Tag: Ronda Rousey

Invicta FC: Is the Promotion Built for the Long Haul?

If Shannon Knapp is to be believed, Invicta FC events have attracted up to 200,000 online viewers, curious to discover whether the fledgling promotion can satisfy their lust for MMA. Some have expressed scepticism at the numbers being reported, but the…

If Shannon Knapp is to be believed, Invicta FC events have attracted up to 200,000 online viewers, curious to discover whether the fledgling promotion can satisfy their lust for MMA.

Some have expressed scepticism at the numbers being reported, but there is no doubt that the safe haven for female mixed martial artists has elicited interest from the hardcore fans.

Despite the sustained interest, one must question whether Invicta FC constitutes a viable business venture for its owners.

There has yet been no indication that the promotion is struggling financially. Fighters are paid on time and, based on everything we hear, they are happy with how the organisation has treated them thus far.

Indeed, following the Twitter feeds of Invicta’s stars leads one to believe that they are one big, happy family. It is utterly refreshing, yet it may be equally unsustainable.

Shannon Knapp et al. are artfully straddling the line between business and charity.

On the Co-Main Event podcast earlier this week, Ben Fowlkes pointed out that the reason why Invicta FC shows boast so many fights is because Shannon Knapp can’t say no whenever one of her athletes asks for a fight.

While that might be commendable, it isn’t necessarily the best approach to business.

The problem is that no one has determined Invicta’s ultimate destination: Charitable organisation or business organisation? There is no wrong choice, but it is one that is practically zero-sum.

Succeeding in business often means making difficult decisions, particularly when resources are so scarce.

I wrote an article a couple of months ago, querying whether it would be in Zuffa’s best interests to purchase Invicta FC. On reflection, it may in fact be in everyone’s best interests.

Dana White wants to grow the female side of the sport for a number of reasons, but his recently developed crush on Ronda Rousey is likely high on the list.

In order to get the most out of WMMA’s most bankable star, she needs to be matched up with someone who can hang in there longer than the cumulative length of my love life.

Zuffa could run Invicta FC in much the same way that they ran the WEC—with the goal of developing a section of the sport that is often overlooked and providing opportunities for athletes who deserve to be more appreciated.

I feel quite certain that Shannon Knapp would jump at the opportunity to work alongside the UFC, with their considerable resources at her disposal.

The promotion may well be built for the long haul, but longevity does not necessarily equate to success. Shannon Knapp might soon have to decide whether she wants Invicta FC to flourish or merely exist.

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Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg Is a Bad Move for Women’s MMA and the UFC

Dana White is already making the wrong moves with women’s MMA.For the last few weeks, the UFC president has been openly hinting that he’s close to making a superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, arguably one of the biggest possi…

Dana White is already making the wrong moves with women’s MMA.

For the last few weeks, the UFC president has been openly hinting that he’s close to making a superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, arguably one of the biggest possible bouts in mixed martial arts right now.

Even better, it could possibly headline a UFC card, according to statements made during a keynote speech at a recent television industry summit (relayed by publicist Amy Pfister):

While not committing to it, @danawhite just said @RondaRousey vs. Cris Cyborg could/should be a main event on UFC pay per view. #CTAM

But as attractive as a “champion vs. former champion” match between the world’s two best female fighters may look on paper, it’s the wrong one to make.

As Ronda Rousey herself stated in the aftermath of Cyborg’s positive test for anabolic steroids, the fairest way for this fight to take place is if it happens at the 135-pound bantamweight limit.

More than anything else, the idea is that Cyborg may have been using banned substances for most of her career, and the weight cut will force her to shed some of her advantageous muscle mass. Cyborg’s also had difficulty in the past just trimming down to 145 pounds, so a 135-pound cut may even bring her usual aggressiveness down a notch.

Either way, that fight shouldn’t be happening.

During her reign as the Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion, Cyborg destroyed her entire division in one-sided fights that made every opponent look utterly outclassed. As a result, the 145-pound women’s roster is a wasteland, with no marketable fights to be made outside of Invicta FC and small regional shows.

Considering how long Cyborg’s been suspected of doping, it’s not something that should be rewarded with a starring role in a high-profile UFC or Strikeforce main event.

Moreover, this is exactly the kind of shortsighted matchmaking that’s been plaguing the UFC for the last year. It’s little more than a quick “dream fight” cash-in that kills the luster of the losing fighter—and forgive me for saying so, but that fighter’s going to be Rousey.

Even with the weight cut, Cyborg is too strong, too fast and too aggressive to lose to “Rowdy” in a five-round fight.

Cyborg’s stand-up is light years beyond anything that Rousey has shown in any of her fights. That’s a problem right off the bat, and the former featherweight champion’s sheer strength won’t let her fall prey to an armbar as easily as Sarah Kaufman or many other women have. 

Even assuming that Cyborg hasn’t been on performance-enhancing drugs for most of her career, the insane muscle build that’s already etched into her frame hints at a mauling waiting to happen. If I were a betting man, I would put money on Rousey getting beaten worse than Gina Carano.

But none of that needs to happen.

Instead of a matchup between Rousey and Cyborg, Dana White should be thinking of the bigger picture. He should be trying to promote a more diverse stack of fights designed to set up a proper title mix for the female bantamweights.

Why not have Rousey rematch Miesha Tate, and set up another main card fight that same night with Sara McMann?

Rousey and Tate already have a huge rivalry that’s tailor-made for the UFC promotional wagon, and McMann’s status as an Olympic silver medalist practically markets itself.

Just sign Shayna Baszler to the same card, pack in the story of her close split-decision loss to McMann at Invicta FC 2 and you’ve got a deep, multi-angled storyline to set up for weeks with UFC Primetime and a “Countdown” show.

That’s the right way to bring women’s MMA into the spotlight and set up an immediate title contender for the bantamweight belt.

Dana White and the UFC have been playing fast and loose with their main event talent and already paid the ultimate price once for weighing entire cards on a single fight. Doing the same thing with Ronda Rousey’s future will be equally damaging for them and women’s MMA.

[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.]

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Dana White Talks Ronda Rousey, Reconfirms Future Plans for Women’s MMA

It sounds like Dana White hasn’t changed his mind about adopting women’s MMA.Although the majority of the questions at the UFC 153 post-fight press conference revolved around Anderson Silva, potential superfights and the company’s future plans for Braz…

It sounds like Dana White hasn’t changed his mind about adopting women’s MMA.

Although the majority of the questions at the UFC 153 post-fight press conference revolved around Anderson Silva, potential superfights and the company’s future plans for Brazil, the final minutes of the session were devoted to Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

Dana White praised both fighters as the best in the world, and noted that the time seems right for him to get involved in women’s MMA:

As far as women’s MMA goes, I’m warming up to it, thinking about sticking my toe in it and seeing how this thing goes. I agree with you, obviously, Cyborg is one of the best in the world and Ronda Rousey is another one. So we’ll see what happens.

Exactly what that means is up to interpretation, but it mirrors statements the UFC president made during the UFC on FX 5 post-fight press conference and a MetroPCS live fan chat last August.

Rousey‘s future is uncertain, as Strikeforce has canceled the rest of its events this year, fueling speculation that the promotion will close its doors. If Showtime does pull the plug on Strikeforce—one of the most prominent stages for female fighters—women’s MMA will take a huge hit.

Dana White has been working behind the scenes in an attempt to put together a fight between Rousey and Cyborg, although he has yet to confirm if that fight would be a UFC event.

For her part, Ronda Rousey has stated that she would only take the bout at the 135-pound bantamweight limit, calling Cyborg a “cheater” following the former featherweight champion’s positive test for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

Most notably, the UFC president has taken it upon himself to keep Rousey in the spotlight with several events, including a cameo spot on The Ultimate Fighter: Live, appearances at various UFC cards and celebrity events like the season premiere of FX‘s Sons of Anarchy.

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Ronda Rousey: Has Her Importance to MMA Been Overstated?

“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey has taken the world of MMA and WMMA by storm.Her high-level fighting skills, coupled with the fact that she is an excellent self-promoter, have made her a true threat inside and outside of the cage.Rousey has had a meteoric rise to…

“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey has taken the world of MMA and WMMA by storm.

Her high-level fighting skills, coupled with the fact that she is an excellent self-promoter, have made her a true threat inside and outside of the cage.

Rousey has had a meteoric rise to MMA stardom. She got many people interested with her impressive streak of four straight armbar finishes, each of those coming in the first minute of the first round of its respective fight.

Then her promoting side kicked in and she was able to land a fight with Miesha Tate, who was at that time the Strikeforce bantamweight champion.

In her most difficult fight to date, Rousey came up huge and secured an armbar to win the title. Her first title defense, against Canadian Sarah Kaufman, went off without a hitch, proving that Rousey is currently the best female MMA fighter in the world.

With all the hype surrounding Rousey, there is bound to be some backlash. It comes in the form of a question: Has her importance to MMA been overstated? 

I strongly answer no.

Rousey has become the face of WMMA today. WMMA has never gotten the same level of respect as the men’s side of the sport.

With Rousey leading the charge, though, the future is looking bright. 

She also happens to be in UFC president Dana White‘s good graces—so much so that he could potentially see her being the first woman to fight in the UFC.

Imagine that for a second. Rousey will be breaking barriers and carrying WMMA into the mainstream. Rousey is the most important female fighter the sport has ever seen. Her mix of fighting skill and charisma will see her fight well and promote the sport she loves.

Rousey‘s importance to MMA hasn’t been overstated. It has been understated. With Rousey leading the charge, hopefully we soon see two woman squaring off in the UFC Octagon.

Once that goal is accomplished, the sky is the limit.

 

Tweet me @FuscoNation16.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Friday Link Dump: The Wakeboarding Cowboy, Bonnar’s Bold Statement, Dana White’s Only Regret + More

(What’s more interesting to you — Donald Cerrone‘s wakeboarding career, or Tracy Lee‘s chest? / Video via AlienwareChannel)

– Stephan Bonnar Feels He Can ‘Shock the World’ at UFC 153 (MMAFighting)

– EXCLUSIVE: UFC On Fuel 5 Fight Night Photo Gallery (HeavyMMA)

– Anderson Silva Won’t Stay at Light-Heavyweight, Doesn’t Want to Fight Jon Jones (Fightline)

– Whatever the lady on the left is doing, I want her job. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

– Ronda Rousey Won’t Fight at 145 Due to Trust Issues With Drug Testing (BloodyElbow)

– Dana White Opens Up About His Only Regret — His Offensive Tirade From 2009 (MMAWeekly)

– MMA: Inside the Cage 114: “Faber Stifles the Count” (MMA:ITC)

– 30 Minutes to 3-D Shoulders (MensFitness)

– Beef of the Day: Mitt Romney vs. LeVar Burton (Complex)

– The 50 Weirdest Engagement Portraits Of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

– Chefs of Anarchy Episode 1: Pig’s Head Dumplings (MadeMan)

– 69 Depraved Frank Reynolds GIFs (ScreenJunkies)

– 25 Stunning Photos of Planes Flying Past the Moon (EgoTV)


(What’s more interesting to you — Donald Cerrone‘s wakeboarding career, or Tracy Lee‘s chest? / Video via AlienwareChannel)

– Stephan Bonnar Feels He Can ‘Shock the World’ at UFC 153 (MMAFighting)

– EXCLUSIVE: UFC On Fuel 5 Fight Night Photo Gallery (HeavyMMA)

– Anderson Silva Won’t Stay at Light-Heavyweight, Doesn’t Want to Fight Jon Jones (Fightline)

– Whatever the lady on the left is doing, I want her job. (Facebook.com/CagePotato)

– Ronda Rousey Won’t Fight at 145 Due to Trust Issues With Drug Testing (BloodyElbow)

– Dana White Opens Up About His Only Regret — His Offensive Tirade From 2009 (MMAWeekly)

– MMA: Inside the Cage 114: “Faber Stifles the Count” (MMA:ITC)

– 30 Minutes to 3-D Shoulders (MensFitness)

– Beef of the Day: Mitt Romney vs. LeVar Burton (Complex)

– The 50 Weirdest Engagement Portraits Of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

– Chefs of Anarchy Episode 1: Pig’s Head Dumplings (MadeMan)

– 69 Depraved Frank Reynolds GIFs (ScreenJunkies)

– 25 Stunning Photos of Planes Flying Past the Moon (EgoTV)

Ronda Rousey: Breaking an Arm ‘Feels Like Tearing Apart a Turkey with a Crotch’

Any non-grapplers out there ever wonder what it feels like to break an arm? According to Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, “it kind of feels like tearing apart a turkey with a crotch.”Middle Easy asked the “Rowdy” one what it feels l…

Any non-grapplers out there ever wonder what it feels like to break an arm? According to Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, “it kind of feels like tearing apart a turkey with a crotch.”

Middle Easy asked the “Rowdy” one what it feels like to break an arm in an exclusive interview (quote begins around the nine-minute mark):

I don’t think it’s satisfying. It kind of grosses me out. I tell everybody, it kind of feels like tearing apart a turkey with a crotch. It really does. It’s gross. When you’re trying to get a turkey thing off and you feel all the cartilage and the tendons and the bones coming off, when you’re pulling it, it really is that exact feeling. It’s gross. But that’s the way it is. They’d try to do the exact same thing to me. I’ve felt it being done to my own arms.

The 25-year-old’s biggest claim to fame in the cage was gruesomely dislocating Miesha Tate’s elbow when she won the 135-pound title from her in March. 

Thus far, Tate is the only opponent that has taken Rousey past the one-minute mark inside the cage.

Rousey went 3-0 as an amateur fighter before going a perfect 6-0 as a professional mixed martial artist. The former Olympic bronze medalist Judoka has won all nine of the aforementioned bouts the same way: armbar.  

To hear Rousey analyze UFC 152’s main event between Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort, her Strikeforce debut against Sarah D’Alelio and her love for the fans, among other topics, check out the interview in its entirety.

  

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