Category Archives: women’s MMA

e tsoakiloeng libetsa, UFC, basali MMA

UFC 185: It’s Showtime!

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Photo photo photo photo Credit: Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports

Despite the turmoil experienced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship so far this year, from the failed drug tests of stars like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz, to the reshuffling of UFC 184 because of an injury to middleweight champion Chris Weidman, the company has delivered in the Octagon so far this year. Despite Weidman’s injury, UFC 184 was still a smashing success thanks to another dominant performance by women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Now UFC 185 is here, with another stacked card that should entertain once again. This card is anchored by TWO title fights, 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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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, e tsoakiloeng libetsa, Spike TV, basali MMA

Bellator MMA continues to grow women’s featherweight roster with Roberta “Bee” Paim, Alexis “Sneaky Zebra” Dufresne le Iona Razafiarison

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Santa Monica, Dorella. (March 12, 2015) – Bellator MMA o hlola ka ho ikemiseditse ho ho ntshetsa pele top basali featherweight le karohano e tsoakiloeng libetsa, and the latest additions to the company’s roster include Roberta “Bee” Paim (4-0), Alexis “Sneaky Zebra” Dufresne (5-2) le Iona Razafiarison (2-0).

 

Qalo matlha le bahanyetsi ba tla ile a phatlalatsa bakeng sa bohle tse tharo bahlabani ka nako e tlang.

Paim, Dufresne le Razafiarison Join Arlene “Angerfist” Blencowe (5-4), Julia “The Jewell” Rua molemo (7-2),Marloes “Rumina” Coenen (22-6), Holly “Lil Bear” Lawson (0-1) le Talita “Boraro” Lepa (6-0) ka Bellator MMA basali featherweight lenane.

“Re ntse u motlotlo ho ho tlisa tsena tse tharo nang le talente baatlelete ho sa rona sa basadi featherweight karohano,” a re Bellator Mopresidente 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 letsoalloa la Rio Grande etsa Sul, Brazil, le 5 ba maoto a-6, Paim e Krrish ka pele tse 'ne litlholisano ea hae setsebi mosebetsi. Ha a ntse a iketlile ka ikokobelletsa tai game, e matla Paim o sebelisitse e matla otla tai game ho felisa lintoa, hammoho. Loantša feela ea hae habo naha ho fihlela hona joale, Paim o na le leha ho le joalo ho fumana e le 'ngoe lireng khona ho sa feleng nakong e fetileng a qalang pota, ha a ntse a e nkile lapeng pele ho pota se qeta nngwe le e nngwe ea hae eka ke ho ratana.

Tse 24 lilemo li Dufresne ke Team Quest ntoa se le tse hlano nako e International Brazil Jiu-Jitsu Federation lefatše mampoli. Dufresne reteleha hae tlhokomelo ea ka ho tsoakane libetsa a 2012 le rattled theoha go duma a hapa ho qala ho hae mosebetsi – tsohle tse hlano ditshupetso tse dingwe dipoelo a tla ka a qalang bang bang averaging ka tlaase ho 77 metsotsoana e bolelele ba. Morao tjena, Dufresne lahlela e para ya ka thata-loana liqeto ha re ntse ho etsa li matha ka 135 lik'hilograma tse empa hona joale o khutlela ho eena ho feta tlhaho boima sehlopheng sa 145 lik'hilograma tse bakeng sa hae Bellator MMA qalo.

Razafiarison ke French ya thomelo ntle ya ea notched tlholo ea hae tse peli tse qalang setsebi litlholisano. E 30 lilemo li Razafiarison, e grappling setsebi ea koetlisitsoeng likampong tsa tsohle tsa lefatse, loana morao ka ho fetisisa ka January, ha a ne a e sebelelitseng qeto hapang Sandra Ameziane. Ea hae setsebi qalo, Razafiarison scored ya ntlha ho pota ikokobelletsa.

 

Ka Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA ke e itlhomme pele Mixed Martial Arts mokhatlo o hlophisitsoeng featuring ba bangata ba molemo ka ho fetisisa bahlabani lefatšeng. Tlas'a tataiso ea veteran ntoa a ntsetsa pele Scott Coker, Bellator e fumaneha hoo li ka bang 400 limilione tse malapeng a lefatseng ka bophara ka ka 120 linaheng. United States, Bellator ka bonoa ka Spike TV, le MMA thelevishene moeta-pele. Bellator MMA e comprised ea wa lekgotla la phethahatso sehlopha e kenyeletsang holimo kgwebong ya a thelevishene tlhahiso, phela ketsahalo mogokaganyi, ntoa se ntshetsopele / dikamano, lefelo la phumantsho ya thepa ka, lihlapiso tlholego ya ditiro / ntshetsopele, machaba dilaesense, tsa mebaraka, papatso, phatlalatsoa le taelo e e kopanela liphate. Bellator e thehiloe a Santa Monica, California le ruilweng ke boithabiso senatla Viacom, ba lula ho lefatse Tonakgolo boithabiso Brands hore amahanya le bamameli ba ka ho le qobellang dikahare ka mose thelevishene, tshisinyo setšoantšo, Inthaneteng 'me Mobile platforms.

 

Ka Spike TV:

Spike TV e fumaneha ka 98.7 limilione tse malapeng a 'me ke ho makala a Viacom Media Networks. A yuniti ya Viacom (NASDAQ: Via, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks ke e mong oa eona e itlhommeng pele bakeli ya merero le dikahare ka mose bohle mecha ea litaba platforms. Spike TV ea Internet aterese ya ke www.spike.com le bakeng sa morao-le metsotso le bobolokelo-tshedimosetso o tobetsa boitsebiso bo le litsoantso, etela Spike TV ea o tobetsa setsa sa kopano se -http://www.spike.com/press. Latela re on Twitter spiketvpr ya moraorao ya a ho tlōla diapdeite tsa ditaba, ka mor'a-e-litšoantšo tlhahisoleseding le foto.
e tsoakiloeng libetsa, UFC, basali MMA

Ronda Rousey- The Cleaner

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Photo photo photo 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 metsotsoana e. 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, betere.

Ehlile, 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. Leha ho le joalo, 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? Ho ea ka 'na, 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: hloekile. 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.

Amateur MMA, e tsoakiloeng libetsa, New England ho loana ka, basali MMA

Maine OA banyalani ba pele YA NEF MMA Cage

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Randi Beth Knowles and Bruce Boyington

Lewiston, Maine (March 5, 2015) - New England ho loana ka (NEF), Amerika oa nomoro ya-e mong o lebatowa ntoa ntshetsopele, khutlela ho ea Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine ka April 11, 2015 e nang le metso e supileng e tsoakiloeng-sesole-bonono (MMA) ketsahalo. Ntoeng karete ya tla Feature Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (10-7) sireletsa NEF MMA bobebe Title khahlanong le nomoro ya-e mong o contender Jamie Harrison (5-1) e kholo ea ho ketsahalo. Holim'a moo, Boyington mosali oa, Randi Bethe Knowles (0-0), tla etsa hore hae tsenwe MMA qalo khahlanong le Alex Walker (0-0) a e tšehali 115-boima ba strawweight karohano. Ho tla ba ka lekhetlo la pele banyalani ba bang ba o competed mmogo ka e NEF ntoa karete ya.

 

Knowles e hona joale koetlisa tlas'a monna oa hae ka Boyington oa Taekwondo Academy le Young oa MMA Bangor, Maine. A kamehla ka bodybuilding le nonofo ya dikgaisano ka mose ho sebakeng, Knowles ke tseba hore na ho ho phetha pele khōlō bamameli ba. O ile a e bile gorole-lehlakoreng ho ba bangata ba Boyington tsa nakong e fetileng bouts, 'me o amohela ea phephetso e tla tla ha a ne a fumana ka boeena o ka lehlakoreng le leng ea gorole lerako ka April 11.

 

“Ka mor'a hore ho shebella e le ba bangata ba Bruce oa lintoa, Ke ne e ke ke go kgatlhegela ho fumana e le tatso ka seo se tšoana ka hare ea gorole,” a ile a re Knowles. “Ke kamehla rata a ntse a lekoa le toughest le mathata a ho khoneha. Ke leboha NEF bakeng sa tlisa basali MMA Maine hammoho le khōlō u leboha Portland Nutrition Corner, Abbott Insulation Plus, Lewis Sebelisoa Car Sales, E & Toby bakeng sa bohle ba u tsehetse.”

 

Knowles’ lireng, Alex Walker, e a se ke a ho nkoa ka habobebe. Walker koetlisang ka ntle ho Kaze Dojo a Lancaster, New Hampshire. Tla a e-tsoa tsoa--of-motse bakeng sa ntoa, Walker relishes a bapala karolo ea ho ba underdog le le tšepa le ene a bapala karolo ea ho ba mosenyi ka April 11.

 

“Ke tla ho tloha motseng ea 2,500 batho ba,” o ile a re Walker. “Ha ho motho o lebeletse hore ke etsa hantle. Ha ho motho leha e le neng o lebeletse sehlopha sa rona ho ba khona ho e qeta le khōloanyane Gym. Ke rata e ha batho ba halala re, e susumelletsa 'na.”

NEF a latelang MMA ketsahalo, “NEF XVII,” e ho lokiselitsoe ho etsahalaApril 11, 2015 ka Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine. Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (10-7) tla sireletsa NEF MMA bobebe Title khahlanong le nomoro ya-e mong o contender Jamie Harrison (5-1). Holim'a moo, Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-1) kopana le Dennis Olson (12-7) ka welterweight tlholisanong. Ditekete tsa “NEF XVII” qala ka feela $25 'me li ka Sale hona joale ka www.TheColisee.com kapa ka bitsa The Colisee lebokose le reng ofisi ea 207.783.2009 X 525. Bakeng sa boitsebiso bo eketsehileng ka ketsahalo le ho loana karete ya diapdeite, ka kōpo etela ntshetsopele oa setsheng sa inthanete sa www.NewEnglandFights.com. Holim'a moo, o ka shebella NEF livideo ka www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, latela ba ba ka Twitternefights le ho ba setho ya semmuso ya Facebook sehlopha "New England loana."

 

Ka New England ho loana ka

 

New England ho loana ka ("NEF") ke ho loana moodle moodle moodle ho phahamiswa khampani. NEF thomo ea ke ho bopa phahameng ka ho fetisisa boleng moodle moodle moodle bakeng sa Maine oa bahlabani le Fans ka tsela e tsoanang. NEF oa phethahatso sehlopha o na le a pharaletseng a le phihlelo ea ho loantsa tsa tsamaiso ya dipapadi, moodle moodle moodle tlhahiso, metswedi ya dikgang, tsa mebaraka, molao le papatso.

Amateur MMA, e tsoakiloeng libetsa, New England ho loana ka, basali MMA

PELE ho etsa APRIL 11 LE FIRST Pro BASALI loana Maine

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Lewiston, Maine (February 25, 2015) - New England ho loana ka (NEF), Amerika oa nomoro ya-e mong o lebatowa ntoa ntshetsopele, khutlela ho ea Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine ka April 11, 2015 e nang le metso e supileng e tsoakiloeng-sesole-bonono (MMA) ketsahalo. Pele ho moo kajeno, khampani ile a phatlalatsa go tlaleletsa ka setsebi basali strawweight gia ho ntoeng karete ya. Kaline “The Dark Angel” Medeiros (3-4) o saennweng ho tobana le Calie “The Honey Badger” Cutler (3-0) ka ho loana boima ba 115-lik'hilograma tse. Ho tla ba pele setsebi basali loana le ho Maine ho tloha ka mmuso lekgotla le etsang molao ngolisoa ka molao ya dipapadi ea MMA a 2009.

 

“Ho le hantle soabisa hore ebe hore lintho li nkile ena nako e telele,” a re NEF sebedisana mong'a le a ntsetsa pele Nick DiSalvo. “Re u khōlō Fans ea basali MMA a NEF. Re lekile ka makhetlo a mangata ho beha lan basali lintoa hammoho, empa ba ile ba nile ka kamehla oele ka ho. Histori tla qetellong a thonngwe ka April 11 le, ha 'ngoe hape, NEF ke be ka pele. Re tšepa ea Fans tla tsoa le ho tšehetsa ntoeng ena, tshehetso basali MMA. Ena ke motlotlo haholo ka motsotso bakeng sa mong le e mong amehang. Ke bohato nepahetseng bakeng sa MMA a Maine.”

 

Ena ke ke ba ka lekhetlo la pele Kaline Medeiros o entse histori ya gorole. A 2013, Medeiros Loanne ka Thata a, le hlōla, pele-o lula a basali MMA gia ho hanyetsa a Rhode Island. Loantša tsoa Fall River, Massachusetts, Medeiros ke e le letsoalloa la Brazil le e se e koetlisa a MMA ho tloha ka 2008. Kaha a tobana le holimo basali le baphadisani ho tloha ka fihla tsa litsebi har'a, tse kang Invicta FC kileng ba sebeletsa Peggy Morgan (3-2) le Stephanie Eggink (4-2), ba ba neng ba o ile a o ile a kokota tsoa tse supileng feela-metsotsoana e, Medeiros ka sebele o na le phihlelong eo 'me pedigree hore ba ya boemong bo latelang a ya dipapadi.

 

“Ho e thabisang ho mema eohle ea ka e Fans bakeng sa ka e tlang ntoa e kaApril 11,” O ile a re Medeiros. “NEF e tlisa hore ke ba ea pele leha e le neng setsebi basali ntoa se hata a gorole, ho e le tlotla le 'na. Thanks NEF bakeng sa go lemoga, 'me ke se ke ua emela ho tlisa e thabisang loanela ea Fans.”

Michigan oa Calie Cutler o tsosoa e ngata lintši ho tloha ka ho etsa hae MMA qalo a 2012. Cutler amassed e tsotehang 7-1 tlalehong e le e tsenwe pele ho ho retelehela lan. O ile a o a qeta ho boraro ba hae bahanyetsi ba e le setsebi, ho akarelletsa le ya bobedi ho pota ikokobelletsa hlola Nikki Duncan (0-1) ho qetela mafelo-beke ka ho loana card ya Michigan. Cutler tla talima ho tsoela pele hae Krrish streak e le setsebi a le tsela lebisa e kholo e leagues ea ya dipapadi ha a ne a kopana le Kaline Medeiros ka April 11 a Lewiston.

NEF a latelang MMA ketsahalo, “NEF XVII,” e ho lokiselitsoe ho etsahala April 11, 2015 ka Androscoggin Bank Colisee a Lewiston, Maine. Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (10-7) tla sireletsa NEF MMA bobebe Title khahlanong le nomoro ya-e mong o contender Jamie Harrison (5-1). Holim'a moo, Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-1) kopana le Dennis Olson (12-7) ka welterweight tlholisanong. Ditekete tsa “NEF XVII” qala ka feela $25 'me li ka Sale hona joale kawww.TheColisee.com kapa ka bitsa The Colisee lebokose le reng ofisi ea207.783.2009 X 525. Bakeng sa boitsebiso bo eketsehileng ka ketsahalo le ho loana karete ya diapdeite, ka kōpo etela ntshetsopele oa setsheng sa inthanete sa www.NewEnglandFights.com. Holim'a moo, o ka shebella NEF livideo ka www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, latela ba ba ka Twitternefights le ho ba setho ya semmuso ya Facebook sehlopha "New England loana."

 

Ka New England ho loana ka

 

New England ho loana ka ("NEF") ke ho loana moodle moodle moodle ho phahamiswa khampani. NEF thomo ea ke ho bopa phahameng ka ho fetisisa boleng moodle moodle moodle bakeng sa Maine oa bahlabani le Fans ka tsela e tsoanang. NEF oa phethahatso sehlopha o na le a pharaletseng a le phihlelo ea ho loantsa tsa tsamaiso ya dipapadi, moodle moodle moodle tlhahiso, metswedi ya dikgang, tsa mebaraka, molao le papatso.

e tsoakiloeng libetsa, UFC, basali MMA

Dana White and the Women

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Photo photo photo photo Credit: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Moqebelo, 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 ho sebdisana ka sehloohong ketsahalo, 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 le 2014, ka ho latellana.

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, e tsoakiloeng libetsa, UFC, basali MMA

UFC 183: Who will show up?

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Photo photo photo 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, Boima., ka January, 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 bosiung bona, 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 ho sebdisana ka sehloohong ketsahalo, 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.

Ehlile, 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.

E le, having said all that, who do I think wins tonight?

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

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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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 liponto.)

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 Sekho se" Silva (33-6) vs.. Nick Diaz (27-9-1) (Middleweight – 185 liponto.)

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.