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Ronda Rousey v Liz Carmouche Offical For UFC 157

11K views 84 replies 48 participants last post by  NealCombs 
#1 ·
A day after a bit of a tease about Ronda Rousey's first UFC fight, things finally are official.

But Rousey won't be fighting Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, as Wednesday's rumor had her meeting. Instead, Rousey (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will be meeting Liz Carmouche (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) as the first defense of her new UFC women's bantamweight title at UFC 157 in February.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement following Thursday's pre-event news conference for UFC on FOX 5 in Seattle, and he presented Rousey with her new UFC belt.

UFC 157 takes place Feb. 23 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Rousey vs. Carmouche will be the main event of the card, which will air on pay-per-view, FX and Facebook.

News broke this past month that Rousey would migrate over from Strikeforce, where she was the women's bantamweight champ, to become the first female fighter in UFC history. But just who her first opponent would be and when that fight would take place were up in the air, despite White telling multiple news outlets that it was official that Rousey was in the UFC.

Her Strikeforce contract and Zuffa's deal with Strikeforce broadcast partner Showtime appeared to be potential stumbling blocks for expediting the process. But with White's presentation of Rousey in Seattle, those hurdles appear to have been cleared – at least well enough to announce a fight for her.

On Wednesday, the UFC's Brazilian website mistakenly announced a Rousey UFC debut at the same event, UFC 157, but had her main eventing against Santos – which the UFC explained as a technical glitch and later removed.

Now, a day later, it will indeed be Rousey headlining that card in her backyard – she hails from Southern California – but against Carmouche.

"It's going to happen eventually," Rousey said at the news conference of a potential fight against Santos. "I can't make these girls fight who don't want to fight me. (Carmouche) was the only one who stepped up, and it speaks a lot to her. When the other girls come around, they know where I'm at."

Rousey said receiving her UFC championship belt and having the fight announced on the heels of a press conference for Saturday's card, which features Benson Henderson's lightweight title defense against Nate Diaz, came as a surprise to her.

"I didn't even know about this till this morning," she said. "I don't even know what to make of it. It means a lot, and we have a lot to prove. I think the women are here to stay, and I think we're going to prove it."

White, of course, long said he didn't foresee a day when women would fight in the UFC, owning that belief to a perceived lack of depth in the women's divisions. But with Rousey's emergence over the last year as a bona fide star not just of women's MMA, but of all MMA, he came around.

She enters the fight, of course, unbeaten with a record consisting solely of first-round armbar submission wins. She won the Strikeforce title in March by stopping Miesha Tate, who went longer with her than all her other pro opponents combined. In August, she defended the title with an armbar of Sarah Kaufman.

Carmouche took a 5-0 record into a Strikeforce women's bantamweight title fight against Marloes Coenen in March 2011, but was stopped with a triangle choke in the fourth round. Carmouche took that fight on short notice, filling in for an injured Tate. Her next outing, she lost a decision to Kaufman.

But since then, she has back-to-back wins under the Invicta banner, and both by stoppage.


http://mmajunkie.com/news/2012/12/r...he-in-first-ufc-womens-title-fight-at-ufc-157

Just announced at the Fox presser!
 
#40 ·
Why is everyone moaning?? Dana will build a solid card around this main event, we already have Machida vs Henderson as co-main and I bet a lot of people would have bought this card if that was the main event.
 
#45 ·
Wow. This is big. Not because I think Carmouche is a threat to Ronda's streak but because it's women fighting in the UFC and one of them is lesbian. And all of that will happen with Dana White in control. That's like FOX news praising Obama.
 
#47 ·
I think for the time being that's what will happen, the UFC will test the waters on what she can draw. Maybe down the line we may get a few more woman's fights on the prelims, fuel and fx. I think Ronda will be the only female fighter hitting the ppv.
 
#53 ·
If Anderson Silva can't KO him then I have my doubts that Lyoto can. He may rock him, but I really don't think we will see Hendo KO'ed in his lifetime.

And while I think Hendo was made to lose to Lyoto, I also have seen Hendo dominate people who should have had an easy time with him. My brain says Lyoto, my gut says Hendo.
 
#58 · (Edited)
Some people just can't back slower less dynamic fighters. They love video game fighters who do crazy stuff. Hendo plods forward and KO's people with 1 hand. Same reason many can't stand the Diaz brothers and say they are overrated. They don't understand how a slower pitter patter style can work. Doesn't matter if it is highly effective. People these days care about flash and/or personalities.

"he doesn't have a chance against Fedor, he is too slow and Fedor has a huge ground advantage" 1st round KO for Hendo.

"he can't beat Shogun. he is too slow, Shogun has more ways to win" Hendo completely dominated Shogun for 3 of the "fresh" rounds. At that pace Hendo gassed. He owned Shogun when they were fresh.

"he can't beat Penn. Nick is too slow, and Penn will come right down the middle. Penn has the better ground game and wrestling. and hits harder!" Nick Diaz owned Penn for 75% of that fight. Owned like Penn has never been owned before on teh feet.

"he can't beat Cerrone. he is too slow and Cerrone has better stand up. Cerrone can also cancel out his Jitz. hell Cerrone could probably take Nate down if he wants!" Nate Diaz destroyed Cerrone. DESTROYED.

"I pick Jim Miller. Nate Diaz has no wrestling. Jim Miller has good BJJ. Miller wil take him down and stay out of subs all night" Nate Diaz gave him an ass whooping.
 
#60 ·
Some people just can't back slower less dynamic fighters. They love video game fighters who do crazy stuff. Hendo plods forward and KO'd people with 1 hand. Same reason many can't stand the Diaz brothers and say they are overrated. They don't understand how a slower pitter patter style can work. Doesn't matter if it is highly effective. People these days care about flash and/or personalities.
Ime a massive Diaz brothers fan, I just think Henderson is overated.
 
#64 ·
Who is the woman's BJJ specialist? Who is the great striker? Who is the dominant wrestler? Who is a cardio machine? Who packs the biggest punch? Who is most technical.

You have a Judo ace that is new to the sport and already 5x better than the 2nd best woman. Cyborg was probably all of things and turned out to be a straight fraud. The rest of the girls are part-time, novice strikers, novice wrestlers, novice BJJ players.

I wouldn't mind watching a local MMA show with part time novice men fighters. But I wouldn't be that excited about it just because it is MMA. I wouldn't pay good money to see it. Just like I wouldn't totally shy away from WMMA. But it doesn't entice me. It doesn't make me want to pay top dollar for it.

Maybe all of you who are getting so worked up over it watch woman's basketball, hockey, volleyball, golf and so on. Not every one does. Get over it.

I'd rather watch big time college football over high school football. Does that mean I have something against high school sports?

People spazing out make no sense.
 
#71 ·
Who is the woman's BJJ specialist?
Kyra Gracie if she goes pro if not Marloes Coenen Jessica Aguilar or Sarah McMann

Who is the great striker?
Sarah Kaufman, Cyborg Santos

Who is the dominant wrestler?
Randi Miller (Olympian) and Ronda Rousey

Who is a cardio machine?
Meisha Tate


Who packs the biggest punch?
Cyborg, Liz Carmouche, Amanda Nunes

Who is most technical.
Marloes Coenen or Megumi Fujii

Cyborg was probably all of things and turned out to be a straight fraud.
She got busted with an over the counter directic hardly making her a fraud, more so the issue of the lack of true weight classes.


The rest of the girls are part-time, novice strikers, novice wrestlers, novice BJJ players.
Yeah I love those novice Olympians (Miller, McMann, Rousey)


People spazing out make no sense.
I get the ignorance people have to womens MMA, I may have agreed with you this time last year. But Invicta, Miesha Tates last few fights have turned my opinion on women's MMA around. The fights are competitive, exciting, and brutal. These women can HATE each other for practically no reason. This sport has a huge future, I'm sure you'll come around
 
#77 ·
this, it's EXACTLY the same as when people say MMA is glorified cockfighting.

people who just aren't educated enough to truly appreciate the sport.

I like WMMA, I don't love it to the point when I'd look for every fight out there, but I've enjoyed those I've watched, especially in the japanese circuit.
 
#84 · (Edited)
Watch Carmouche come out and just blast her right on the chin and ruin everything.

Personally I've never seen a boring women's mma fight and I look forward to this one. If anything, the way the women tend to bring it, it might pressure some of the men in the UFC to stop fighting so conservatively as they might lose their PPV spots to the women.
 
#85 ·
I think a woman's department of the UFC will be a great way to produce revenue. The sport is sloping downward from prior months. I think if woman get involved more their will be more fans and less spectators after awhile . When They show they can throw hands and break faces just like the men.

Bythe way who doesn't want to see some sexy ass woman on the mat?!! " bit man typical" but come on who!


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