Hot Fighter Alert: 14 Photos of Lia Mata’afa, Rumored TUF 18 Castmember


(Click all images for larger versions.)

Yesterday, Dave Melzter released a rumored list of the 16 female fighters selected for the upcoming co-ed season of The Ultimate Fighter. Though the cast list hasn’t been confirmed by the UFC or FOX, it includes such well-known veterans as Tara LaRosaShayna Baszler, Tonya Evinger, Roxanne Modafferi, and up-and-coming talent like Jessamyn Duke, Colleen Schneider, and Raquel Pennington.

One name stuck out for a different reason — Lia Mata’afa, the only fighter on the list with a 0-0 professional record. So why would TUF bring on a fighter with no professional experience? Well, as the UG informs us, she happens to be really attractive.

But make no mistake: Mata’afa is a freak athlete with a ton of potential. In addition to her 4-1 amateur MMA record, Lia was a two-time girls State wrestling champion in her native Hawaii, and according to the Meltzer report she played varsity rugby at Boston University and is currently a member of the American Samoa national rugby team. She is Kendall Grove‘s sister-in-law, and a product of Chris Leben’s Ultimate Fight School in Honolulu.

We’ve gathered a few of our favorite Lia Mata’afa photos for your consideration — which continue after the jump — along with a video of her MMA debut. Visit Lia’s Facebook page for more.


(Click all images for larger versions.)

Yesterday, Dave Melzter released a rumored list of the 16 female fighters selected for the upcoming co-ed season of The Ultimate Fighter. Though the cast list hasn’t been confirmed by the UFC or FOX, it includes such well-known veterans as Tara LaRosaShayna Baszler, Tonya Evinger, Roxanne Modafferi, and up-and-coming talent like Jessamyn Duke, Colleen Schneider, and Raquel Pennington.

One name stuck out for a different reason — Lia Mata’afa, the only fighter on the list with a 0-0 professional record. So why would TUF bring on a fighter with no professional experience? Well, as the UG informs us, she happens to be really attractive.

But make no mistake: Mata’afa is a freak athlete with a ton of potential. In addition to her 4-1 amateur MMA record, Lia was a two-time girls State wrestling champion in her native Hawaii, and according to the Meltzer report she played varsity rugby at Boston University and is currently a member of the American Samoa national rugby team. She is Kendall Grove‘s sister-in-law, and a product of Chris Leben’s Ultimate Fight School in Honolulu.

We’ve gathered a few of our favorite Lia Mata’afa photos for your consideration — which continue after the jump — along with a video of her MMA debut. Visit Lia’s Facebook page for more.

Dead Cat Alert: Ronda Rousey Opened Up as a -825 Betting Favorite Against Zingano


(Photo via ChicagoNow.com)

According to our current homepage poll, 43% of you think Cat Zingano at least stands a chance of victory when she challenges Ronda Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight title following their TUF 18 coaching stint. If only the oddsmakers were so confident. Despite Zingano’s comeback thrashing of Miesha Tate earlier this month, Rousey opened up as a stunning -825 betting favorite in the future matchup, with Zingano opening at +475. (Translation: At those odds, you’d have to wager $825 on Rousey to collect a $100 profit if she wins, while a $100 wager on Zingano would pay out a $475 profit if the challenger manages to score an upset.)

We haven’t seen a betting line that lopsided for a UFC title fight since…well, Rousey’s last fight against Liz Carmouche. To put this in perspective, Jon Jones originally opened at just -600 for his UFC 159 fight against the totally-fucked Chael Sonnen, although most betting sites now have Jones in the -800 to -900 range. In other words, the oddsmakers feel that Cat Zingano has about as good a chance of beating Ronda Rousey as Chael Sonnen does of winning a title fight in the weight class above his own. Yeesh. Sorry, Cat.

Bottom line, if you think Zingano has a shot in this one, consider laying down some cash, and quickly. Personally, we’ll stick with our usual investment strategy of flushing $20 bills down the toilet when we find them hidden in our stack of $100s. The price of gold may rise and fall, but that toilet remains as stable as something you sit on and crap into. I don’t know where I was going with this.


(Photo via ChicagoNow.com)

According to our current homepage poll, 43% of you think Cat Zingano at least stands a chance of victory when she challenges Ronda Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight title following their TUF 18 coaching stint. If only the oddsmakers were so confident. Despite Zingano’s comeback thrashing of Miesha Tate earlier this month, Rousey opened up as a stunning -825 betting favorite in the future matchup, with Zingano opening at +475. (Translation: At those odds, you’d have to wager $825 on Rousey to collect a $100 profit if she wins, while a $100 wager on Zingano would pay out a $475 profit if the challenger manages to score an upset.)

We haven’t seen a betting line that lopsided for a UFC title fight since…well, Rousey’s last fight against Liz Carmouche. To put this in perspective, Jon Jones originally opened at just -600 for his UFC 159 fight against the totally-fucked Chael Sonnen, although most betting sites now have Jones in the -800 to -900 range. In other words, the oddsmakers feel that Cat Zingano has about as good a chance of beating Ronda Rousey as Chael Sonnen does of winning a title fight in the weight class above his own. Yeesh. Sorry, Cat.

Bottom line, if you think Zingano has a shot in this one, consider laying down some cash, and quickly. Personally, we’ll stick with our usual investment strategy of flushing $20 bills down the toilet when we find them hidden in our stack of $100s. The price of gold may rise and fall, but that toilet remains as stable as something you sit on and crap into. I don’t know where I was going with this.

[VIDEO] Get Your First Look at Some of the Female Participants Trying Out for ‘The Ultimate Fighter 18?

If you recall, the tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter 18: Rousey vs. Zingano transpired earlier this week, featuring such talent as Tara Larosa, Shayna Bazler and the incorrigible Kim Couture. Today, however, we actually get to take a first look at some of the lesser known ladies trying out for the groundbreaking season, as well as some of the veterans, courtesy of our friends over at MMAFighting. The most surprising appearance? Tonya Evinger, who I was positive had taken up a career in professional bull riding some years ago. Learnin’ something everyday.

With contestants spanning across all 50 states and even our neighbors to the North, the Grand Ballroom of the Palace Station Hotel was positively packed with young, excitable talent looking to prove themselves on the world’s biggest stage. Check out the video above, and let us know who you think we will be seeing come September 4th in the comments section.

J. Jones

If you recall, the tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter 18: Rousey vs. Zingano transpired earlier this week, featuring such talent as Tara Larosa, Shayna Bazler and the incorrigible Kim Couture. Today, however, we actually get to take a first look at some of the lesser known ladies trying out for the groundbreaking season, as well as some of the veterans, courtesy of our friends over at MMAFighting. The most surprising appearance? Tonya Evinger, who I was positive had taken up a career in professional bull riding some years ago. Learnin’ something everyday.

With contestants spanning across all 50 states and even our neighbors to the North, the Grand Ballroom of the Palace Station Hotel was positively packed with young, excitable talent looking to prove themselves on the world’s biggest stage. Check out the video above, and let us know who you think we will be seeing come September 4th in the comments section.

J. Jones

Shayna Baszler, Tara LaRosa, and (For Some Reason) Kim Couture Spotted at TUF 18 Tryouts


(Kim, we’ve seen enough…you’ve got the goods.) 

When it was first announced that Ronda Rousey would be coaching a co-ed season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite the winner of the Miesha Tate/Cat Zingano scrap, the internet pretty much imploded with fanboyish enthusiasm. When Ronda put out an anti-sex warning to the show’s future participants, well, that enthusiasm seemed to suddenly disappear. In either case, the tryouts for TUF 18 went down from the Grand Ballroom of the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas yesterday, and a few of the names that were listed among the potential participants might surprise you.

With only twelve female fighters currently listed in the UFC’s female bantamweight division, yesterday’s tryouts not only featured the usual influx of eager amateurs, but the likes of…

Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler: Competing professionally since 2003, you’d be hard pressed to find a WMMA fan who hasn’t heard of Baszler. The Strikeforce, EliteXC, and InvictaFC veteran is currently 15-8 and 3-2 in her last 5 and holds notable victories over Sarah D’Alelio, Alexis Davis, and Julie Kedzie. Baszler most recently suffered a third round submission loss in her rematch with Davis at Invicta FC 4.


(Kim, we’ve seen enough…you’ve got the goods.) 

When it was first announced that Ronda Rousey would be coaching a co-ed season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite the winner of the Miesha Tate/Cat Zingano scrap, the internet pretty much imploded with fanboyish enthusiasm. When Ronda put out an anti-sex warning to the show’s future participants, well, that enthusiasm seemed to suddenly disappear. In either case, the tryouts for TUF 18 went down from the Grand Ballroom of the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas yesterday, and a few of the names that were listed among the potential participants might surprise you.

With only twelve female fighters currently listed in the UFC’s female bantamweight division, yesterday’s tryouts not only featured the usual influx of eager amateurs, but the likes of…

Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler: Competing professionally since 2003, you’d be hard pressed to find a WMMA fan who hasn’t heard of Baszler. The Strikeforce, EliteXC, and InvictaFC veteran is currently 15-8 and 3-2 in her last 5 and holds notable victories over Sarah D’Alelio, Alexis Davis, and Julie Kedzie. Baszler most recently suffered a third round submission loss in her rematch with Davis at Invicta FC 4.

Tara Larosa: 21-3, with notable victories over Baszler, Kedzie, Davis, and Carina Damm. A two-time ADCC silver medalist (2005, 2007), Larosa is on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Vanessa Porto at Invicta 3 — just her second in her past twenty contests.

Kim Couture: Ugh…where shall we begin? 3-6 in professional competition, with notable victories over her personal assistant and husband, Randy Couture, in their divorce settlement. Couture has not fought since dropping a unanimous decision to Suzie Montero in October of 2011 (here third in as many contests) and is perhaps best known for nearly getting choked to death by Sheila Bird the previous July. But my God can she rock a two-piece.

Also on the list of potential housemates were Invicta FC standouts Sarah Moras, Jessamyn Duke, Raquel Pennington and Jocelyn Lybarger.

As previously announced, TUF 18: Rousey vs. Zingano is set to premiere on September 4th on Fox Sports 1, which will host all of the UFC’s cable-offerings moving forward. After milling over the credentials of a few potential participants, do any of you think Larosa or Baszler should be favored to win the season, or will a completely unknown underdog shock the world yet again? And will Couture serve as next season’s Junie Browning?

J. Jones

‘The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Zingano’ to Premiere September 4th on FOX Sports 1; Series Returns to Wednesday Nights


(Image via fueltv)

In case you missed the announcement during the TUF 17 Finale broadcast, the UFC confirmed this weekend that The Ultimate Fighter will shift to the recently-announced FOX Sports 1 channel, beginning with the upcoming “Team Rousey vs. Team Zingano” season (aka TUF 18), which premieres Wednesday, September 4th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. From the press-release:

Bringing The Ultimate Fighter to FOX Sports 1 is like adding a big bat to an exciting young lineup,” said [Fox Sports Media Group COO and co-president Eric] Shanks. “TUF has jump-started the careers of dozens of fighters, many who have gone on to become UFC champions. It’s going to be a welcomed addition to FOX Sports 1, and the perfect anchor for our Wednesday prime time UFC block. We’re absolutely thrilled to have it.”

Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter just ended and it was the best season we’ve ever done,” said UFC® President Dana White. “Season 18 is going to be historic and groundbreaking with the first-ever women coaches, and men and women training and living together, and we’re excited to be airing it on the best new sports network in the country, FOX Sports 1.”


(Image via fueltv)

In case you missed the announcement during the TUF 17 Finale broadcast, the UFC confirmed this weekend that The Ultimate Fighter will shift to the recently-announced FOX Sports 1 channel, beginning with the upcoming “Team Rousey vs. Team Zingano” season (aka TUF 18), which premieres Wednesday, September 4th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. From the press-release:

Bringing The Ultimate Fighter to FOX Sports 1 is like adding a big bat to an exciting young lineup,” said [Fox Sports Media Group COO and co-president Eric] Shanks. “TUF has jump-started the careers of dozens of fighters, many who have gone on to become UFC champions. It’s going to be a welcomed addition to FOX Sports 1, and the perfect anchor for our Wednesday prime time UFC block. We’re absolutely thrilled to have it.”

Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter just ended and it was the best season we’ve ever done,” said UFC® President Dana White. “Season 18 is going to be historic and groundbreaking with the first-ever women coaches, and men and women training and living together, and we’re excited to be airing it on the best new sports network in the country, FOX Sports 1.”

Later, the announcement boasts that TUF “has launched the careers of more than 100 UFC fighters and has produced past champions such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping and Matt Serra.” Ah, yes…who could possibly forget Michael Bisping‘s epic title reign as the UFC Middleweight Interim Gatekeeper Champion of the U.K.? Nice try, guys.

With TUF now locked down in its new broadcast home, all of the UFC’s cable-TV offerings will officially be aired on FOX Sports 1, which should help alleviate some of the channel flipping confusion that has plagued the promotion in recent years. (Spike…Versus…FX…FUEL…yada yada yada.) FOX Sports 1 will launch on Saturday, August 17th, and will feature a live UFC event from Boston that night.

Rousey to TUF 18 Women – No Sex on My Watch

(Hypocrisy is her name | Video via ShoSports)

At the The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale last night, Cat Zingano earned a shot at Ronda Rousey’s UFC bantamweight belt as well as an opposing coach slot on The Ultimate Fighter 18 with her beastly TKO over Miesha Tate. At the post-event press conference her and Rousey posed for photos and Rousey spoke with MMA Junkie about, among other things, the tight ship she plans on keeping as a TUF 18 coach.

Presumably for the same reason that TUF producers have been quick to stock and re-stock at fighter requests the TUF House liquor cabinet in direct opposition to what is good for training, fighting and fighters, the TUF 18 House will be co-ed, occupied by both female and male contestants on the competition. That is, the idea that setting up as many extra curricular, dangerous roadblocks for fighters can make for tragic lost opportunities but also, and more important, great, drama-riddled television.

If anyone wonders what type of sexual tension and (network executive fingers crossed oh so tight) actual activity might be spurred on among male and female fighters locked in a mansion for months without access to their family or friends back home, television, radio, newspapers or reading material of any sort outside of the Bible (the Matt Hughes special dispensation), then it is likely you’ve gotten the precise point of why the UFC and Fox are doing this way. Rousey was clear, however, that she’ll tell her female team members what types of consequences will be in store for those who can’t keep it in their pants.

“If they’re the chick that was screwing around the house, for the rest of their career they’re going to be known as the chick that was screwing around the house. Sponsors are going to be looking at that. Everybody’s going to be looking at that,” she told MMA Junkie.

“If you think it’s $100,000 worth of that lay [ed. note – she talkin ’bout boning], then go for it, but I’m just going to remind them that there’s a lot of very permanent consequences to how they carry themselves in the house,” Rousey went on.


(Hypocrisy is her name | Video via ShoSports)

At the The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale last night, Cat Zingano earned a shot at Ronda Rousey’s UFC bantamweight belt as well as an opposing coach slot on The Ultimate Fighter 18 with her beastly TKO over Miesha Tate. At the post-event press conference her and Rousey posed for photos and Rousey spoke with MMA Junkie about, among other things, the tight ship she plans on keeping as a TUF 18 coach.

Presumably for the same reason that TUF producers have been quick to stock and re-stock at fighter requests the TUF House liquor cabinet in direct opposition to what is good for training, fighting and fighters, the TUF 18 House will be co-ed, occupied by both female and male contestants on the competition. That is, the idea that setting up as many extra curricular, dangerous roadblocks for fighters can make for tragic lost opportunities but also, and more important, great, drama-riddled television.

If anyone wonders what type of sexual tension and (network executive fingers crossed oh so tight) actual activity might be spurred on among male and female fighters locked in a mansion for months without access to their family or friends back home, television, radio, newspapers or reading material of any sort outside of the Bible (the Matt Hughes special dispensation), then it is likely you’ve gotten the precise point of why the UFC and Fox are doing this way. Rousey was clear, however, that she’ll tell her female team members what types of consequences will be in store for those who can’t keep it in their pants.

“If they’re the chick that was screwing around the house, for the rest of their career they’re going to be known as the chick that was screwing around the house. Sponsors are going to be looking at that. Everybody’s going to be looking at that,” she told MMA Junkie.

“If you think it’s $100,000 worth of that lay [ed. note – she talkin ’bout boning], then go for it, but I’m just going to remind them that there’s a lot of very permanent consequences to how they carry themselves in the house,” Rousey went on.

Ronda has always struck this writer as normal, authentic and healthy in the way she balances the fact that she ain’t bad to look at with the fact that she’s also a deadly-serious elite professional athlete. So her above statements initially seem just like sage advice for female fighters on the reality of the unfair up-hill battles they face as pioneers in the sport (although it is not clear whether having sex has been or will be officially ‘banned’ on TUF like fighting outside of the ring and leaving the house without permission, for example).

Then again, we seem to remember Ronda telling Showtime that having sex as much as possible before fights is good for her as a fighter because it elevates testosterone levels. Could it be that Ms. Rousey is trying to keep away one of her training secrets from future challengers?

We can’t say for sure whether that stupid, not-seriously offered theory is true or not (it isn’t), but it did give us the opportunity to post the above video of Rousey talking about sex with world-class creep Jim Rome, so there. The UFC and television networks are not the only ones that get to attract more visitors and viewers with cheap tricks and mentioning sex, are they? We should say not.

Elias Cepeda