Category Archives: women’s MMA

mixed Martial Arts, UFC, mata MMA

UFC 185: Yana da Showtime!

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Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale / USA A yau Wasanni

Duk da hargitsi samu ta Ultimate yãƙi Gasa ya zuwa yanzu wannan shekara, daga kasa miyagun ƙwayoyi gwaje-gwaje na taurari kamar Jon Jones, Anderson Silva da kuma Nick Diaz, ga reshuffling na UFC 184 saboda wani rauni ga middleweight Zakaran Chris Weidman, kamfanin ya tsĩrar da a Octagon ya zuwa yanzu wannan shekara. Duk da Weidman ta rauni, UFC 184 shi ne har yanzu a smashing nasara godiya ga wata rinjaye yi ta mata bantamweight Zakaran Ronda Rousey.

Yanzu UFC 185 da yake a nan, tare da wani stacked katin da ya kamata liyãfa sake. Wannan katin anchored da BIYU take ta faɗa, taking fans back to a time when the UFC would routinely offer stacked fight cards before rapid expansion under their deal with FOX apparently created an oversaturated product.

Here’s who I think emerges victorious on this talent-filled card.

Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso (17-6) vs. Henry “The Messenger” Cejudo (7-0) (Flyweight – 125 lbs.)

Cariaso is coming off a submission loss to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson last summer. But to be fair, everyone is losing to Johnson these days, and he’s close to cleaning out the flyweight division. Cejudo has yet to experience defeat and enjoyed a unanimous decision victory in his UFC debut late last year.

Cariaso has been a UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) veteran for the last five years and rode a 3-fight win streak prior to his loss to Johnson. Cejudo is a young pup trying to make a name for himself in the UFC, but Cariaso will use his veteran savvy to catch the overeager fighter for a finish.

Winner: Cariaso by second-round TKO

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (21-10) vs. Alistair “The Reem” Overeem (38-14-1) (Heavyweight – 225 lbs.)

I’ll admit up front that I’m not a big Roy Nelson fan. He’s a talented fighter who delivers exciting fights and is an entertaining personality. But ever since he debuted in the UFC and won season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” he feasted on lower-ranked heavyweights like Stefan Struve, Brendan Schaub and Matt Mitrione. But when matched up with elite heavyweights like Fabricio Werdum, Junior Dos Santos and Daniel Cormier (before he dropped to light heavyweight), Nelson was routinely outclassed and battered.

Overeem has also failed to live up to the hype that came with his jump to the UFC. After he demolished Brock Lesnar in 2011, a title shot was in the works against then-champion Junior Dos Santos. But the fight never materialized due to injuries and Overeem suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Antonio Silva and Travis Browne.

Overeem has alternated wins and losses since then but is coming off a first-round knockout of Struve. Nelson was knocked out in his last fight against Mark Hunt, which despite Nelson’s usually iron chin, does not come as a shock, given Hunt’s incredible punching power.
Overeem may not have Hunt’s power, but I think he will batter Nelson for a rather lopsided decision victory. At this stage in his career, Nelson is a gatekeeper. But “The Reem” doesn’t need to prove himself against a brawler like Nelson.

Winner: Overeem by unanimous decision

Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks (16-3) vs. Matt “The Immortal” Brown (21-12) (Welterweight – 170 lbs.)

Speaking of brawling and battering, this fight has all the makings of a Fight of the Year candidate. Hendricks dropped the welterweight title to Robbie Lawler last year and should he win this fight, a rematch with Lawler is all but assured – assuming Lawler gets past Rory McDonald later this year.

Brown also lost to Lawler in his last fight and was also on the receiving end of a brutal beating. Hendricks and Brown tend to just slug it out and ask questions later, which should result in an entertaining fight for the fans. Hendricks seems to have renewed his commitment to MMA following his loss to Lawler and he seems driven to get his belt back. Brown is as game as they come, but Hendricks will prove to be too much.

Winner: Hendricks by second-round TKO

Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (11-2) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (8-0) (Women’s Strawweight Title – 115 lbs.)

Esparza made her UFC debut with a bang by winning the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” to feature all female fighters, and in the process become the UFC’s first women’s strawweight champion. She effectively derailed the Rose Namajunas hype train to win the belt, when some were dubbing Namajunas the next Ronda Rousey in the strawweight division.

Jedrzejczyk derailed a favorite in her own right, defeating highly regarded Claudia Gadelha last year by a close decision when many thought Gadelha would be Esparza’s first title defense. Jedrzejczyk is a grinder who thrives in an ugly fight in close quarters. Esparza used her wrestling to neutralize Namajunas’ quick-striking offense, so getting into an ugly fight with Jedrzejczyk shouldn’t faze Esparza one bit. Esparza will take Jedrzejczyk down early and often and ride her wrestling to a decision victory.

Winner: Esparza by unanimous decision

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (18-2) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (23-7) (Lightweight Title – 155 lbs.)

Pettis has been absolutely dominant as of late, not only winning the lightweight title from Benson Henderson in quick and exciting fashion with a first-round armbar but routinely displaying his amazing athleticism and using it to quickly shoot himself up the best pound-for-pound fighter list.

But Dos Anjos is not to be taken lightly. He too finished Henderson in the first round and earned his title shot by absolutely dismantling Nate Diaz late last year. Dos Anjos is tough and will know that Pettis is looking for a quick finish. He won’t get it, but Pettis’ freakish athleticism will make its presence felt eventually and overcome Dos Anjos and solidify Pettis’ case as one of the best lightweight fighters of all time.

Winner: Pettis by second-round submission

Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also shares his thoughts on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.

Bellator, mixed Martial Arts, Karu TV, mata MMA

Bellator MMA continues to grow women’s featherweight roster with Roberta “Wa Huɗama” Paim, Alexis “Sneaky alfadari” Dufresne da Iona Razafiarison

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SANTA Monica, Calif. (Maris 12, 2015) – Bellator MMA ya rage aikata wa masu tasowa saman mata featherweight rabo a cikin mixed Martial Arts, and the latest additions to the company’s roster include Roberta “Wa Huɗama” Paim (4-0), Alexis “Sneaky alfadari” Dufresne (5-2) da kuma Iona Razafiarison (2-0).

 

Halarta a karon kwanakin da kuma abokan adawar za a sanar ga dukan uku mayakan a nan gaba.

Paim, Dufresne da Razafiarison Join Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe (5-4), Julia “A Jewell” Amfani (7-2),Marloes “Rumina” Coenen (22-6), Holly “Lil Bear” Lawson (0-1) da kuma Talita “Na uku” Irin goro (6-0) a kan Bellator MMA mata featherweight zakara.

“Muna alfahari da za a kawo wadannan uku da talented 'yan wasa zuwa ga mata featherweight division,” ya ce Bellator shugaban kasar Scott Coker. “I see several potential matchups that would make for some great fights. We will continue to build and support the premiere women’s featherweight division in MMA.”

A 'yan qasar na Rio Grande yi Sul, Brazil, 5-ƙafa-6 Paim ne undefeated ta farko hudu gasar ta sana'a aiki. Duk da yake dadi a cikin biyayya game, da iko Paim ya yi amfani da karfi daukan hankali game kawo karshen ta faɗa, da kuma. Fada na musamman a cikin ta 'yan qasar kasar ta haka ne zuwa yanzu, Paim ya basu sami guda abokin gaba iya wanzuwa da bude zagaye, kamar yadda ta ya riƙi gida farko-zagaye kare a kowace ta bugawa zuwa kwanan wata.

24 mai shekaru Dufresne ne mai Team FATAWA jirgin saman soja da biyar lokaci International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu-Federation duniya zakara. Dufresne ya juya ta da hankali ga gauraye Martial Arts a 2012 kuma rattled kashe biyar a jere wins don fara ta aiki – duk biyar sakamakon zuwan a bude zagaye da averaging kawai a karkashin 77 seconds a tsawon. More kwanan nan, Dufresne kika aika wani biyu daga m-yi yaƙi yanke shawara yayin da yin gudu a 135 fam amma yanzu ya kõmo zuwa ta fi na halitta nauyi aji na 145 Burtaniya ta Bellator MMA halarta a karon.

Razafiarison ne mai Faransa fitarwa wanda ya zira kwallon nasarori a cikin ta farko da biyu da masu sana'a gasar. 30 mai shekaru Razafiarison, mai grappling gwani wanda ya horar da a sansanonin a duk faɗin duniya, suka yi jihãdi mafi kwanan nan a watan Janairu, a lõkacin da ta sanã'anta a yanke shawara nasara a kan Sandra Ameziane. A cikin ta sana'a halarta a karon, Razafiarison zira kwallaye a farko-zagaye biyayya.

 

Game da Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA ne mai abu Mixed Martial Arts kungiyar featuring da yawa daga cikin mafi kyau mayakan a duniya. A karkashin shugabanci na tsohon soja yaki mai kiran kasuwa Scott Coker, Bellator yana samuwa ga kusan 400 miliyan gidajensu a dukan duniya a kan 120 kasashen. A Amurka, Bellator za a iya gani a kan Karu TV, da MMA talabijin shugaban. Bellator MMA ƙunshi wani m tawagar da ya hada kai masana'antu kwararru a talabijin samar, live taron orchestration, jirgin saman soja ci gaban / dangantakar, wuri samuwa, tallafawa halittar / raya kasa, kasa da kasa lasisi, marketing, talla, talla da hukumar dangantakar. Bellator dogara ne a Santa Monica, California da kuma mallakar nisha giant Viacom, gida don a duniya firaministan nisha brands cewa gama da masu sauraro, ta hanyar tursasawa abun ciki a fadin talabijin, motsi hoto, online da hannu dandamali.

 

Game da Karu TV:

Karu TV yana samuwa a 98.7 miliyan gidajensu, kuma shi ne mai rabo na Viacom Media Networks. A naúrar na Viacom (NASDAQ: Via, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks yana daya daga cikin duniya abu halitta na shirye-shirye da kuma abun ciki a fadin dukan kafofin watsa labarai dandamali. Karu TV ta yanar-gizo adireshin ne www.spike.com kuma don har-da-da-minti daya da kuma Siyasa latsa bayanai da hotuna, ziyarci Karu TV ta tura shafin a http://www.spike.com/press. Bi da mu a kan Twitter spiketvpr ga m, a watse labarai updates, bayan-da-al'amuran bayanai da hotuna.
mixed Martial Arts, UFC, mata MMA

Ronda Rousey- The Cleaner

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Photo Credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Given that it’s tax season, it’s a good time to remember that are there three guarantees in life: death, taxes and Ronda Rousey once again showing why she is the best female fighter on the planet with a first-round demolition of her opponent.

Rousey’s performance at UFC 184 last month was her finest to date. She submitted Cat Zingano, widely regarded as Rousey’s biggest challenge, a 14 seconds. While Rousey was aided by an absolutely horrible strategy by Zingano, her virtuoso performance led to another discussion of who has what it takes to dethrone Rousey. It also led to a ridiculous conversation of whether or not Rousey could compete against and defeat male fighters in the UFC’s bantamweight division. The less time spent on that absurd notion that accomplishes nothing but trying to discredit the great fighter Rousey is, the better.

I mana, the first name that always comes up is Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the Invicta FC featherweight champion. She is expected to drop to 135 pounds for a fight with Invicta this summer before moving on to a fight with Rousey. Duk da haka, Cyborg attempted a drop to bantamweight last year and abandoned those plans. So I wouldn’t hold my breath on the long-awaited grudge match between Rousey and Cyborg happening anytime soon.

Rousey recently expressed a desire to fight Bethe Correia, who battered two of Rousey’s “Four Horsewomen” teammates and has been calling Rousey out ever since. Jessica Eye has also staked her claim to a title shot, but neither of these women pose a real threat to Rousey. During UFC 184’s postfight coverage, Daniel Cormier floated the idea of his colleague Miesha Tate getting a third crack at Rousey.

Besides the fact I think trilogies should be reserved only when each fighter has a victory over the other, I see no reason why third time would be a charm for Tate. While she is the only woman to go further than the first round with Rousey, Tate has plateaued as a fighter while Rousey has gotten better. If the two were to fight a third time, I see no reason to believe the result would be any different.

So where does this leave Rousey? A ganina, she has cleaned out the UFC women’s bantamweight division. There is no one who poses a credible threat to her. If Zingano adjusted her strategy and received another shot at Rousey, she might have a chance of winning. Beyond that, if Rousey decided to go out on top and build on her burgeoning film career, I don’t think anyone would hold it against her.

Rousey is currently on a run akin to Anderson Silva’s run atop the UFC’s middleweight division. He dominated everyone in his path and except for his first fight with Chael Sonnen, made it look easy. Rousey’s hardest fight to date was against Liz Carmouche, when she had Rousey in a rear naked choke in the first round of their fight in 2013 before Rousey was able to escape and secure another armbar victory.

Silva’s reign atop the middleweight division came to an end when the previously unknown Chris Weidman came along and showed no fear and took the fight to Silva. Maybe that’s what needs to happen with Rousey. She needs to find an opponent who will get right in her face, give her no quarter and take the fight to her. Zingano attempted that at UFC 184, but her overzealousness ended up costing her dearly.

Until Rousey finds her own Chris Weidman, we can add another superlative to the many that are already attached to the women’s bantamweight champion: cleaner. Rousey is fresh out of worthy challengers to her crown, a task she accomplished by cleaning out her division.

Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also shares his thoughts on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.

Mai son MMA, mixed Martial Arts, New England Combats, mata MMA

Maine'S FARKO kamar wata DA NEF MMA keji

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Randi Beth Knowles and Bruce Boyington

Lewiston, Maine (Maris 5, 2015) - New England Combats (NEF), Amurka ta lambar-daya yankin yaki gabatarwa, ta sake koma cikin Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine a kan Afrilu 11, 2015 tare da goma sha bakwai mixed-Martial Arts- (MMA) taron. Da yaki katin zai ƙunshi Bruce “M Boy” Boyington (10-7) kare NEF MMA Hur Title da lambar-daya contender Jamie Harrison (5-1) a babban taron. Bugu da kari, Boyington matar, Randi Bet Knowles (0-0), ya sanar da ita mai son MMA halarta a karon da Alex Walker (0-0) a cikin mace 115-kore strawweight rabo. Zai kasance karo na farko kamar wata ya competed tare a kan wani NEF yaki katin.

 

Knowles a halin yanzu basu horo a karkashin mijinta a Boyington ta Taekwondo Academy kuma Young ta MMA a Bangor, Maine. A yau da kullum a bodybuilding da dacewa gasa a fadin yankin, Knowles wani baƙo don yin kafin babban masu sauraro. Ta ya keji-gefe saboda mutane da yawa na Boyington ta da bouts, sai ta maraba da kalubale da za su zo a lõkacin da ta sami kanta a daya gefen keji bango a kan Afrilu 11.

 

“Bayan kallon da yawa na Bruce ta ta faɗa, Ba zan iya zama mafi m don samun mai ɗanɗanar abin da ya ke so a ciki na keji,” ce Knowles. “Na ko da yaushe na son anã fitinar da toughest kalubale yiwu. Na gode NEF ga kawo mata MMA zuwa Maine da babban gode wa Portland Gina Jiki Corner, Abbott rufi Plus, Lewis Used Car Sales, A & Toby ga dukan su goyon baya.”

 

Knowles’ abokin gaba, Alex Walker, ba da za a dauka ɗauka da sauƙi. Walker basu horo daga cikin Kaze Dojo a Lancaster, New Hampshire. Zuwa a daga daga-daga-gari don yaki, Walker relishes a wasa da muhimmancin underdog da fatan su ma wasa da muhimmancin mai batawa a kan Afrilu 11.

 

“Na zo ne daga wani gari na 2,500 mutane,” Said Walker. “Babu wanda bukata in yi kyau. Babu wanda abada bukata mu tawagar ya iya yin rataya da girma gyms. Ina son shi a lokacin da mutane rashin sanin cikakken farashi da mu, shi ya sa ni.”

NEF ta gaba MMA taron, “NEF XVII,” An shirya faru a kanAfrilu 11, 2015 a Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine. Bruce “M Boy” Boyington (10-7) Yanã yin faɗa da NEF MMA Hur Title da lambar-daya contender Jamie Harrison (5-1). Bugu da kari, Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-1) ya gana Dennis Olson (12-7) a cikin wani welterweight hamayya. Tikiti na “NEF XVII” fara a kawai $25 kuma suna sayarwa a yanzu a www.TheColisee.com ko ta kira The Colisee akwatin ofishin a 207.783.2009 x 525. Don ƙarin bayani a kan taron da kuma yaki katin updates, ziyarci gabatarwa ta website a www.NewEnglandFights.com. Bugu da kari, za ka iya duba NEF bidiyo a www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, bi su a kan Twitternefights, kuma Ka riskar da hukuma Facebook kungiyar "New England ta faɗa."

 

Game da New England Combats

 

New England Combats ("NEF") ne mai yaki abubuwan kiran kasuwa kamfanin. NEF ta manufa shi ne ba ga Ya halitta mafi ingancin abubuwan gare Maine ta mayakan da magoya m. NEF ta zartarwa tawagar yana da m kwarewa a fama wasanni management, abubuwan samar, kafofin watsa labaru dangantakar, marketing, shari'a da kuma talla.

Mai son MMA, mixed Martial Arts, New England Combats, mata MMA

Tarihin TO a yi AFRILU 11 DA FARKO PRO MATA YA yãƙi a cikin Maine

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Lewiston, Maine (Fabrairu 25, 2015) - New England Combats (NEF), Amurka ta lambar-daya yankin yaki gabatarwa, ta sake koma cikin Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine a kan Afrilu 11, 2015 tare da goma sha bakwai mixed-Martial Arts- (MMA) taron. Tun da farko a yau, kamfanin sanar Bugu da kari na kwararren mace strawweight fadan da yaki katin. Kaline “Cikin Duhu Angel” Medeiros (3-4) ya sanya hannu ga fuskarka Calie “A Honey Badger” Cutler (3-0) a wani yaki nauyin 115-fam. Zai kasance na farko da masu sana'a mata yãƙi, a Maine tun jihar majalisar dokoki halatta wasanni na MMA a 2009.

 

“Yana da gaske bakin ciki cewa shi ke dauka wannan dogon,” ya ce NEF co-mai shi da mai kiran kasuwa Nick DiSalvo. “Muna babbar magoya na mata MMA a NEF. Mun yi kokari yawa sau a saka pro mata ta faɗa da juna, amma sun yi ko da yaushe ta hanyar auku. Tarihi zai karshe a yi a kan Afrilu 11 da kuma, sake, NEF ne kan gaba wajen. Muna fatan da magoya zai fito da goyon bayan wannan yaki, goyon bayan mata MMA. Wannan ne mai matukar alfahari lokacin ga kowa da kowa hannu. Yana da wani mataki a kan hanya don MMA a Maine.”

 

Wannan ba zai zama karo na farko Kaline Medeiros Ya sanya tarihi a cikin keji. A 2013, Medeiros sa kuma ya yi a, kuma ya lashe, na farko-taba mata MMA fadan da za a tsaya takarar a Rhode Island. Yaki daga Fall River, Massachusetts, Medeiros ne mai 'yan qasar na Brazil da aka horar a MMA tun 2008. Bayan fuskantar saman mace fafatawa a gasa tun isa a cikin masu sana'a darajõji, irin su Invicta FC Tsohon soji Peggy Morgan (3-2) kuma Stephanie Eggink (4-2), wanda ta buga cikin adalci bakwai-seconds, Medeiros lalle ne, haƙĩƙa na da kwarewa da kuma pedigree don samun zuwa na gaba matakin a cikin wasanni.

 

“Yau da yardarsa zuwa kira dukan magoya domin mai zuwa yãƙi a kanAfrilu 11,” Said Medeiros. “NEF aka kawo ni da in kasance farkon taba sana'a mace jirgin saman soja da fatar a cikin keji, yana da wani daraja a gare ni. Mun gode NEF ga fitarwa, kuma ba zan iya jira kawo mai ban sha'awa yaki domin magoya.”

Michigan ta Calie Cutler ya tãyar da mai yawa girare tun yin ta MMA halarta a karon a 2012. Cutler amassed mai ban sha'awa 7-1 rikodin a matsayin mai son kafin juya pro. Ta gama dukan uku ta abokan adawar a matsayin sana'a, ciki har da na biyu-zagaye biyayya nasara a kan Nikki Duncan (0-1) karshe karshen mako a kan wani yaki SIM a Michigan. Cutler zai duba ci gaba ta undefeated gudana a matsayin sana'a ta hanyar zuwa babban wasannin na wasanni a lõkacin da ta gana Kaline Medeiros a kan Afrilu 11 a Lewiston.

NEF ta gaba MMA taron, “NEF XVII,” An shirya faru a kan Afrilu 11, 2015 a Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine. Bruce “M Boy” Boyington (10-7) Yanã yin faɗa da NEF MMA Hur Title da lambar-daya contender Jamie Harrison (5-1). Bugu da kari, Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-1) ya gana Dennis Olson (12-7) a cikin wani welterweight hamayya. Tikiti na “NEF XVII” fara a kawai $25 kuma suna sayarwa a yanzu awww.TheColisee.com ko ta kira The Colisee akwatin ofishin a207.783.2009 x 525. Don ƙarin bayani a kan taron da kuma yaki katin updates, ziyarci gabatarwa ta website a www.NewEnglandFights.com. Bugu da kari, za ka iya duba NEF bidiyo a www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, bi su a kan Twitternefights, kuma Ka riskar da hukuma Facebook kungiyar "New England ta faɗa."

 

Game da New England Combats

 

New England Combats ("NEF") ne mai yaki abubuwan kiran kasuwa kamfanin. NEF ta manufa shi ne ba ga Ya halitta mafi ingancin abubuwan gare Maine ta mayakan da magoya m. NEF ta zartarwa tawagar yana da m kwarewa a fama wasanni management, abubuwan samar, kafofin watsa labaru dangantakar, marketing, shari'a da kuma talla.

mixed Martial Arts, UFC, mata MMA

Dana White and the Women

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Photo Credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Asabar, Feb. 28, is going to be a landmark day for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. All the fighters on the pay-per-view card that day will pass their pre-fight drug…….never mind. That’s too easy.

That day will be the first time a UFC card features women’s bouts in both its co-main event and main event. After middleweight champion Chris Weidman was forced to withdraw from his fight against Vitor Belfort due to injury, the new main event at UFC 184 is Ronda Rousey defending her women’s bantamweight belt against Cat Zingano. A cikin co-main taron, much-heralded prospect Holly Holm will make her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington in another women’s bantamweight fight.

As I’ve mentioned before, UFC has come a long way from when Dana White told TMZ that women would “never” fight in his organization. Rousey will main event her third consecutive February PPV and Holm is widely believed to be the next in line for a shot at the title, should she defeat Pennington. Holm is still very raw in mixed martial arts, but trains with the world renowned coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.

Rousey is carrying the flag for women’s MMA and for women in the UFC. Other female fighters have followed her into the Octagon, including Miesha Tate, Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis. What do those three have in common? They all also fell to Rousey – Tate twice in Strikeforce and the UFC, and Carmouche and Davis both in the first round at UFC PPVs in 2013 da kuma 2014, bi da bi.

Rousey and Tate’s feud is well-chronicled. It led to the two being coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, which included female fighters for the very first time who greatly outshined their male counterparts on the show that season.

Given that season’s success, the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter featured ALL female fighters and the debut of the UFC’s newest division, women’s strawweight. Carla Esparza, the former Invicta FC strawweight champion, won the inaugural UFC version of that belt after defeating Rose Namajunas.

So in the span of four years, UFC goes from having no female fighters and White emphatically stating that it never will, to being home to TWO female weight classes and undoubtedly the promotion’s biggest star right now in Rousey. Don’t believe me? Did you see the third Expendables movie? Or do you plan on seeing the film version of Entourage this summer? You might notice a familiar face.

So where does women’s MMA go from here? I am personally a big fan of female fights, as they tend to be among the more entertaining and action-packed fights on a UFC card. As I previously stated, female fighters are more than capable of outshining their male contemporaries. Why is that? Maybe female fighters feel they have more to prove inside the Octagon and always go for broke. Maybe they go into the Octagon with more of a “go for broke” mentality and actively seek a finish as opposed to “playing it safe.”

The fight between Rousey and Zingano on Feb. 28 will also go a long way toward determining the future of women’s MMA. Should Rousey defeat Zingano – which all signs indicate she will – she will have essentially cleaned out her division, with only unknown challengers like Holm and Bethe Correia left. If Zingano pulls the upset, then the division has a fresh batch of exciting matchups waiting.

But who knows what would have happened if Dana White kept his promise to TMZ?

Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.

Fox Sports 1, mixed Martial Arts, UFC, mata MMA

UFC 183: Who will show up?

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Photo Credit: UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has hit it out of the park so far in 2015, with its first two major cards of the year living up to the hype of their main events. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones dominated Daniel Cormier to prove he is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world at UFC 182, and at the UFC’s live card in Boston, Taro., a watan Janairu, Conor McGregor secured a featherweight title shot against José Aldo and wasted no time getting in his next opponent’s face.

Which brings us to UFC 183 yau da dare, and a main event that is considered a dream matchup by many. Anderson Silva returns to the Octagon after suffering a gruesome leg injury in his last fight against UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in 2013. Nick Diaz also makes his return to the UFC after losing his last fight against former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in 2013.

Tonight’s card isn’t without its other storylines though. A pair of significant undercard fights are taking place under some controversy, as flyweight John Lineker came in overweight for his fight against Ian McCall, which is expected to determine the next no. 1 contender to the flyweight title. A cikin co-main taron, Kelvin Gastelum came in 9 pounds overweight for his fight against Tyron Woodley, which means 30 percent of Gastelum’s fight purse actually goes to Woodley. Talk about insult to injury.

I mana, there is always the wild card with Diaz too. He plays by his own rules, having no-showed the open workouts earlier this week. Will he actually show up to the cage for tonight’s main event? It remains to be seen, though most everyone thinks he will.

Don haka, having said all that, who do I think wins tonight?

Miesha “Cupcake” Tate (15-5) vs. Sara McMann (8-1) (Women’s bantamweight – 135 lbs.)

This is actually the main event of the preliminary card on Fox Sports 1. Tate requested to compete on this portion of the card instead of the pay-per-view card, taking a page from Urijah Faber’s playbook. Tate is also eager for a third fight with Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title. Both of these women suffered Rousey’s wrath, particularly McMann, who was demolished by Rousey in about a minute last year.

McMann is a pure wrestler with very little else to her repertoire, whereas Tate built on her established wrestling skills to become an effective striker. I think she will stuff McMann’s attempts to take this fight to the mat and use her vastly superior striking skills to keep McMann befuddled en route to a dominant victory.

Winner: Tate by unanimous decision

Jordan “Young Gun” Mein (29-9) vs. Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (25-9) (Welterweight – 170 lbs.)

Alves has alternated wins and losses in his last six fights, while Mein rides a two-fight win streak. Alves is always dangerous with his Muay Thai and striking, while Mein landed a first-round TKO victory in his last fight. This should be an exciting stand-up battle with neither guy willing to give an inch. I think Alves is the more dangerous fighter here, and will land one good shot to knock Mein silly.

Winner: Alves by second round TKO

Thales Leites (24-4) vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch (18-7) (Middleweight – 185 lbs.)

Leites comes into this fight on a roll, having won his last seven fights, with the last two coming by way of TKO. Boetsch has alternated wins and losses in his last four fights, including a TKO victory in his last fight against Brad Tavares.

Boetsch is a slow, plodding bruiser best known for derailing the Hector Lombard hype train when he first made his UFC debut. Leites is a crafty, dangerous fighter who can finish you with his hands or by submission. I think Leites will avoid Boetsch’s power and wait for Boetsch to make a mistake, where Leits will capitalize.

Winner: Leites by third round submission

Joe Lauzon (24-10) vs. Al “Raging” Iaquinta (10-3-1) (Lightweight – 155 lbs.)

You know what you’re getting with a Joe Lauzon fight. You’re going to see an exciting, action packed bout that will most likely end with him locking in a slick submission or, in the case of his fight against Jim Miller, suffering a gnarly cut that will guarantee a blood battle.

Iaquinta has been on a roll since his time on The Ultimate Fighter Live, having only lost once in his last six fights. A win against Lauzon would be a real feather in his cap and might propel him into title contendership discussion. But Lauzon is one of the best submission specialists in the UFC, and I think the crafty veteran has another submission up his sleeve.

Winner: Lauzon by second round submission

Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley (14-3) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (11-0) (Welterweight – 170 lbs.)

As mentioned above, Gastelum weighed in 9 pounds over for this fight and will forfeit 30 percent of his purse directly to Woodley. It was reported that Gastelum spent time in the hospital leading up to this fight, which contributed to him coming in overweight.

Woodley will be angry in this fight, and rightly so. It’s not fair that his opponent will have a weight advantage due to his own failure to do what he was supposed to do. Give Woodley credit for wanting to keep fighting when it would have been perfectly understandable to postpone it.

Woodley will channel his rage into a blitzkrieg of offense at Gastelum, and the lethargic and probably still-injured Gastelum will have no response.

Winner: Woodley by second round TKO

Anderson "The Spider" Silva (33-6) vs. Nick Diaz (27-9-1) (Middleweight – 185 lbs.)

This is one of the several main events that have fight fans buzzing in 2015. Many didn’t think Silva would ever walk again after his leg injury against Weidman, let alone come back to the UFC to fight. The matchup style of Diaz wanting to push the pace, get in his opponent’s face and sucker him into trading blows against Silva’s unrivaled elusiveness will be interesting to watch.

Diaz said he wouldn’t trash talk Silva during this fight out of respect. But if Silva keeps bobbing and weaving and dodging Diaz’s punches, we’ll see how long Diaz commits to that. I think we’ll see vintage Silva in this fight, making Diaz look silly in some spots while landing well-timed strikes that will confuse and frustrate Diaz, which will allow Silva to land even more.

Diaz is too tough to finish, but this fight will show that Silva still has it and is the vastly superior fighter.

Winner: Silva by unanimous decision

Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.