Tag: UFC 175

Ronda Rousey, UFC’s Biggest Star, Prepared for UFC 175 Challenge from Davis

Ronda Rousey is the biggest star in the known universe.
This may not be the most truthful statement ever written. But it feels that way, here in one of the many rooms that make up the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Rousey, clad in a gray Marilyn Monroe sh…

Ronda Rousey is the biggest star in the known universe.

This may not be the most truthful statement ever written. But it feels that way, here in one of the many rooms that make up the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Rousey, clad in a gray Marilyn Monroe shirt, black leather jacket, designer Chuck Taylors and a gold Octagon necklace, is holding court on a small stage constructed specifically for her.

To Rousey’s left is UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He is discussing his title defense against Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 175 on Saturday night. He has twice beaten the best fighter in the history of MMA. He is young, athletic and good-looking. He is a fight promoter’s dream.

There are five reporters standing in front of Weidman‘s stage; Rousey is surrounded by so many journalists and cameras that it’s difficult to see her.

Rousey is comfortable in the limelight. She is the UFC’s biggest star, and her fame is growing exponentially as she moves into an increasingly busy action film career. The Expendables 3 hits theaters in August, and the seventh film in the Fast and Furious series releases next April. But Rousey is solely focused on her fight with Alexis Davis; she separates her fighting and film careers to such a degree that she would only allow herself to watch the trailer for The Expendables 3 one time while getting dressed for training in California.

It is this sort of intensity that sets Rousey apart, even from other top-level athletes competing in the UFC. An example: The UFC held a public workout session on Wednesday at Fashion Show Mall. The workouts are a staple of the fight week calendar. Many fighters view them as another public relations chore they must get through. They’ll do some half-hearted shadowboxing or wrestling, talk to the media, sign some autographs and then go back to their lives.

Not Rousey. Arriving bundled in a winter coat and sweatshirt to maintain her weight cut, Rousey and coach Edmond Tarverdyan proceeded to thrill the fans with a display of judo throws, grappling and boxing. She deftly executed her signature armbar submission from multiple positions and angles, eliciting “oohs” and “aahs” from the fans.

Rousey knows how to put on a show. And that’s exactly what she’s hoping for when she faces challenger Davis on Saturday night.

“I just want to be exciting,” Rousey says. “I want all the fans to want more when it’s done.”

The fans will want more, and Rousey aims to please. She has spoken of wanting to take a break after the Davis fight, to rest and then perhaps fight again in December. But an injury to Jose Aldo—who was scheduled to face Chad Mendes next month at UFC 176—has left the UFC with a main event hole to fill on short notice. The event takes place in Los Angeles, and the Staples Center is a short drive from Rousey‘s home.

Though she would like some time off, she says she would be willing to fight on the card if the UFC asked her to do so. She has told Dana White she’d be willing to fight on 24 hours’ notice if he needed her to do so, and she plans on keeping her word. 

“I would appreciate the rest, but if they needed me to do it, I would do it,” she says. 

First, she must get through Davis. Rousey is a massive favorite, and it is hard to imagine Davis pulling off what would be considered a historic upset.

The challenger is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but Rousey‘s world-class judo and athleticism are on a different level than just about everyone else in mixed martial arts. She exudes the kind of confidence that can only be attained through repetition, and she forces herself to believe that her back is against the wall with every new challenger she faces.

“Alexis clearly has nothing to lose. I care so much more, and I train so much harder,” Rousey says. “I do better the more pressure there is. She seems like she does better with the least amount of pressure, and I do better with the most amount of pressure.”

Rousey says that Davis is her most dangerous opponent but admits she feels this way because she’s the current challenger. She felt the same way about Sara McMann and Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche, and then she went into the Octagon and dispatched all of them. In truth, Rousey doesn’t think anyone can compete with her, though you’d never know it by watching her train with more intensity than what many fighters carry into the Octagon.

“I don’t think anyone is better than me,” she says. “That’s the kind of attitude you have to have to be the best in the world.”

 

All quotes were obtained firsthand.

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With Few Real Challenges Ahead, Ronda Rousey’s Fighting Future Still Uncertain

Here’s what we know for sure about Ronda Rousey’s future in the Octagon: On Saturday she’ll take on Alexis Davis at UFC 175, she’ll win, and then she’ll go on a vacation.
Given that she opened as an eye-popping 20-1 favori…

Here’s what we know for sure about Ronda Rousey’s future in the Octagon: On Saturday she’ll take on Alexis Davis at UFC 175, she’ll win, and then she’ll go on a vacation.

Given that she opened as an eye-popping 20-1 favorite over Davis, we’d be fools to think anything else about how their fight will go. Rousey will come out of her corner, tinker with a few of the new toys she’s been refining in her striking game and then find a way to finish things, probably on the ground, probably during the first five minutes.

As for every other single thing in her professional life? Well, that’s all a lot more difficult to predict.

Rousey has been going pretty hard since coming to the UFC in February 2013. She’s grown into an industry unto herself, spearheading women’s MMA in a company and mainstream sporting landscape that had historically been dismissive of it. This will be her fourth title defense in 17 months and it’s not as though she’s lacking in other opportunities.

You can’t blame her for wanting to take some time off. The fact is, we thought she might be looking for a respite after beating Sara McMann this past February, but here she is, preparing to dispatch another overmatched opponent and retain her spot as queen of the Octagon.

The multimillion-dollar question lingering over Rousey’s career is: for how long?

If we are to take her at her word, not even the champion has any idea what’s next.

“I’m taking it one fight at a time,” she told MMA Junkie’s John Morgan leading up to UFC 175. “Everything is changing so fast and so many things are coming up so quickly that I really can’t think more than one day at a time.”

Rousey says she wants to take part in the UFC’s gala end-of-the-year show, but her opponent there is still very much To Be Announced. Rumors that Gina Carano would come out of retirement for a superfight have cooled considerably, but women’s boxing camp Holly Holm is said to be on the verge of a UFC deal, while erstwhile No. 1 contender Cat Zingano still hasn’t gotten her chance.

Of course, none of them is expected to have a realistic chance of beating Rousey.

The only woman who might is Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, and she continues to be at odds with UFC ownership. Rousey had some particularly ugly things to say about Justino during a recent media lunch—proving that either they really do hate each other or Rousey is secretly trying to entice her into the UFC—but each day that passes without a deal makes that fight start to feel more and more like a pipe dream.

Without Cyborg, the lack of competition may be hurting Rousey’s marketability. Her UFC 170 fight against McMann didn’t exactly light the box office on fire, and it remains to be seen how many fans will shell out the money to watch her trounce another, even heavier underdog this weekend.

Meanwhile, a second, possibly more lucrative career is heating up. Rousey has already filmed parts in The Expendables 3 and the big-screen adaptation of HBO’s Entourage series. With production ongoing on Fast & Furious 7 and a part in another big-budget Warner Bros. vehicle in hand, people are publicly beginning to wonder if her Octagon days are numbered.

Without much serious competition on the horizon, it’s pretty easy to imagine that proposed December fight—especially if it comes against a high-profile patsy like Carano—could be her last, if it even happens at all.

For her part, Rousey is not making any big promises about how long she’ll stick around.

“You never know how you’re going to feel after a fight,” she told Morgan. “The fights themselves really affect how you feel. If it’s a five-round war, I might not have as many rounds left in me. If it’s a quick finish, then maybe I’ll have some more. It depends on how those fights go.”

Such sentiments likely make UFC brass (and fans of women’s MMA in general) pretty nervous. Rousey has been hailed as perhaps the promotion’s biggest new star, and losing her would be bad news for the fight company and health of the sport she helped build.

The UFC hasn’t really invested in any female fighters beyond Rousey. Its 135-pound women’s division has been a one-horse race since its inception. Yet with the recent addition of a women’s strawweight class and a signed deal to begin showing the all-women InvictaFC organization on its Internet streaming service, it doesn’t seem like the organization is just going to give up on women’s MMA, either.

The wild card in all this, of course, is Rousey. She’s proved to be a savvy and driven businessperson, but being a fighter has consumed basically her entire life. She was a martial arts prodigy nearly from birth (her mom is a decorated judo player), and her innate intensity seems far better suited to a life in gyms and cages than long hours learning lines and hanging around movie sets.

Still, she is smart, and smart people don’t stay in the fight game any longer than they absolutely must.

If there’s a better deal out there for her—and few big-money challenges left in the UFC—nobody will blame her for taking it.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 175 PPV Is a Major Test of UFC’s Strength

It’s no secret that UFC 175 is the biggest event the Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together so far in 2014. The promotion has gone all-in by placing two title fights on one card, as Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey will defend their b…

It’s no secret that UFC 175 is the biggest event the Ultimate Fighting Championship has put together so far in 2014. The promotion has gone all-in by placing two title fights on one card, as Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey will defend their belts.

UFC is also in a fight of its own. Not against another promotion but rather dwindling pay-per-view figures that have continued into 2014. UFC 175 will be an interesting test of the current strength of the promotion as a whole.

One of the big storylines this year is the fact that UFC is suffering from dropping PPV buyrates. This is not a new trend, as the issue first began to rear its head back in 2013.

A review of the PPV buyrate figures provided by MMAPayout.com shows that numbers were up and down throughout most of the year. Bright spots in the forms of UFCs 158, 159, 162 and 168 stand out as the only events for which UFC cracked the 500,000-buyrate threshold.

One interesting point about those cards is that each one featured a fighter who is no longer competing. Georges St-Pierre (UFC 158) Chael Sonnen (UFC 159) and Anderson Silva (UFC 162 and 168) are all away from the sport for one reason or another. They were some of the most important names of the sport at the time.

Whether intentionally or not, the baton has been passed to today’s fighters, and results haven’t been great.

UFC 175 does feature two individuals who were a part of the biggest cards of 2013. Weidman and Rousey helped carry some of the more successful events of 2013. However, they did not do it alone, and this weekend’s card is missing some key components of those nights.

Weidman is fighting Lyoto Machida, who has never been a huge PPV draw. Rousey is facing off against Alexis Davis instead of coming off a season of The Ultimate Fighter with Miesha Tate. These two factors can drastically affect the success of this fight card. If fans don’t show interest in Machida and Davis as foils to the champions, then this show’s numbers will not break the current trend.

As Dave Walsh of MMANuts.com stated, “UFC 175 is a chance for both [Rousey and Weidman] to not only prove themselves in the cage, but to prove themselves as legitimate stars and champions. They’ll have to do it without the help of Anderson Silva, which should make this a lot more interesting.”

Another blow to this card occurred with the removal of Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort. That rivalry was a major talking point which was broken up by Sonnen’s failed drug tests, retirement and eventual termination from the promotion. Losing that fight weakens the undercard of an event that even features Urijah Faber in the preliminaries.

UFC 175 is about more than two champions looking to walk out of the Octagon with their belts in tow. This card will help understand how UFC’s scheduling model has affected the interest in their current product.

If Ronda Rousey and Chris Weidman really are two of the biggest stars that this sport has to offer, then PPV numbers will support that “fact.” If not, UFC will find itself in an interesting position that will need to be addressed one way or another.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 175: Preliminary Card Predictions

The biggest weekend of the year for MMA is upon us, and leading the way is UFC 175. Headlined by two championship fights, the event has a big feel to it and could go down as one of the great events in UFC history.
Chris Weidman defends his title agains…

The biggest weekend of the year for MMA is upon us, and leading the way is UFC 175. Headlined by two championship fights, the event has a big feel to it and could go down as one of the great events in UFC history.

Chris Weidman defends his title against Lyoto Machida, while Ronda Rousey defends her strap against Alexis Davis. Before those main features, though, we have a stacked preliminary card full of promising prospects and established vets.

Last weekend, I was just above the .500 mark. After a solid 4-2 start in New Zealand, I tapped the brakes a bit with a meager 2-3 record in San Antonio.

It’s time to bring my record back up. Here is a look at the preliminary card for UFC 175.

 

2014 Riley’s Record: 88-57

Last Event: 6-5 (UFC Fight Night 43/44)

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UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

UFC 175 hits Las Vegas on Saturday with two championship fights.
UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman defends his title for the second time in his career, and it will be Lyoto Machida challenging him in the main event.
In the co-main event, Ronda Ro…

UFC 175 hits Las Vegas on Saturday with two championship fights.

UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman defends his title for the second time in his career, and it will be Lyoto Machida challenging him in the main event.

In the co-main event, Ronda Rousey defends her bantamweight crown against jiu-jitsu ace Alexis Davis.

Who should you put a little money on? This article is here to help you make a more informed decision by laying out the pre-fight odds for you. It will help you identify the value on the main card of UFC 175. A well-informed bettor has a better chance of beating the odds.

With that said, onward to the main card odds and predictions for UFC 175.

 

All odds provided by Odds Shark.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 175 Fight Hype: Watch Some Rare Footage of Chris Weidman vs. Ryan Bader at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships


(Glad to see the UFC fired the “Step Into Our World” guy and hired a graphic designer who doesn’t work in crayon.)

On the heels of their worst performing pay-per-view in years (allegedly), it would be almost impossible to deny that the UFC is in dire need of a fresh, unique strategy to market UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida. Fights themselves just don’t sell anymore, and even though the card is relatively stacked by today’s incredibly low standards, there ain’t no way it’s selling more than 350k buys without some sort of THE SOLDIER vs. THE COLOSSUS-level advertising.

But being the trailblazers that they are, the UFC has actually forgone the cheap appeal to our love of freakshow fights and/or squash matches in regards to UFC 175 and opted for a different angle entirely: Not promoting it at all.

It’s an…interesting move on the UFC’s part, but one that hasn’t exactly given us much to write about (hence, #WeekofDanga). So in order to do the UFC’s job for them and get you hyped for what should be a hell of a fight between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, we’ve scoured the internet (BloodyElbow) and found you a rare video of Weidman’s upset victory over fellow UFC star Ryan Bader in the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships quarterfinals. Check it out after the jump.


(Glad to see the UFC fired the “Step Into Our World” guy and hired a graphic designer who doesn’t work in crayon.)

On the heels of their worst performing pay-per-view in years (allegedly), it would be almost impossible to deny that the UFC is in dire need of a fresh, unique strategy to market UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida. Fights themselves just don’t sell anymore, and even though the card is relatively stacked by today’s incredibly low standards, there ain’t no way it’s selling more than 350k buys without some sort of THE SOLDIER vs. THE COLOSSUS-level advertising.

But being the trailblazers that they are, the UFC has actually forgone the cheap appeal to our love of freakshow fights and/or squash matches in regards to UFC 175 and opted for a different angle entirely: Not promoting it at all.

It’s an…interesting move on the UFC’s part, but one that hasn’t exactly given us much to write about (hence, #WeekofDanga). So in order to do the UFC’s job for them and get you hyped for what should be a hell of a fight between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, we’ve scoured the internet (BloodyElbow) and found you a rare video of Weidman’s upset victory over fellow UFC star Ryan Bader in the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships quarterfinals. Check it out after the jump.

Well, it’s no Sangmanee Sor Tienpo vs. Hong Thanonchai Tor Sangtiennoi, but that should satisfy your fight fix for today.

Fun fact: Lyoto Machida has yet to be taken down since dropping to middleweight. According to his UFC profile, he also holds one of the highest takedown defense ratios in the UFC at 83%. Probably because most fighters take one whiff of his piss breath and decide that they’d rather get knocked out while fighting at range than spend another second dealing with such a foul odor in close quarters. Seriously, I imagine that this is pretty much how every car ride with Lyoto goes if the windows are up…

The clip went on a little long, but you get what I mean.

–J. Jones