How terrible is the state of Strikeforce’s marketing department? Well, if relying on the acting abilities of Frank Shamrock to promote their upcoming events (which I will admit I found a little more humorous than most) wasn’t bad enough, it seems that they have moved onto phase two of Operation Penny Scrape: reusing footage from previous promos. So goes the trailer for Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, which begins with the same footage from the Rousey vs. Tate promo that we previously commended. It even goes as far as to use a shot of Miesha Tate clenching her fists before rapidly cutting to Kaufman, like we are all Alzheimer’s patients who couldn’t spot dat ass in our sleep.
How terrible is the state of Strikeforce’s marketing department? Well, if relying on the acting abilities of Frank Shamrock to promote their upcoming events (which I will admit I found a little more humorous than most) wasn’t bad enough, it seems that they have moved onto phase two of Operation Penny Scrape: reusing footage from previous promos. So goes the trailer for Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman, which begins with the same footage from the Rousey vs. Tate promo that we previously commended. It even goes as far as to use a shot of Miesha Tate clenching her fists before rapidly cutting to Kaufman, like we are all Alzheimer’s patients who couldn’t spot dat ass in our sleep.
Check out the video after the jump.
OK, so it isn’t as bad as we let on. It even has Ronda bouncing around in a pink gi, which is one of the most arousing yet simultaneously horrifying things we have seen since Gina Carano beat up that old hag on American Gladiators. And honestly, considering the UFC’s recent run of luck, we’re just excited for any fight that actually makes it to the card at this point.
Rousey will be looking to score her first title defense (and sixth consecutive armbar) on August 18th at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.
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:
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.
No other fights for the 8/18 card have been reported yet, and the venue hasn’t been announced, although Strikeforce’s last two stops in San Diego — for Melendez vs. Masvidal and Diaz vs. Daley — went down at the Valley View Casino.
If Rousey can armbar her way through Kaufman, she may earn the dubious honor of facing Cris Cyborg in her next defense. As Scott Coker recently explained: “I think (a fight between Rousey and Cyborg) is going to be inevitable. I think that fight will happen at some point. We’re just waiting for Cyborg to get off her suspension but that conversation will happen once she’s back ready to fight because her and Ronda at 135-pounds? That might be the highest rated show on Showtime for the year or for the past fights we’ve done. Women’s fights always rate well on Showtime and Ronda’s always delivered.”
No other fights for the 8/18 card have been reported yet, and the venue hasn’t been announced, although Strikeforce’s last two stops in San Diego — for Melendez vs. Masvidal and Diaz vs. Daley — went down at the Valley View Casino.
If Rousey can armbar her way through Kaufman, she may earn the dubious honor of facing Cris Cyborg in her next defense. As Scott Coker recently explained: ”I think (a fight between Rousey and Cyborg) is going to be inevitable. I think that fight will happen at some point. We’re just waiting for Cyborg to get off her suspension but that conversation will happen once she’s back ready to fight because her and Ronda at 135-pounds? That might be the highest rated show on Showtime for the year or for the past fights we’ve done. Women’s fights always rate well on Showtime and Ronda’s always delivered.”
So, two questions…
1) Does Cyborg deserve a title fight directly after coming back from a steroid suspension? What kind of a message does that send? Not that there’s a better option in terms of 135-pound contenders, but shouldn’t she be able to prove that she can compete cleanly before resuming her career as if nothing happened?
2) Will Sarah Kaufman foil these plans altogether? Since losing her own Strikeforce bantamweight belt to Marloes Coenen back in October 2010, Sarah Kaufman has won three straight, including decisions over Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis. Of course, the fact that her only career loss came via armbar doesn’t bode well for her chances against Rowdy. But upsets happen all the time — especially when future superfights depend on the favorite winning. Any Kaufman fans want to make the case for her against Ronda?
It is a pretty well known fact that we here at CP base our love of female MMA fighters on three things; how they look at the weigh-ins, their willingness to talk trash on the level of their male counterparts, and lastly (and perhaps most importantly), their ability to pull off a beautiful armbar when called upon. Is that shallow, trivial, and more than a bit chauvinistic? Of course it is, but when have we ever been anything but? It’s also no coincidence that Ronda Rousey can do all of those things in her sleep (seriously, we’ve seen her do all three from our window-side perch), hence our absolute devotion to her brand of sexy, arm-destroying justice.
Well, it appears that the gauntlet has been thrown down (at least in the latter category), as Danielle West managed to pull off a beautiful step over/modified flying armbar on Irina Mollukwu in the absolute finals of the Grapplers Showdown No Gi London Open last weekend. The end came just over a minute into their scrap, and was so impressive that even Ms. Rousey would agree with us if she hadn’t filed that restraining order.
Currently 4-3 in her professional MMA career, it appears as if “The Curse” has a bright road ahead of her if she can manage to pull off these kinds of shenanigans inside the cage. Anyone agree?
Check out a full video of the match after the jump.
It is a pretty well known fact that we here at CP base our love of female MMA fighters on three things; how they look at the weigh-ins, their willingness to talk trash on the level of their male counterparts, and lastly (and perhaps most importantly), their ability to pull off a beautiful armbar when called upon. Is that shallow, trivial, and more than a bit chauvinistic? Of course it is, but when have we ever been anything but? It’s also no coincidence that Ronda Rousey can do all of those things in her sleep (seriously, we’ve seen her do all three from our window-side perch), hence our absolute devotion to her brand of sexy, arm-destroying justice.
Well, it appears that the gauntlet has been thrown down (at least in the latter category), as Danielle West managed to pull off a beautiful step over/modified flying armbar on Irina Mollukwu in the absolute finals of the Grapplers Showdown No Gi London Open last weekend. The end came just over a minute into their scrap, and was so impressive that even Ms. Rousey would agree with us if she hadn’t filed that restraining order.
Currently 4-3 in her professional MMA career, it appears as if “The Curse” has a bright road ahead of her if she can manage to pull off these kinds of shenanigans inside the cage. Anyone agree?
It’s like watching a cat toying with a mouse, is it not, Potato Nation?
The sport of mma has become exceptionally amplified in the past few years in regards to women in the sport. Not only does this appeal to the male audience as a new image and ideal.
The sport of mma has become exceptionally amplified in the past few years in regards to women in the sport. Not only does this appeal to the male audience as a new image and ideal of what women should look like and strive for, but also appeals to a broader range of the female audience as a new sense of “girl power”. As a female fan of mma, one may feel the sport is sexist, as it shows men fighting and girls in scantily clothed ring girl costumes parading around the octagon. However, with the rising publicity of women fighting in mma, in contrast to women walking around with booty shorts showing off their assets, it appeals to a wider range of fans. As an avid mma fan, I have never had a problem with watching men fight, and the women viewed as sex symbols as the octagon girls. But with new women fighters gaining momentum in mma, it does give you a sense of “girl power”, and a greater sense of pride of being a female.
Ronda Rousey is the epitome of every girl’s fantasy of what they would be like as an mma fighter. She is the current bantamweight champion of Strikeforce, has a killer six-pack and biceps, and could scrap with any man, any day of the week. She gives a sense of urgency to the octagon, and empowers women to stand up for themselves. I would never underestimate her ability to stand up against a man or any woman for that matter. In this sense, if I was a guy I would never double cross her in any way. One man discovered the outcome of this scenario the hard way. As a former fling, the anonymous man behind this exchange made a big mistake in contacting Rousey only after she became famous.
Once again, I believe this only strengthens her reputation. Some may say she has become hardened the more famous she has become, but honestly, this is once again every woman’s fantasy. Who wouldn’t want to have the guts to say this to a man who has treated you like trash? I believe women athletes like Rousey are continually strengthening the sport of mma. She gives a new idealistic image for women everywhere. This only broadens the sport, and gives empowerment to female mma fans and women alike.
In June 2010, we posted a list of the ten greatest fighters who had yet to take a loss. By November 2011, none of their perfect records were still intact, proving once again what a cruel bitch this sport is. Half of the fighters on our original list — Shane Carwin (#1), Megumi Fujii (#2), Ryan Bader (#6), Evan Dunham (#7), and Lyle Beerbohm (#10) — have even lost *twice* since then. So we decided to start over from scratch and come up with a new ranking of undefeated MMA fighters. Check it out, and let us know who you think will hold onto their ‘0’ the longest. -BG
#1: DANIEL CORMIER (10-0, six wins by first-round stoppage) Notable victories: Jeff Monson at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum (UD), Antonio Silva at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov (KO R1), Josh Barnett at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier (UD)
Next fight: TBA
The former collegiate wrestling star and Olympic competitor went through hell to get to where he is today. Less than three years after kicking off his MMA career, Cormier battled his way to a career-defining matchup against ex-UFC champ Josh Barnett — a catch-wrestling savant with four times as many fights on his pro record as Cormier — in the finals of Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix. But Dan didn’t need to turn the meeting into a grappling match. As he also demonstrated against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in his previous outing, Cormier packs enough speed and punching-power to win fights with his striking alone. It’s only a matter of time before he enters the UFC to take on the best in the world, and we have a feeling he’ll make an immediate impact.
#2: MICHAEL CHANDLER (10-0, eight wins by stoppage) Notable victories: Patricky Freire at Bellator 44 (UD), Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 58 (sub R4), Akihiro Gono at Bellator 67 (TKO R1)
Next fight: TBA
Michael Chandler is the perfect example of how a tournament can transform a fighter from unheralded prospect to breakout star. After winning his first two Bellator appearances by swift first-round stoppage in 2010, Chandler was invited to participate in the promotion’s season four lightweight tournament. The Xtreme Couture product sliced through it, starting with a first-round submission of Polish prodigy Marcin Held, and ending with a decision win over knockout artist Patricky “Pitbull” Freire in the finals. Then, Chandler did the unthinkable — he took the lightweight belt from Eddie Alvarez, choking out the formerly untouchable Bellator champ in the fourth round of an insane Fight of the Year candidate last November. (A follow-up non-title match against Akihiro Gono was little more than a one-minute showcase of his killer instinct.) In eight months, Chandler went from 5-0 up-and-comer to newly-minted champion with a win over a top-ten ranked opponent. Is it okay if we use the “meteoric rise” cliché, just this once?
In June 2010, we posted a list of the ten greatest fighters who had yet to take a loss. By November 2011, none of their perfect records were still intact, proving once again what a cruel bitch this sport is. Half of the fighters on our original list — Shane Carwin (#1), Megumi Fujii (#2), Ryan Bader (#6), Evan Dunham (#7), and Lyle Beerbohm (#10) — have even lost *twice* since then. So we decided to start over from scratch and come up with a new ranking of undefeated MMA fighters. Check it out, and let us know who you think will hold onto their ’0′ the longest. -BG
#1: DANIEL CORMIER (10-0, six wins by first-round stoppage) Notable victories: Jeff Monson at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum (UD), Antonio Silva at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov (KO R1), Josh Barnett at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier (UD)
Next fight: TBA
The former collegiate wrestling star and Olympic competitor went through hell to get to where he is today. Less than three years after kicking off his MMA career, Cormier battled his way to a career-defining matchup against ex-UFC champ Josh Barnett — a catch-wrestling savant with four times as many fights on his pro record as Cormier — in the finals of Strikeforce’s Heavyweight Grand Prix. But Dan didn’t need to turn the meeting into a grappling match. As he also demonstrated against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in his previous outing, Cormier packs enough speed and punching-power to win fights with his striking alone. It’s only a matter of time before he enters the UFC to take on the best in the world, and we have a feeling he’ll make an immediate impact.
#2: MICHAEL CHANDLER (10-0, eight wins by stoppage) Notable victories: Patricky Freire at Bellator 44 (UD), Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 58 (sub R4), Akihiro Gono at Bellator 67 (TKO R1)
Next fight: TBA
Michael Chandler is the perfect example of how a tournament can transform a fighter from unheralded prospect to breakout star. After winning his first two Bellator appearances by swift first-round stoppage in 2010, Chandler was invited to participate in the promotion’s season four lightweight tournament. The Xtreme Couture product sliced through it, starting with a first-round submission of Polish prodigy Marcin Held, and ending with a decision win over knockout artist Patricky “Pitbull” Freire in the finals. Then, Chandler did the unthinkable — he took the lightweight belt from Eddie Alvarez, choking out the formerly untouchable Bellator champ in the fourth round of an insane Fight of the Year candidate last November. (A follow-up non-title match against Akihiro Gono was little more than a one-minute showcase of his killer instinct.) In eight months, Chandler went from 5-0 up-and-comer to newly-minted champion with a win over a top-ten ranked opponent. Is it okay if we use the “meteoric rise” cliché, just this once?
#3. RONDA ROUSEY (5-0, all wins by first-round armbar) Notable victories: Sarah D’Alelio at Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte (sub R1), Julia Budd at Strikeforce Challengers: Britt vs. Sayers (sub R1), Miesha Tate at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey (sub R1)
It seems that there are two paths to recognition as a female MMA fighter — be a fight-finishing beast like Cris Cyborg, or a feminine sex symbol like Gina Carano. In the relatively brief time we’ve been aware of her, Ronda Rousey has proven herself to be both. Add in a dose of Sonnen-esque trash-talk, and it’s easy to see why we’ve become infatuated with the bronze-medal-winning Olympic judoka. After dispatching her first four pro opponents in a combined time of two minutes and 18 seconds, Rousey fought/talked her way to a Strikeforce title shot against bantamweight champ Miesha Tate. Was it too much too soon? Not exactly. Rousey went home with a new belt and another shattered arm for her trophy case, proving once again that success is the best revenge.
#4: TRAVIS BROWNE (13-0-1, nine wins by first-round stoppage) Notable victories: James McSweeney at the TUF 11 Finale (TKO R1), Stefan Struve at UFC 130 (KO R1), Chad Griggs at UFC 145 (sub R1)
Travis Browne answers the age-old question: “What if Tim Sylvia was a fucking badass?” Browne has the imposing height and reach of the Maine-iac, but uses those natural gifts with a bloodthirsty aggression that has led to most of his opponents being laid out in the first five minutes. “Hapa” entered the UFC on a three-fight stretch where he knocked out Brian Campbell, Abe Wagner, and Aaron Brink in a combined 52 seconds (!), and did everybody a favor by squashing TUF 10 heel James McSweeney at his UFC debut in June 2010. Though a follow-up match against Cheick Kongo was a dirty mess of a fight that ended in a draw, Browne’s been golden ever since, most recently turning Chad Griggs from Strikeforce Cinderella-story to ex-heavyweight.
#5: CHRIS WEIDMAN (8-0, five wins by first-round stoppage) Notable victories: Alessio Sakara at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann (UD), Tom Lawlor at UFC 139 (sub R1), Demian Maia at UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis (UD)
His nickname is “All American,” but you might as well call him Mr. Clutch. When Chris Weidman made his UFC debut against dangerous middleweight striker Alessio Sakara, he was just 4-0 at the time and coming in as an injury replacement on just two weeks’ notice. Despite the lack of preparation, Weidman’s top-shelf wrestling chops and unbreakable spirit carried him to a unanimous decision victory. Two masterful first-round submissions of Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor followed, proving that the Serra-Longo product was the real deal. Weidman passed the biggest test of his career at UFC on FOX 2 in January, coming in once again as a last-minute injury replacement against Demian Maia. Though his conditioning began to fail him late in the fight, he didn’t stop pushing forward, and the judges rewarded him for the effort. With a little more seasoning — and a full training camp — Weidman will be a threat to any contender in the middleweight division.
#6: PAUL SASS (13-0; eight wins by “Sassangle,” three by heel-hook) Notable victories: Jason Young at OMMAC 4 (sub R1), Michael Johnson at UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson (sub R1), Jacob Volkmann at UFC 146 (sub R1)
Next fight: TBA
Also known as one of the greatest one-trick ponies in MMA, Paul Sass kicked off his career with seven consecutive triangle-choke victories. Once he racked up ten professional wins in his native Liverpool, Sass was picked up by the UFC where he’s gone 3-0 so far, with all wins coming by first-round submission. His latest appearance at UFC 146 was by far his most impressive. Facing lightweight contender Jacob Volkmann — who had out-pointed five straight opponents since dropping from welterweight — Sass needed less than two minutes to tie up Volkmann on the mat and submit him with a triangle-armbar, thus saving us from another uncomfortable post-fight interview.
#7 BEN ASKREN (10-0, four wins by first-round stoppage) Notable victories: Dan Hornbuckle at Bellator 22 (UD), Nick Thompson at Bellator 40 (UD), Douglas Lima at Bellator 64 (UD)
Next fight: TBA
Maybe you don’t like his top-control-based style of fighting, and maybe his unapologetic attitude about it makes you like him even less. Doesn’t matter. Ben Askren’s wrestling expertise — honed during a legendary collegiate career — suggests that he’ll probably be Bellator’s welterweight champion as long as Bellator’s welterweight division exists. So while Dana White has called him “the most boring fighter in MMA history,” we feel obligated to quote Pat Miletich’s more respectful viewpoint: “The level of wrestling in mixed martial arts needs to improve in order to stop a guy like Ben Aksren from controlling them and putting them on their back.”
#8: STIPE MIOCIC (9-0, seven wins by KO/TKO) Notable victories: Joey Beltran at UFC 136 (UD), Phil De Fries at UFC on FUEL: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger (KO R1), Shane Del Rosario at UFC 146 (TKO R1)
Next fight: TBA
Any fighter who pulls on a pair of Croatian flag shorts sets himself up for lofty comparisons. But this 29-year-old knockout machine (and firefighter/EMT) has exceeded our expectations, going 3-0 in the UFC since his debut last October. In his last fight, Miocic faced another undefeated heavyweight blue-chipper in Shane Del Rosario, and demonstrated the difference between “prospect” and “contender,” pulling off the gnarliest elbows-from-above TKO since Melendez vs. Kawajiri. The UFC’s heavyweight division is deeper than ever this year, and it’s because young lions like Miocic and Travis Browne are coming in to clear out all the dead weight.
#9: JIMY HETTES (10-0, nine wins by submission) Notable victories: Jacob Kirwan at MASS: Inauguration (sub R2), Alex Caceres at UFC Live: Hardy vs. Lytle (sub R2), Nam Phan at UFC 141 (UD).
We don’t like to toss around the word “prodigy” unless it’s truly warranted, but honestly, Jimy Hettes is the Little Man Tate of grappling. At just 24 years old, the Pennsylvania native is already an expert, innovator, and educator of the ground game, and submitted his first nine MMA opponents with shocking ease. The only guy he wasn’t able to finish was Nam Phan in his last UFC appearance, and even then, the thrashing he gave Phan was so lopsided that two judges scored the fight 30-25. We can’t wait to see Jimy’s run in the UFC featherweight division continue once he’s healthy again.
#10: KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV (17-0, 13 wins by stoppage) Notable victories: Vadim Sandulitsky at ProFC Ukraine Cup 3 (sub R1), Arymarcel Santos at ProFC 36 (TKO R1), Kamal Shalorus at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller (sub R3)
There’s a good chance you may not be familiar with Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov, so here’s a brief primer: Nurmagomedov is a 23-year-old Russian lightweight who made his MMA debut a week before his 20th birthday, and spent three years running through local competition in Russia and the Ukraine before the UFC took notice. The 17-0 start to his career is nearly unprecedented, outside of Megumi Fujii. Judging from the above weigh-in photo, he might be a Ben Askren fan. And in his Octagon debut, he choked out former WEC standout Kamal Shalorus, which earned him a crack at longtime UFC vet Gleison Tibau in July. The former Combat Sambo Russian National Champion currently trains out of KDojo MMA in Fairfield, New Jersey. God help the CagePotato writers who have to type his name during liveblogs. (Not it, guys.)
