UFC heavyweight Lavar Johnson — who directly inspired our “Will You Be Fired…” flowchart by not getting fired following his UFC 157 loss to Brendan Schaub — caught a bit of bad news yesterday. The California State Athletic Commission revealed (via MMAJunkie) that Johnson’s post-fight drug test at the February 23rd event was flagged for elevated levels of testosterone. A follow-up carbon isotope ratio test “confirmed the testosterone was consistent with the administration of a steroid.”
No word yet on what that steroid was specifically or how high his T-levels were, but damn Lavar, you in troubllllllle. A suspension and fine are likely imminent, and the failed test could eliminate the good-will that Johnson has built up with his employers by always coming to bang.
UFC heavyweight Lavar Johnson — who directly inspired our “Will You Be Fired…” flowchart by not getting fired following his UFC 157 loss to Brendan Schaub — caught a bit of bad news yesterday. The California State Athletic Commission revealed (via MMAJunkie) that Johnson’s post-fight drug test at the February 23rd event was flagged for elevated levels of testosterone. A follow-up carbon isotope ratio test “confirmed the testosterone was consistent with the administration of a steroid.”
No word yet on what that steroid was specifically or how high his T-levels were, but damn Lavar, you in troubllllllle. A suspension and fine are likely imminent, and the failed test could eliminate the good-will that Johnson has built up with his employers by always coming to bang.
We’re not sure why every anti-MMA writer out there feels the need to compare the sport to some form of pornography, but when doing a write-up on the historic UFC 157 event some two weeks ago, OnMilwaukee contributing writer Dave Begel did just that, labeling women’s MMA a “disgrace” before declaring that women should just stick to tennis or golf or some sport that wont immediately be viewed as “some kind of porn” by male audiences nationwide.
Unfortunately, we here at CagePotato only have so much time each day to educate these fools via scathing emails, so you can imagine our excitement when we saw that Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice decided to take Begel to task for us. Although the dynamic Inside MMA duo did their best to try and shake some sense into this stubborn old bastard –bringing up such classic pro-MMA arguing points as “Hey, it’s not as bad as boxing” and “Hey, do you watch the Olympics?” — their words clearly fell on deaf ears.
“I don’t want to defend boxing or judo or Brazilian whatever,” Begel states, in doing so proving that he would totally be prepared to defend any of those sports if given the chance, “MMA is designed to hurt somebody. Boxing is one thing, MMA is another.”
Oh, and on the topic of WMMA? Begel believes that — and we’re paraphrasing here — because some of us men have fantasies about two women going at it, therefore the sport is pornographic in nature. We’re not going to delve into the fact that his “theory” could just as easily be applied to the men’s side of the sport, or wrestling, or couple’s ice skating, etc. Instead, we recommend that if you are seeking more sage-like wisdom of this nature, make sure to pick up Begel’s new book , Research: What Gives? — the follow-up to his groundbreaking bestseller, Women: Where Do They Get Off (And How?) — on Kindle today.
We’re not sure why every anti-MMA writer out there feels the need to compare the sport to some form of pornography, but when doing a write-up on the historic UFC 157 event some two weeks ago, OnMilwaukee contributing writer Dave Begel did just that, labeling women’s MMA a “disgrace” before declaring that women should just stick to tennis or golf or some sport that wont immediately be viewed as “some kind of porn” by male audiences nationwide.
Unfortunately, we here at CagePotato only have so much time each day to educate these fools via scathing emails, so you can imagine our excitement when we saw that Bas Rutten and Kenny Rice decided to take Begel to task for us. Although the dynamic Inside MMA duo did their best to try and shake some sense into this stubborn old bastard –bringing up such classic pro-MMA arguing points as “Hey, it’s not as bad as boxing” and “Hey, do you watch the Olympics?” — their words clearly fell on deaf ears.
“I don’t want to defend boxing or judo or Brazilian whatever,” Begel states, in doing so proving that he would totally be prepared to defend any of those sports if given the chance, “MMA is designed to hurt somebody. Boxing is one thing, MMA is another.”
Oh, and on the topic of WMMA? Begel believes that — and we’re paraphrasing here — because some of us men have fantasies about two women going at it, therefore the sport is pornographic in nature. We’re not going to delve into the fact that his “theory” could just as easily be applied to the men’s side of the sport, or wrestling, or couple’s ice skating, etc. Instead, we recommend that if you are seeking more sage-like wisdom of this nature, make sure to pick up Begel’s new book, Research: What Gives? – the follow-up to his groundbreaking bestseller, Women: Where Do They Get Off (And How?) — on Kindle today.
For most writers, the main takeaway from UFC 157 was Ronda Rousey’s superlative grit and athleticism—the keyword being most. There was one individual, a writer for The Examiner by the name of Eric Holden, who was enamored by something differ…
For most writers, the main takeaway from UFC 157 was Ronda Rousey‘s superlative grit and athleticism—the keyword being most.
There was one individual, a writer for The Examiner by the name of Eric Holden, who was enamored by something different: The champion’s post-fight celebratory meal. Or, as he said it, the putting of “hot meat in her mouth.”
The original article was deleted after concerted protests on twitter by various members of the MMA community, so it can’t be linked to. Fortunately, MiddleEasy.com was forward-thinking enough to take a screenshot of it.
The full headline read: “Ronda Rousey put hot meat in her mouth to celebrate UFC 157 victory.” The body of the piece revealed that Rousey ate some buffalo wings after defeating her opponent, Liz Carmouche.
So, do you get it? Buffalo wings? Hot meat? As far as execrable double entendres go, it doesn’t get much worse than that. The writer eventually apologized and admitted that he got paid by the click, which explains the inflammatory headline. These facts make it easy to just dismiss this as a standard case of Internet click-bait run amok.
However, such a title is part of a deeper problem that women’s MMA might not ever shake: The problem of sexism and discrimination based on looks.
Ronda Rousey almost got her head ripped off by a rear-naked-choke-turned-neck-crank but then, minutes later, she was victoriously parading through the cage after dispatching Carmouche with an armbar. Rousey was resolute and fervent in her efforts, as was Carmouche. Both athletes showed the determination and will-to-win that female fighters have a reputation for.
But women being great fighters doesn’t sell. It doesn’t drive clicks, sex does.
Rousey—a champion, an Olympian and one of the world’s greatest and most dangerous female athletes—had to be sexualized and reduced to a punny headline.
While Mr. Holden apologized for his actions (although his history of employing such racy headlines makes the apology a bit dubious), what’s to say that when Rousey or another female fights again that some other writer won’t seek the easy-money headlines like Holden’s and continue to mitigate what women do in the cage?
But this is only part of the WMMA problem.
The other aspect is the way that female fighters are marketed. Since Zuffa (the company that owns the UFC) purchased Strikeforce and got into the WMMA business, they’ve proven to be clumsy and unimaginative with promoting female fights.
Remember the commercial for Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate? It was basically, “Hot chick vs. Hot chick. Watch the fight.”
Remember the commercial for Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman? “Leather-bound hot chick vs. Leather-bound hot chick. Watch the fight.” But this time the advertisement was laughable.
They threw Sarah Kaufman in a tight, white leather outfit that was…unflattering. Kaufman is a talented individual but isn’t suited to play the role of the lethal, sexy bombshell.
In fact, most women in general can’t fit into that mold—the role of the “bad ass” hot chick who’s legitimately talented, the fight promoters’ holy grail. The mold that Ronda Rousey fits into, and the one that women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano fit into.
Zuffa did a better job promoting Rousey vs. Carmouche. They commissioned a post on the famed viral media site BuzzFeed with facts about both Rousey, Carmouche and several other fighters. They also commissioned one featuring the ins and outs of MMA lingo, also featuring Rousey and Carmouche.
Carmouche‘s unique background also enabled Zuffa to ditch selling the fight as just a catfight with armbars and omoplatas. Carmouche served in the Marine Corps, and she is the first openly homosexual fighter in the UFC.
Is Zuffa learning its lesson on how to promote women? Or were they just afforded a good opportunity in the form of an athlete with an endearing personal history in Liz Carmouche?
This question will be answered when Rousey doesn’t fight someone with such an inspiring background or fights without the grudge match angle that her seemingly-inevitable rematch with Tate would have.
And until this question is answered in a satisfactory way (read: not sticking Rousey‘s opponents in leather), the question of whether the UFC’s great WMMA experiment will be successful shall remain unanswered, for how can we really say that Zuffa/UFC and the fans hold female fighters in the same regards as male fighters when the women constantly have to be sold on their looks and their looks alone?
In a history-making night for the UFC, Ronda Rousey faced Liz Carmouche in the main event at UFC 157, which was shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN in Britain.It was the first ever women’s fight in the UFC. Sam Stout…
In a history-making night for the UFC, Ronda Rousey faced Liz Carmouche in the main event at UFC 157, which was shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN in Britain.
It was the first ever women’s fight in the UFC.
Sam Stout vs. CarosFodor
The broadcast began with the prelims as Sam Stout took on CarosFodor in the lightweight division.
This proved to be an enjoyable encounter. There was literally no feeling-out process, mainly because these two wanted to engage straight off the bat.
Stout fought well in the first two rounds. His striking looked top notch, especially his hard lefts to the body. His best moment came toward the end of the first round when he went for an armbar. But as the old saying goes, Fodor was saved by the bell.
Fodor looked adequate with his clinching and takedowns early on, but by the time he upped his game in the third round, he’d left himself too much to do.
The judges had differing opinions as they gave Stout the split decision.
Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice
It was down to featherweight for the next fight as Dennis Bermudez faced Matt Grice.
Now this fight was packed with three rounds of tremendous back-and-forth action.
We nearly saw an early finish when the fight went to the mat and Bermudez applied the ground-and-pound, tying up one of Grice’s arms in the process.
Grice managed to survive, and he roared back into the fight when he sent Bermudez crashing down to the mat. Another stoppage looked imminent, but it was Bermudez‘s turn to survive.
Grice continued with his excellent striking in the second round, and although Bermudez survived, he looked as if he were unable to put his best foot forward.
All of that changed in the third round. Someone must have lighted a fire under Bermudez. Suddenly his striking came to life, first on the ground and then on his feet.
At one point, the referee seemed prepared to stop the fight when Grice staggered around on rubbery legs. But Herb Dean let the fight continue, and Grice gradually recovered enough to reach the bell.
Once again, the judges were divided in their opinions, awarding Bermudez the split decision.
Michael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen
It was back to lightweight for the next fight, which featured Michael Chiesa against Anton Kuivanen.
The only prelim that didn’t go the distance had a lengthy feeling-out period at the beginning, but as the first round went on, Kuivanen’s striking began to find its target.
It looked like it was going to be more of the same in the second round, but after some clinch work against the fence, Chiesa took his man’s back from a standing position before dragging him to the ground.
Kuivanen showed some sound defensive skills as he tried to fight Chiesa’s rear-naked choke attempt. Eventually Chiesa cinched in his hold of choice for the submission win.
Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson
The final preliminary fight saw Brendan Schaub take on Lavar Johnson in a heavyweight showdown.
This one was all about Schaub’s ground game and his attempts to avoid Johnson’s punching power.
For three rounds, Schaub took down Johnson at will. His best success came in the first frame when he attempted a variety of chokes, eventually deciding on the anaconda. While he was applying the hold, Johnson kept clobbering him with his free hand, which forced Schaub to release.
Schaub took down his man time and time again, but he failed to capitalize on his position. The referee was forced to stand the fighters up.
Even though he was on his back for the majority of the fight, Johnson still dealt his fair share of damage. His blows from the bottom busted Schaub open, making it look like Johnson was the dominant fighter.
The judges were called upon again. This time around, there was no difference of opinion as Schaub took the unanimous decision.
Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler
The main show began in the welterweight division as Josh Koscheck faced Robbie Lawler.
This was a fine example of how someone can snatch a victory out of nowhere.
Koscheck took the fight to the ground early on, and although Lawler showed some sound defensive skills, Koscheck looked to remain in charge of the action.
As the round neared its final minute, Lawler took the front headlock position. From there he connected with a big left that stunned his man. An onslaught of choice shots followed, which made the referee step in to give Lawler the TKO win.
Koscheckwasn’t too happy with the stoppage.
Court McGee vs. Josh Neer
The welterweight action continued with Court McGee taking on Josh Neer.
This one was all about the striking, with a nice bit of grappling thrown in for good measure.
McGee put on a great performance in the first round. His striking was adept, and when he connected with a body kick, Neer looked to be in trouble. Neer was also lucky to survive the first round, mainly because McGee never followed up on the body damage.
Neer looked like a different fighter in the second round. He answered McGee’s first-round striking performance with his own clinic, snapping McGee’s head back with a series of stiff jabs.
McGee retook control in the third round with several takedowns. Neer tried his best, but McGee’s ground-and-pound game was too much for him at times.
All three judges scored the fight for McGee.
Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar
Then it was down to bantamweight for the second encounter between Urijah Faber and Ivan Menjivar.
This one featured a lot of action in so little time. Menjivar took the fight to the ground with a great judo throw early on, only for Faber to reverse the position just a few seconds later.
Faber went to work with the ground-and-pound, and although Menjivar looked for a couple of submissions, Faber maintained control.
As the first round neared its end, Menjivar made it to his feet, but Faber took his back. He quickly tightened up a rear-naked choke as they backed into the fence, and Menjivar tapped to give Faber the submission win.
Kenny Robertson vs. Brock Jardine
Filler material followed in the form of the welterweight encounter between Kenny Robertson and Brock Jardine.
This certainly was an interesting bout. Jardine pulled guard early on and went for a guillotine, but after Robertson survived this attempt, he quickly took control.
Robertson took his man’s back within seconds and sought a rear-naked choke. Jardine defended well, but when he tried to shake off his opponent, Robertson reached back and grabbed Jardine’s left leg. Jardine had no choice but to tap, giving Robertson the submission win.
LyotoMachida vs. Dan Henderson
The co-main event featured light heavyweight action as LyotoMachida faced Dan Henderson.
I have to admit I’m not sure how to categorize this fight. It had its moments, but it didn’t set my pulse racing.
The feeling-out period seemed to last for the majority of the first round. Machida got in the better shots and scored a late takedown.
Machida had more striking success in the second round, while Henderson failed to connect more often than not when he came forward.
There was some brief ground action early in the third round as Henderson tried to go to work with the ground-and-pound, but the rest of the final frame saw Machida continue to dominate the striking game.
In the end, the judges failed to agree again, awarding Machida a split-decision victory.
Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche
The main event saw Liz Carmouche challenge Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title.
Now this was a fight. Rousey came forward as soon as the fight began, and it wasn’t long before the action went to the ground.
A few moments later, Rousey suffered the biggest scare of her short career when Carmouche took her back from a standing position and looked for a rear-naked choke. An upset seemed possible until Rousey managed shake her off.
It wasn’t long before Rousey was back in top position and controlling Carmouche’s head. The challenger, for her part, was always looking to escape.
Then the inevitable happened. Rousey moved into position to apply her signature armbar. Carmouche defended for as long as she could until Rousey wrenched her limb. Carmouche tapped to give Rousey the history-making submission win.
The show rounded out with a second showing of Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice.
Conclusion
What can I say about this event? I could bring out all of the usual superlatives about history-making events, but saying that this was a great show would probably be the best way to describe things.
The prelims set the stage for what was to come, thanks in part to Dennis Bermudez and Matt Grice. When Robbie Lawler secured his comeback win against Josh Koscheck, it was a sign of things to come, especially as far as the main event was concerned.
That fight definitely lived up to all the hype. Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche put on a fight that exceeded expectations. The fact that women’s MMA has now hit the main stage is a tremendous sign for the future.
As for my fight of the night no-prize, I’m going to differ from the official judgment. While those in the know chose Bermudez vs. Grice, I select Rousey vs. Carmouche for the reasons I’ve just mentioned.
So with all of that out of the way, there’s only one thing left to do, and that’s to give UFC 157 the big thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for nearly 13 years now!
Ronda Rousey is a blossoming star in the UFC world, and you only have to glance at the financial figures to see how. According to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, the organization brought in over $1.4 million in ticket sales at the Honda Center …
Ronda Rousey is a blossoming star in the UFC world, and you only have to glance at the financial figures to see how.
According to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, the organization brought in over $1.4 million in ticket sales at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., plus approximately 500,000 purchases on live pay-per-view and replay.
Considering the cost of $44.99 for a standard definition experience and $54.99 in high definition, the UFC may have brought in well over $22 million from television buyers.
UFC president Dana White confirmed (via Pugmire) that Rousey would continue to be a main draw for his organization after the bout, and it’s no surprise when looking at the numbers.
The fight between Rousey and Liz Carmouche for the women’s bantamweight title at UFC 157 lasted only four minutes and 49 seconds before Rousey made her opponent submit with an armbar and became the first woman to win in the UFC Octagon.
Before the submission, there was a back-and-forth battle, with Carmouche nearly pulling the upset with a rear-naked choke. However, Rousey countered and eventually emerged victorious.
It certainly left fans wanting more and was arguably the most exciting match on the card. White is a genius for promoting Rousey in this way, and her star power should only continue to grow with more victories and title defenses.
This bout likely smashed the former women’s PPV record of 125,000 buys (as per Pugmire)—a fight between the daughters of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier—and may be the first of many record-breaking matches that Rousey participates in.
The 26-year-old Rowdy is a UFC goldmine, and there’s a good chance we see a lot more of her in the future. After all, she’s making the company money, providing great entertainment and bringing in new fans from all walks of life.
If the official Punishment Athletics Twitter page is any indication, it looks like former Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos hasn’t given up on a potential superfight with Ronda Rousey. The former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion tweeted a pictur…
The timing of the jab is a little strange, considering the Brazilian asked to be released from her UFC contract because she could not make the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds.
The UFC gladly granted her wish and she quickly signed with the all-women’s promotion Invicta Fighting Championships, taking on EdianeGomes in her promotional debut on April 5.
Meanwhile, Rousey, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, is just coming off her first successful title defense at UFC 157 on Saturday, putting away Liz Carmouche with a first-round armbar.
While Carmouche was finished with the same first-round submission that finished all of Rousey‘s other opponents, she provided a tough test for the champ and nearly locked up a rear-naked choke early in the fight.
The bad blood between Rousey and Santos is well documented, and the fact that they have been the two most dominant women in the sport in recent memory makes a fight seem academic.
However, because neither camp can agree on fighting on bantamweight, featherweight or a 140-pound catch weight, the matchup remains nothing more than a fantasy.
Nevertheless, Cyborg’s Twitter post shows that she still has Rousey in her crosshairs, so let’s not rule this blockbuster women’s fight out just yet.
For most writers, the main takeaway from