While it remains to be seen if the UFC will release Cyborg, women’s bantamweight champion Rousey currently has her hands full preparing for her first title defense at UFC 157 against challenger Liz Carmouche.

That main-event title bout will take place on Feb. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, along with a co-main event title eliminator featuring Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida. During the wait, a three-part UFC 157 Primetime special will be airing for the next three weeks, profiling both of the female bantamweight headliners.

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UFC 157 Primetime: Rousey vs. Carmouche — Full Episode 1 Video

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

In advance of the UFC’s first women’s title fight on February 23rd, Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are getting the Primetime treatment, with a three-episode mini-series introducing viewers to the fighters’ personalities and personal histories. As we learn, Rousey and Carmouche both found themselves directionless after formative experiences — the Olympics for Rousey, the Marines for Carmouche — until MMA opened new chapters in their lives. The similarities end there, pretty much. Rousey is currently living the upwardly-mobile life of a UFC champion, while Carmouche is still broke as hell, working full days at the San Diego Combat Academy just to make ends meet.

A win for Carmouche would be life-changing, and she revels in the opportunity. “I absolutely think I’m going to spoil the UFC’s plans,” she says with a smile. (Hey, whatever happened to looking out for the company?)

Even if Liz is set up as the scrappy underdog who has fought tooth and nail to get where she is, the episode makes sure to push the adversity in Rousey’s life even harder. For better or worse, the Primetime series reaches an all-time high of emotional intensity in the final segment of this episode, as Rousey describes the heart-wrenching story of her father’s suicide, then breaks down in a moment of self-loathing for telling it. “I feel like I’m prostituting his memory for my own career gain, and it makes me feel like a fucking asshole,” she says through tears. Powerful stuff. Give it a look, and you’ll see a side of “Rowdy Ronda” that you might not have known about.


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

In advance of the UFC’s first women’s title fight on February 23rd, Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are getting the Primetime treatment, with a three-episode mini-series introducing viewers to the fighters’ personalities and personal histories. As we learn, Rousey and Carmouche both found themselves directionless after formative experiences — the Olympics for Rousey, the Marines for Carmouche — until MMA opened new chapters in their lives. The similarities end there, pretty much. Rousey is currently living the upwardly-mobile life of a UFC champion, while Carmouche is still broke as hell, working full days at the San Diego Combat Academy just to make ends meet.

A win for Carmouche would be life-changing, and she revels in the opportunity. “I absolutely think I’m going to spoil the UFC’s plans,” she says with a smile. (Hey, whatever happened to looking out for the company?)

Even if Liz is set up as the scrappy underdog who has fought tooth and nail to get where she is, the episode makes sure to push the adversity in Rousey’s life even harder. For better or worse, the Primetime series reaches an all-time high of emotional intensity in the final segment of this episode, as Rousey describes the heart-wrenching story of her father’s suicide, then breaks down in a moment of self-loathing for telling it. “I feel like I’m prostituting his memory for my own career gain, and it makes me feel like a fucking asshole,” she says through tears. Powerful stuff. Give it a look, and you’ll see a side of “Rowdy Ronda” that you might not have known about.

UFC 157 Primetime: Rousey vs. Carmouche Part 1 Full Episode

One of the biggest arguments against watching any episode of the UFC Primetime series is that they always seem to follow the same pattern. Fighter at home, fighter goes to gym, fighter says how they’re in the best shape of their life, fighter say…

One of the biggest arguments against watching any episode of the UFC Primetime series is that they always seem to follow the same pattern. Fighter at home, fighter goes to gym, fighter says how they’re in the best shape of their life, fighter says they are going to win the upcoming fight.

While the newest version of the show covers that ground it is much different and not just because it features the first two female fighters to compete in the Octagon.

The first of three episodes of UFC Primetime: Rousey vs. Carmouche debuted late on Thursday night taking a look at the lives of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and her opponent at UFC 157, Liz Carmouche.

The beginning of the first episode follows the usual pattern established by Primetime, introducing you to fighter X and why they got involved in the sport and how they got to this point.

Where the show takes a turn is when it introduces Liz Carmouche to the viewers. In 2013 it shouldn’t be a big deal that Carmouche is the first openly gay fighter in the UFC, but it is. Sadly, people still judge others based on their sexuality, and the UFC could have easily glossed over that fact, but they chose to address it head on—a commendable act.

With that being said, that’s not what defines Carmouche and that becomes very clear when the profile of the admitted underdog in the fight continues.

The end of the episode is hard to describe. Emotional, tear-jerking and heartstring pulling all undersell Rousey talking about the death of her father. I won’t waste my time trying to put those moments into words other than to say you really need to watch it, as it is a side of a fighter that is rarely revealed. 

I know that every newest version of every new UFC production is always described as the best one yet, but this one truly fits the bill. 

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UFC 157 Primetime: When to Watch Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche Live & Online

For nearly 20 years, UFC cards have been exclusively headlined by some of the best male MMA fighters in the world. At UFC 157, everything changes.In a milestone landmark for both women’s MMA and the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, th…

For nearly 20 years, UFC cards have been exclusively headlined by some of the best male MMA fighters in the world. At UFC 157, everything changes.

In a milestone landmark for both women’s MMA and the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion, the UFC 157 Primetime series will focus on Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche, as both women gear up for the inaugural women’s bantamweight championship title fight on Feb. 23.

There’re a variety of ways to watch the first part of UFC 157 Primetime: Rousey vs. Carmouche when it airs across several TV channels, and Episode 1 will also be posted online at the official UFC website tomorrow.

Here’s when and where UFC 157 Primetime will be aired during the next three weeks leading up the pay-per-view broadcast (via UFC @ Twitter, all times ET):

Episode 1

• FSN – Thur, Feb 7 at 6pm (Check local listings)
• FUEL – Thur, Feb 7 at 12am
• Speed – Fri, Feb 8 at 11pm
• FX – Sat, Feb 9 at 11am and 2am

Episode 2

• FSN – Thur, Feb 14 at 6pm (Check local listings)
• FUEL – Thur, Feb 14 at 12am
• Speed – Fri, Feb 15 at 11:00pm
• FX – Sat, Feb 16 at 11am and 2am

Episode 3

• FSN – Thur, Feb 21 at 6pm (Check local listings)
• FUEL – Thur, Feb 21 at 12am
• Speed –  Fri, Feb 22 at 10:30pm
• FX – Sat, Feb 23 at 11am

Taking place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, UFC 157 will also feature a co-main event bout between former light heavyweight champions, as Dan Henderson battles Lyoto Machida.

Three other fights across three different weight classes will also round out the main card, with Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar, Chad Mendes vs. Manny Gamburyan and Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler. Although the card is subject to change at any time, you can view the full lineup right over here.

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