Despite a rather forgettable overall fight card, UFC 157 was held afloat by a few shocking and devastating finishes.One of those finishes included UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey’s first-round submission victory over Liz Carmouche.To think, people …
Despite a rather forgettable overall fight card, UFC 157 was held afloat by a few shocking and devastating finishes.
One of those finishes included UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey‘s first-round submission victory over Liz Carmouche.
To think, people complained for months about the absolute injustice the UFC was doing the sport for featuring Rousey and Carmouche in the main-event spot over Dan Henderson and LyotoMachida.
After watching Machida‘s solo interpretation of America’s Best Dance Crew, it’s hard not to thank the heavens for UFC president Dana White‘s unwavering trust in Rousey, who put on one of the more exciting performances of the night.
Urijah Faber and Robbie Lawler also earned first-round finishes.
While the main card teetered in the finishing department, the undercard mustered a grand total of two stoppages out of seven preliminary bouts.
Here are the power rankings for the stoppage victories at UFC 157.
First place: Alan K, who guessed the armbar stoppage for Rousey within nine seconds (!), and got the judges’ scores exactly correct in the Machida vs. Henderson decision. Alan will receive the “Ronda Knows” and “Keep Calm and Break Arms” t-shirt package, courtesy of Fight Chix.
Second place: Brian001, who predicted a much earlier armbar stoppage for Rousey, but also predicted the judges’ scores perfectly for the co-main event. Brian will receive his choice of one of the aforementioned shirts.
Alan/Brian, please e-mail your full name, shirt size (including gender of choice), and address to [email protected], and we’ll get you hooked up ASAP. As for everybody else, there’s no law saying you can’t acquire these t-shirts the old-fashioned way. Visit FightChix.com, pick up a shirt or two, and show the world that you’re an enlightened human being who supports women pounding on each other. Thanks for playing, guys!
(Fill in the blank: When this happened, I nearly ___ my pants. / Photo via Getty Images)
First place: Alan K, who guessed the armbar stoppage for Rousey within nine seconds (!), and got the judges’ scores exactly correct in the Machida vs. Henderson decision. Alan will receive the “Ronda Knows” and “Keep Calm and Break Arms” t-shirt package, courtesy of Fight Chix.
Second place: Brian001, who predicted a much earlier armbar stoppage for Rousey, but also predicted the judges’ scores perfectly for the co-main event. Brian will receive his choice of one of the aforementioned shirts.
Alan/Brian, please e-mail your full name, shirt size (including gender of choice), and address to [email protected], and we’ll get you hooked up ASAP. As for everybody else, there’s no law saying you can’t acquire these t-shirts the old-fashioned way. Visit FightChix.com, pick up a shirt or two, and show the world that you’re an enlightened human being who supports women pounding on each other. Thanks for playing, guys!
One of the more surprising outcomes from Saturday’s UFC 157 had to have been Robbie Lawler’s triumphant return to the Octagon with his quick ground and pound finish of Josh Koscheck.While referee Herb Dean’s decision to call the fight may have bee…
One of the more surprising outcomes from Saturday’s UFC 157 had to have been Robbie Lawler’s triumphant return to the Octagon with his quick ground and pound finish of Josh Koscheck.
While referee Herb Dean’s decision to call the fight may have been a bit premature, there was no denying that the old “Ruthless” is back and better than ever after dropping down to 170.
With an impressive win over a top 10 welterweight now in his back pocket, let’s explore who may be next for the hard-nosed veteran.
UFC 157 has set the bar for the future of the organization. Sure, some of the fights on the card were not over-the-top great, but the event was still entertaining and enjoyable. We all know at this point that UFC 157 was the first time that…
UFC 157 has set the bar for the future of the organization.
Sure, some of the fights on the card were not over-the-top great, but the event was still entertaining and enjoyable.
We all know at this point that UFC 157 was the first time that women have stepped into the Octagon and fought, but what about some other historic moments?
The first that comes to mind was that it was the first UFC pay-per-view after the UFC announced its official division rankings, which was somewhat overshadowed by the debut of the women’s division (yes, I know that there have been two other events since the rankings came out earlier this month).
Let’s take a look at some of the events that will shape the future of the UFC.
Referee Stoppage Becomes More Important Than Ever
I understand the importance of a referee stepping in to stop a fight to prevent serious injury to a fighter, but what happened to Josh Koscheck against “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler was ridiculous.
Lawler pummeled Koscheck, who was pinned against the cage, with thunderous rights that stunned Koscheck. The referee of the bout, Herb Dean, had seen enough and stopped the fight in the first round.
No disrespect to Dean, who is one of the best referees in the UFC, but the stoppage seemed to be a bit premature, as Koscheck was attempting to defend himself.
The TKO was the second such loss in Koscheck’s career, but it also brought him back-to-back losses.
A losing streak in the UFC is not a good thing, especially when the organization’s president, Dana White, plans to cut 100 fighters in the near future.
This is crucial, especially for those trying to prove themselves. One bad loss via TKO stalls momentum, drops a fighter down the card and now can cost a fighter a job.
The referees have a split second to make a call in the Octagon; they cannot get every call right. One second too late and a man’s safety and well-being are at risk. A second too early (like in Koscheck’s case) can cost a man his career.
Do Official Rankings Clear Up Title Picture?
If UFC 157 had been held before the organization’s official rankings were released on Feb. 5, LyotoMachida’s victory over Dan Henderson would have led to many a question asked about the No.1 contender for the light heavyweight championship.
But because of the rankings, it seemed clear after the result that Machida, who entered Saturday as No. 2 in the division, will move ahead of Hendo (previously No. 1) for the title opportunity.
Dana White said himself after the event that Machida is now the No. 1 contender because he beat the previous No. 1 contender.
That makes a reporter’s job easier, right?
Well, not so much.
Although the rankings are good in the sense that they lead to less speculation, it also takes away some of the intrigue of predicting who will get the next title opportunity.
Plus, White’s logic can be disproved easily. If the No. 1 contender according to the rankings is upset in a tune-up fight by an unranked fighter, does that fighter now leapfrog all the other fighters to become the No. 1 contender?
The rankings will definitely play a role in the future of the business. It’s just a matter of time to see how they affect the future of the UFC.
Women Are Legitimate Draws
After Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche put on a show at UFC 157, I immediately looked for the next scheduled women’s fight.
The way these two went at it in the ring was incredible.
The match lived up to every high expectation. Carmouche made Rousey work for the win, pushing her to the longest match of her career.
I was enthralled by the match, even though the ending was predictable. But looking ahead, only good things can come.
With the heightened exposure, the other women in the division will push themselves to deserve a shot at the belt. As the competition grows, the excitement will rise as well.
The women who fight in the cage are technically sound and fans of the “arts” of MMA will come to truly appreciate what they do.
Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche proved that women not only have a place in the UFC, but they can main event in the world’s largest MMA promotion.At UFC 157, history was made as Rousey successfully defended her bantamweight title in the first ever women’…
Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche proved that women not only have a place in the UFC, but they can main event in the world’s largest MMA promotion.
At UFC 157, history was made as Rousey successfully defended her bantamweight title in the first ever women’s UFC bout.
Everyone wasn’t happy about the idea of women even competing in the UFC, much less being featured in the main event. Some cynics even discounted the bout altogether and believed fans would head for the exits after the co-main event bout between Dan Henderson and LyotoMachida.
If the latter were true, there were some disgruntled fans leaving the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday night.
While Henderson and Machida failed to live up to the hype, Rousey vs. Carmouche proved to be one of the more exciting bouts on the entire fight card, despite never making it out of the first round.
With the world breathing down their necks, there wasn’t any room for a lackluster performance from the ladies, whose bout was rightfully dubbed the most important fight in women’s MMA history.
The only other fight that comes close was the August 2009 Strikeforce championship bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.
The road was paved by Carano and Santos, but Rousey and Carmouche were the drivers on Saturday night. You want to talk about pressure? How about the survival and success of an entire movement depending solely on your performance?
Decades from now, young women will look back on Rousey vs. Carmouche as the sole bout that opened the floodgates for their entry into the UFC.
Dana White is said to have uttered “He’s back” moments after Robbie Lawler KO’d Josh Koscheck in the first round of their welterweight fight at UFC 157 on Saturday night. It was Lawler’s first fight in the UFC after he was drop…
Dana White is said to have uttered “He’s back” moments after Robbie LawlerKO’d Josh Koscheck in the first round of their welterweight fight at UFC 157 on Saturday night.
It was Lawler‘s first fight in the UFC after he was dropped from the promotion since 2004, when he was cut after losing to Evan Tanner as a middleweight.
Lawler is now back at 170 pounds and he looks meaner than ever.
Having earned a reputation as a supreme knockout artist in his years outside the UFC, Lawler‘s performance last night demonstrated just how well-earned that reputation really is.
His return to the UFC having got off to the best possible start, doors will now be opening for the 30-year-old veteran of the sport.
But that’s not to overstate his accomplishment.
Koscheck, after all, is a fighter on the slide. In the last two years, he’s gone 2-3 and was, before Saturday, only ranked eighth in the UFC’s welterweights rankings.
However, that still makes him a top 10 opponent and a win over him has earned Lawler another top 10 fight.
And the UFC would want to make that fight. Lawler is an exciting fighter who is likely to deliver knockouts. He’s put to sleep an incredible 17 opponents in his career and is very marketable to fans.
There are plenty of welterweights without fights to currently train for. Mike Pierce, TarecSaffiedine and Martin Kampmann are all without opponents and could be the next logical step for Lawler.
