Meisha Tate made history—she saw the second round in a fight against Ronda Rousey.
Unfortunately for the Tacoma, Wash., native, her accomplishments didn’t go much further than that during the wild UFC 168 co-main event, as the champion eventually…
Meisha Tate made history—she saw the second round in a fight against Ronda Rousey.
Unfortunately for the Tacoma, Wash., native, her accomplishments didn’t go much further than that during the wild UFC 168 co-main event, as the champion eventually got her way and won via her patented armbar submission in the third round.
Bleacher Report gave a look at her victory:
Tate showed a lot of heart staying with Rousey, as she became the first competitor to avoid first-round defeat against “Rowdy,” but she eventual suffered the same fate as the undisputed champion’s seven other challengers.
ESPN Stats & Info gives a glimpse at the impressive numbers from Rousey:
Unsurprisingly in a bout between two The Ultimate Fighter coaches who hate each with a passion, the fight turned into an absolutely explosive battle.
In the first round, Rousey went for the armbar early, but Tate was able to fight it off and take down the champion. Even on her back, however, Rousey was able to display a good amount of offense with an array of punches, knees and kicks.
Eventually, the two women got to their feet—and then came the fireworks. Both unloaded with some impressive combos and big blows before Rousey ended the round with a couple of Olympic-esque judo throwdowns, leading Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole to give her the round by far:
The second round was more of the same, with Rousey scoring several more knockdowns and Tate continuing to fight back admirably.
Action seriously heated up in the second, and several were quick to point out the scintillating fashion of the fight:
Nevertheless, while Tate gave Rousey her most difficult competition yet, the champ was simply too good, showing prowess in every aspect of the fight—on her feet, on the ground, on the defense, wherever. Iole noted just how lopsided the second round turned out to be:
The third round lasted under a minute, as Rousey was able to lock in the armbar and force Tate to submit.
Further adding to her role as villain, Rousey refused to shake Tate’s hand after the thrilling battle, much to the chagrin of the Las Vegas crowd:
Up next for Rousey will be Cat Zingano, who beat Tate in The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale but had to withdraw from this fight following a knee injury.
No matter what happens in that one, Rousey vs. Tate II proved that women’s UFC has an extremely bright future.
In a battle of the old guard and the new blood, Josh Barnett and Travis Browne met in a highly anticipated bout. When it was all said and done, Browne came out victorious via a vicious knockout.
Many thought this would be a close bout due to Barnett’s …
In a battle of the old guard and the new blood, Josh Barnett and Travis Browne met in a highly anticipated bout. When it was all said and done, Browne came out victorious via a vicious knockout.
Many thought this would be a close bout due to Barnett’s wrestling chops and Browne’s athleticism. When it was over, Browne had nullified Barnett’s wrestling and put him down with some brutal elbows.
So, what did we learn from this bout? Let’s take a look.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
The knockout. Browne used the same elbow finish that he used against Gabriel Gonzaga when he knocked him out. Barnett, like Gonzaga, shot for the double leg and was met with a sprawl and a nasty barrage of elbows.
That shows how dangerous Browne is.
What We Learned About Browne
He is a contender. He has knocked out Gabriel Gonzaga. He has knocked out Alistair Overeem. He has knocked out Josh Barnett.
What else does he need to do? He is a top heavyweight right now and only getting better.
What We Learned About Barnett
He is a top guy, but he’s not ready to be the top guy yet. His wrestling and grappling chops are going to make him a competitive fighter in any bout, but the striking weakness that he’s shown against Browne and Daniel Cormier prove he has not evolved to the all-around menace he could have been.
He is still a world-class heavyweight, but he will never regain the championship.
What’s Next for Browne?
He’s likely behind Fabricio Werdum for the title, but if Cain Velasquez is out for the interim, Browne and Werdum should hook up. The fight would give Velasquez a top contender.
If Werdum sits out for his title shot and Browne needs one more fight, he should get a rematch with Antonio Silva or a showdown with Mark Hunt.
What’s Next for Barnett?
He’s in dire need to rebound after this fight. A bout against Antonio Silva or Roy Nelson could be a good one.
Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier faced off in a critical featherweight tilt at UFC 168 on Saturday night. The Ultimate Fighter 14 winner, though, generated a bit of controversy by stepping onto the scales at 153 pounds, seven pounds over the …
Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier faced off in a critical featherweight tilt at UFC 168 on Saturday night. The Ultimate Fighter 14 winner, though, generated a bit of controversy by stepping onto the scales at 153 pounds, seven pounds over the cap for featherweight fighters and almost on target for the lightweight division.
Poirier was fired up when he heard that Brandao had shown such indifference to making weight, and when he had the chance to take out his frustration on his pudgy opponent, he made the most of the opportunity with a devastating series of punches in Round 1 to earn a TKO victory.
So what did we learn from this?
Dustin Poirier Is for Real
We kind of knew this already. You don’t rack up an 8-3 record in the WEC and UFC by chance (usually).
What we saw out of Poirier, though, was some immaculate striking. He defended himself almost flawlessly, and when opportunities for offense opened up, he exploded with strikes. Every single swing landed and did damage.
He may not climb up the rankings with this fight, but he maintains his spot on the perch just outside of title contention. Another win like that, though, and we could be seeing him with a chance at gold.
Diego Brandao Is Not for Real…Yet
So look: Missing weight is bad and whatever, and I’m sure we’re going to hear the kind of yarn you would spin if Princess Leia was holding you at gunpoint in a sewer, but the way Brandao froze up under fire was telling.
Unless he was nursing a rib injury as a result of Poirier‘s onslaught, there is no real explanation for being paralyzed like that.
It’s odd, given that in the biggest fight of his career thus far—the TUF 14 Finale opposite Dennis Bermudez—he exploded into an armbar while under fire. Either way, this was a big loss for the young Brazilian.
Not Much on Why Brandao Missed Weight
Missing weight by seven pounds is bad and rare, and it likely happened for a reason. But what reason? Hell if I know.
Joe Rogan alluded to a car accident as the cause for this egregious mistake, but whether or not that is true is a mystery.
As I said, Brando will spin some sort of yarn on why this occurred, but unfortunately that seems to be for another time.
Poirier Deserves a Top 10 Opponent
Brandao is an electrifying fighter, but he finds himself outside the Top 10 for a reason, and Poirier demonstrated why. Poirier deserves better.
Dennis Siver beat Manny Gamburyan earlier on the card, and obviously Siver and Poirierline up nicely. Other good potential opponents include NikLentz and Clay Guida.
Chris Leben broke against Uriah Hall at UFC 168.
Leben, long known as one of the toughest, most relentless fighters on the UFC’s roster, begged his corner to stop the fight from his stool between Rounds 1 and 2.
Hall looked three steps ahea…
Leben, long known as one of the toughest, most relentless fighters on the UFC’s roster, begged his corner to stop the fight from his stool between Rounds 1 and 2.
Hall looked three steps ahead of Leben throughout the bout, and he again flashed the brilliance we saw from him during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter.
With a crushing right hand, Hall sent Leben to the canvas, and between rounds, Leben called it quits.
What We’ll remember About This Fight
Leben quit. That’s just…amazing.
Throughout his career, he has come back from the brink of defeat to win, but he simply did not have a comeback in him against Hall.
While Hall earned the finish, Leben was hardly a sharp and polished fighter. This might be the end of the line for “The Crippler.”
What We Learned About Leben
Leben can quit. He looks done at this point in his career, and he made a wise decision to shorten his night against Hall.
What We Learned About Hall
We did not learn much about Hall here.
We knew he was a vicious striker, we knew he could knock dudes out, and we expected him to pick Leben apart.
What’s Next for Leben?
Retirement (I hope).
What’s Next for Hall?
Hall is still an intriguing prospect, and he will get a decent opponent in his next outing.
A fight against Lorenz Larkin would provide fireworks for fans, and it would show which man is ready to take the next step up the 185-pound ladder.
Handling our liveblog for the “Weidman vs. Silva 2” pay-per-view broadcast is Aaron Mandel, who will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section or on twitter. (We’re @cagepotatomma. Hi there.)
Handling our liveblog for the “Weidman vs. Silva 2″ pay-per-view broadcast is Aaron Mandel, who will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section or on twitter. (We’re @cagepotatomma. Hi there.)
Preliminary card results
– Uriah Hall def. Chris Leben via TKO (doctor stoppage*), 5:00 of round 1
– Michael Johnson def. Gleison Tibau via KO, 1:32 of round 2
– Dennis Siver def. Manny Gamburyan via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– John Howard def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– William Macario def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Robbie Peralta def. Estevan Payan via KO, 0:12 of round 3
* Or “retirement,” basically. Leben verbally quit the fight after being dominated through the first round.
Hi PotatoHeads and welcome to the last card of 2013. If you were too cheap to throw down the extra $5 for the PPV, fear not, we’ve got all your results here, I’m in the best liveblogging shape of my life, refresh early and often!
Diego Brandao vs. Dustin Poirier
Round 1- Body kick to start from Poirier with a head kick from Brandao that is blocked. Good body punch from Brandao. Wild windmill from Brandao who slips but is landing some early with punches and kicks to the body. Spinning backfist lands from Poirier. Some good wild exchanges early. Overhand right drops Poirier but he’s back up. Brandao tries a clinch throw but Poirier uses an effective whizzer and stands up. Brandao completes a takedown on Poirier, who had been landing. Poirier up and unloads on Brandao with strikes, wobbling him. Brandao goes down and Poirier follows with strikes until the ref jumps in and stops it, good win for Poirier.
Dustin Poirier defeats Diego Brandao via TKO, round 1
Poirier pumped up in the post fight interview and clearly from Louisiana.
Jim Miller vs. Fabricio Camoes
Miller is looking to right the ship after alternating wins and losses lately. Camoes has to be excited to be on the main card of the end of year PPV, he’s definitely the least known fighter outside of hardcore fans but has the no-lose thing going for him here with a win or strong show.
Round 1- Leg kick from Camoes. Clinch on the fence as Camoes tries for a takedown that fails and they separate back to the feet. Two short strikes land from Camoes. Head kick blocked by Miller. Camoes cracks Miller with a left hook. Camoes continues to land, backing Miller up. Head kick caught by Miller who takes him down and lands some ground and pound. Camoes back to the feet and now gets Miller down and lands in full guard. Miller doing a good job of tying up from the bottom and threatening with submissions. Miller tightens up an armbar, Camoes defends patiently but Miller stays on it and works it tighter until Camoes is forced to tap!
Jim Miller defeats Fabricio Camoes via armbar, round 1
Miller references Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in his interview, losing the beer soaked KO crazy crowd, but impressing all the nerds out there (hey o!)
We are now treated to the undercard fight between Gleison Tibau and Michael Johnson.
Josh Barnett vs. Travis Browne
Round 1- Browne lands first with a left hook. Barnett puts Browne against the cage where he wants to work his catch wrestling but Browne moves away and lands a few strong hooks. Barnett shoots for a takedown against the cage and Browne starts unloading elbows just like he did against Gonzaga and Barnett goes limp, he’s out and Lavigne stops the fight! Impressive KO for Browne who is rocketing to the top of the HW division.
Travis Browne defeats Josh Barnett via KO, round 1
And with three quick finishes so far we return to the undercard for Leben-Hall.
Champ Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate
Round 1- Tate comes out swinging furiously but wildly. Rousey clinches up and takes Tate down but she is right back up but eating shots from Rousey as she gets put against the fence and eats more shots. Headkick from Rousey is blocked but Tate is on her back and Rousey is working strikes. Tate gets up and gets Rousey down! Shockingly Rousey throws on an armbar but it’s loose. Rousey locks on a triangle and peppers Tate from the bottom with strikes. The triangle looks tight but Tate gets out and they strike until Rousey clinches again and goes into mount, working on an arm. Tate slips out on top into guard but Rousey pulls out and they get back up. Another huge judo throw from Rousey who is on top again. Tate back to the feet and lands a nice strike. Rousey clinches and works strikes against Tate on the fence. The round ends and this is the first round 2 for Rousey in her career. 10-9 Rousey.
Round 2- Good right from Rousey and trips Tate easily. Tate hits Rousey with some good upkicks and Rousey’s mouth is open and she backs off! Tate gets up but Rousey hits another judo throw but quickly backs off. Tate having some luck with a left hook but Rousey gets her down and works for her back but Tate works back up against the cage with Rousey throwing strikes. Strong clinch works ends in a violent judo throw from Rousey who is in side control. Tate throws her legs up and around and grabs Rousey head but Rousey works out and grabs Tate’s arm. She torques it brutally and Tate’s arm is fully stretched but she doesn’t tap and somehow gets out. Tate is now caught in an inverted triangle but is defending with Rousey all over her. Round ends and saves Tate. 10-9 Rousey.
Round 3- Rousey muscles Tate into the cage and works clinch positioning. Tate lands on top out of a throw but her arm is in danger and this time Rousey cranks it at the right angle and Tate taps.
Tate tries to initiate a hand shake but Rousey is having none of it.
Ronda Rousey defeats Miesha Tate via armbar, round 3.
The crowd roundly boos Rousey who compliments Tate but says she insulted her family and cannot shake her hand. Tate gets a huge ovation from the crowd and admits Rousey was the better fighter.
Champ Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva
Silva on his way into the cage crouches and remains motionless on two separate occasions. It’s a 10 minute walk in. He is a unique legend. Weidman is all business and my girlfriend just referred to him as a “thoroughbred”.
Round 1- Touch of the gloves. Weidman shoots in and finishes on a single leg. Silva works his way up on the cage and they are clinched. Weidman cracks Silva and he staggers back. Weidman landing HUGE bombs on the ground but Silva SOMEHOW survives and ties Weidman up in full guard. Weidman is loading up on some huge shots, some of which are landing. It is hard to tell how hurt Silva is but he is still in the fight. Big elbow from Weidman and he postures up and hits him more as Silva throws upkicks and creates separation. Weidman dives in with a strike and Silva ties him up as round ends. 10-9 Weidman.
Round 2- Good low kick from Silva. Weidman wades in with strikes. Head kick from Weidman blocked. Good body kick from Weidman and Silva snaps a leg kick low on Weidman OH FUCK Silva snapped his leg. He falls back in pain and his leg fractured on the shin right above the foot on the shinbone. Fight is over.
Chris Weidman defeats Anderson Silva via TKO, round 2, doctor/ref stoppage.
Weidman classy in victory giving props to Silva as the greatest of all time. Silva is not in the cage, presumably getting medical treatment or already on the way to the hospital. My own editorializing: It sucks for Silva, of course, this could be career ending. It also sucks for Weidman who dominated the first round for the second time before winning on a crazy, unpredictable moment. He will still have to face questions about if he was for real, which he CLEARLY is. Crazy ending, great night of fights, no judges involved on the main card! Goodnight for now, thanks for reading along.
A couple of top-flight strikers with plenty of UFC experience went toe-to-toe at UFC 168, as Siyar Bahadurzada faced off against a resurgent John Howard.
The preliminary bout did little to disappoint, as Howard bested Bahadurzada in a fight that probab…
A couple of top-flight strikers with plenty of UFC experience went toe-to-toe at UFC 168, as SiyarBahadurzada faced off against a resurgent John Howard.
The preliminary bout did little to disappoint, as Howard bested Bahadurzada in a fight that probably didn’t look much like anyone would have predicted going in, but was still a pretty enjoyable tilt overall.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
It was a meeting between born strikers that was won by the guy who remembered the “mixed” part of mixed martial arts. Whenever the chance was presented, Howard showed the diversity of the game, and he secured his second win as an underdog in as many fights since his UFC return.
What We Learned About SiyarBahadurzada
He proved ring rust is a real thing after spending the bulk of the year on the shelf, and there’s now a serious concern that hype just won’t be enough for the UFC’s first Afghan fighter.
There was plenty to be excited about when he arrived in 2012 and punched Paulo Thiago’s head into the front row, but he hasn’t kept that momentum. He needs a win next time out or he might be done.
What We Learned About John Howard
The John Howard of today isn’t the one who left the UFC in 2011, and that’s impressive considering that the 2011 edition was both underrated and a premature roster cut. In 2013, though, he’s a man who relies largely on his vaunted striking but has supplemented it with sound wrestling and an improving jiu-jitsu game as well.
Though the UFC seems hell bent on making him into a 170-pound contender, he may be better suited for middleweight—not all guys under 5’10” are arbitrarily too small for 185 pounds. His conditioning was much worse at UFC 168 than it was in his short-notice fight with Uriah Hall in August, and that could be worth considering for both he and promotion in the future.
What’s Next for Bahadurzada
A fight with the ultra-durable Court McGee could work. He desperately needs a win, and it has to come against a guy with a name—or his number could be up in the UFC. McGee fits the bill perfectly.
What’s Next for John Howard
Rick Story is a good matchup for Howard. The two are in similar spots in their career, guys on the fringe of the top 10 who look great sometimes and forgettable at others. A win for either over the other would land a top-10 opponent, so get it going for the spring.
Meisha Tate made history—she saw the second round in a fight against Ronda Rousey.
