The Ultimate Fighter‘s 20th season will feature an all-female strawweight cast. The UFC made that announcement in early December after acquiring several of Invicta FC’s strawweight roster. From that time going forward, there were questions about the cast. Carla Esparza, Alex Chambers, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig, Bec Rawlings, Emily Kagan, Juliana Lima, Rose Namajunas, Tecia […]
The Ultimate Fighter‘s 20th season will feature an all-female strawweight cast. The UFC made that announcement in early December after acquiring several of Invicta FC’s strawweight roster. From that time going forward, there were questions about the cast. Carla Esparza, Alex Chambers, Claudia Gadelha, Felice Herrig, Bec Rawlings, Emily Kagan, Juliana Lima, Rose Namajunas, Tecia […]
Dana White is all in on the women. There was a time where he wouldn’t give them a second look, but now he is looking to add a second female division in an all-female version of The Ultimate Fighter. TUF 20 will include an all-female strawweight cast, with the first 11 competitors announced last night on UFC […]
Dana White is all in on the women. There was a time where he wouldn’t give them a second look, but now he is looking to add a second female division in an all-female version of The Ultimate Fighter. TUF 20 will include an all-female strawweight cast, with the first 11 competitors announced last night on UFC […]
Not long ago, UFC president Dana White was adamant that women would never fight in his organization. But he revealed on the most recent “The Fighter & the Kid” podcast that he is so pleased by the popularity of the first cadre of women that he plans to add a second weight division. He raised eyebrows, […]
Not long ago, UFC president Dana White was adamant that women would never fight in his organization. But he revealed on the most recent “The Fighter & the Kid” podcast that he is so pleased by the popularity of the first cadre of women that he plans to add a second weight division. He raised eyebrows, […]
(Strawweights: Willing to go the extra mile on weigh-in night, and that’s really all that matters. Photo via Bellator.)
Hold onto your butts, Potato Nation, because Dana White just dropped a bomb that will make your insides explode faster than the Denny’s Hobbit menu.
During a recent interview on FOX Sports.com’s “The Fighter & The Kid” podcast, The Baldfather announced that the UFC is currently “working on” putting together a women’s strawweight division, thanks in no small part to the emphatic success of The Ultimate Fighter 18:
“I’ll give you guys something nobody knows yet. We’re actually working on bringing in another division for the women, which I said would never happen for a long time,” White told hosts Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen. “125 pounds or 145 pounds?” Schaub asked. “Neither . . . 115 pounds,” White replied.
“I never in a million years thought that it would take off the way that it has.”
When asked whether or not the significant downturn TUF ratings have taken over the past few weeks have weighed into his decision, White allegedly told Schaub to “go f*ck himself” before storming out of the room yelling “LALALALALA CAN’T HEAR YOU” with his fingers in his ears. Allegedly.
(Strawweights: Willing to go the extra mile on weigh-in night, and that’s really all that matters. Photo via Bellator.)
Hold onto your butts, Potato Nation, because Dana White just dropped a bomb that will make your insides explode faster than the Denny’s Hobbit menu.
During a recent interview on FOX Sports.com’s “The Fighter & The Kid” podcast, The Baldfather announced that the UFC is currently “working on” putting together a women’s strawweight division, thanks in no small part to the emphatic success of The Ultimate Fighter 18:
“I’ll give you guys something nobody knows yet. We’re actually working on bringing in another division for the women, which I said would never happen for a long time,” White told hosts Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen. “125 pounds or 145 pounds?” Schaub asked. “Neither . . . 115 pounds,” White replied.
“I never in a million years thought that it would take off the way that it has.”
When asked whether or not the significant downturn TUF ratings have taken over the past few weeks have weighed into his decision, White allegedly told Schaub to “go f*ck himself” before storming out of the room yelling “LALALALALA CAN’T HEAR YOU” with his fingers in his ears. Allegedly.
In all seriousness, this is undoubtedly a great move on the UFC’s part — women have consistently outperformed their male counterparts in terms of viewership this season (save for the recent hiccup that we shall never discuss again) — and have yet to put on a truly boring fight in the octagon thus far. One has to wonder, however, what led the UFC to land on arguably the least stacked division in the already shallow WMMA landscape next. I mean, it’s not like the strawweights have an incredibly talented, charismatic, blonde, Rousey-esque poster girl who knows how to market her sexuality or anything…
(Major props to MMAFighting for the find. KO comes at the 52:00 mark.)
Easily the biggest criticism aimed at the smaller MMA weight classes over the years has been their (apparent) inability to finish fights. John Lineker, John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez — these are guys who couldn’t put away a Taco Bell $5 Buck Box if they had been starved for three days prior, let alone an opponent of top 10-caliber (which in their miniscule divisions is essentially everybody). And unfortunately for these smaller weight classes, the “Decisions Can Be Entertaining” Theory was all but disproven this past weekend with the snorefest that was Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler II. In short, any fight contested below 170 lbs. is a complete waste of our precious time.
Enter Alida Gray, an undefeated strawweight (strawweight!!) who has scored three straight finishes in three straight fights. How did Gray pick up her most recent win, you ask? By absolutely crushing Soannia Tiem at 24/7 Entertainment 12 – State of Emergency on October 26th, that’s how. Check out the earth-shattering KO above, compliments of Youtube user Savoy Smith, then apologize for every mean thing you’ve ever said about straw/fly/bantam/featherweight fighters in the comments section.
Personally, I just hope that there are more *real* killers like Alida out there, because I simply cannot sit through another 25-minute Ronda Rousey wall-n-stall clinic. And don’t even get me started on that Jose Aldo guy…
(Major props to MMAFighting for the find. KO comes at the 52:00 mark.)
Easily the biggest criticism aimed at the smaller MMA weight classes over the years has been their (apparent) inability to finish fights. John Lineker, John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez — these are guys who couldn’t put away a Taco Bell $5 Buck Box if they had been starved for three days prior, let alone an opponent of top 10-caliber (which in their miniscule divisions is essentially everybody). And unfortunately for these smaller weight classes, the “Decisions Can Be Entertaining” Theory was all but disproven this past weekend with the snorefest that was Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler II. In short, any fight contested below 170 lbs. is a complete waste of our precious time.
Enter Alida Gray, an undefeated strawweight (strawweight!!) who has scored three straight finishes in three straight fights. How did Gray pick up her most recent win, you ask? By absolutely crushing Soannia Tiem at 24/7 Entertainment 12 – State of Emergency on October 26th, that’s how. Check out the earth-shattering KO above, compliments of Youtube user Savoy Smith, then apologize for every mean thing you’ve ever said about straw/fly/bantam/featherweight fighters in the comments section.
Personally, I just hope that there are more *real* killers like Alida out there, because I simply cannot sit through another 25-minute Ronda Rousey wall-n-stall clinic. And don’t even get me started on that Jose Aldo guy…
Carla Esparza captured the vacant Invicta FC strawweight title with a lopsided decision win over Bec Hyatt at Invicta FC 4 on Saturday night. Throughout the five-round bout, Esparza utilized her wrestling to control Hyatt on the ground. While Hyatt kep…
Carla Esparza captured the vacant Invicta FC strawweight title with a lopsided decision win over Bec Hyatt at Invicta FC 4 on Saturday night. Throughout the five-round bout, Esparza utilized her wrestling to control Hyatt on the ground. While Hyatt kept pushing herself and scored a knockdown in the closing second of the fight, it […]
