Even in this era where kayfabe is frequently acknowledged and understood compared to the “Protect the Business” days, reality in wrestling isn’t always to discern. Ronda Rousey, in her year in WWE, has found her own methods for blurring that distinction, holding her real feeling and opinions close to the vest while freely calling wrestling fake as part of her heel gimmick. Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate knew Rousey back when the fighting was undeniably real. In fact, Tate lost to her twice, and was ready to face her a third time, but Rousey was on her way out of UFC by then. In an interview on SiriusXM (transcripts by MMAfighting.com), Tate commented that Rousey has always kept fans at a distance, and that she doesn’t think the former champion is happy with how she left things in MMA.
She’s not entirely an open book. She’s not there entirely for the fans, selflessly. Ronda has always been about Ronda so it doesn’t surprise me. She’s continuing to be exactly how she’s always been. Again, not wrong, but when I listen to this, she almost sounds emotional. I don’t think she’s entirely happy with her legacy. The point that Ronda makes about us not deserving to hear it and about the vulnerability, I think that it speaks again to point that she left the sport worse than she entered it.
She has a chance here to open up and to give some insight and perspective and motivation but she’s obviously not at that point where she feels good enough about her own legacy to be vulnerable and to reflect and give back. She’s obviously not in a good place with it. That’s my takeaway when I see this, that she’s not prepared to be vulnerable in front of us.
Tate goes on to say that Rousey’s “Baddest Woman on the Planet” persona in WWE reflects a more managed version of how she’s always wanted to be seen.
She wants to be the hard Ronda Rousey, the one that was back in 2014. I always said winning is easy. You don’t have to make any adjustments. You don’t have to make any changes. You’re on the top of the world, you’re doing great. When you lose, that’s when you see what you’re really made of.
But of course losses happen in pro wrestling too, and even though it’s a work, that didn’t change the fact that Rousey disappeared the moment she took her first WWE loss at WrestleMania 35. On the other hand, she had to get surgery, but she didn’t even have a farewell speech to offer. We’ll see how things go when she returns to the company, if indeed that happens.
Last Saturday night at UFC on Fox 16, Miesha Tate rallied from a tentative start to put a beating on Jessica Eye, defeating her 30-27 on the judges’ scorecards. That fight was a title shot eliminator, meaning Tate is once again next in line to face off with Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey. The two have fought twice before, with Rousey beating Tate in 2012 and 2013 with her signature armbar submission.
The first time, she dislocated Tate’s arm backwards with the maneuver in the first round. In 2013, Tate fared better, taking the fight into the third round and earning the distinction of being the only fighter to make it out of the first against Rousey. Will third time be the charm? Only if Ronda Rousey is interested in fighting her again. Fortunately for Miesha (and UFC), Ronda seems eager for another go with “Cupcake” Tate. From a UFC 190 media call via MMA Fighting:
“I need these other girls. It’s not like I can do this by myself. I need a dancing partner. The analogy that I use a lot is that these girls are like plants. Sometimes you can grow a crop and you can harvest it year after year like Miesha. Sometimes you harvest it once, it’ll never grow back.”
“There’s fan interest, so then there’s my interest. I’m interested in just defending my title as many times as I need to before I feel like I’m done. If she’s the best competitor and she’s who the fans want to see, then I’m extremely interested in doing it.”
“I’m an entertainer. I’m not just here for myself. If that’s what people want to see and she’s the No. 1 contender, then yeah. I’m totally down. She’s the one that has piqued my interest after I’m done beating Bethe. I don’t think Bethe will ever come back after this. But I think this might be the final season I can harvest the Tate crop.”
Don’t be surprised that Ronda refers to her opponents as crops that are to be harvested; this is the same woman who had no issues saying she could beat heavyweight Cain Velasquez on any given day. With that kind of confidence, it’s not shocking that she’s more interested in cash crops than unique fights. Tate has given her the biggest spotlight and arguably the biggest challenge (although Liz Carmouche did come closer to catching Rousey in a submission).
Will a third fight between Rousey and Tate generate similar buzz and excitement as the previous two? We’ll have to wait and see… but we may not have to wait too long. Rousey is talking like she wants a quick turnaround so she get the fight in before co-starring in Mile 22 with Mark Wahlberg. Transcript via MMA Mania:
“Here is pretty much the plan: I’m going to beat up Bethe, then I’m going to take a couple of weeks to rest. Then I’m going to go beat up Miesha. And then I’m going to go to, I don’t know, Thailand or wherever we decide to film, and prep for like a month and then start filming for like 8-10 weeks and then go beat up the next chick. That’s pretty much my plan.”
Ronda Rousey sounds like a busy lady. No time to rest so long as there are more crops to be harvested.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Getty Image / Instagram
Ronda Rousey’s star continues to rise to new levels. She’s the most popular fighter in the UFC, is being courted left and right for Hollywood movies, and now she has her very own porn parody from Burning Angel called ‘Ronda ArouseMe: Grounded and Pounded.’
Pornstar Kleio Valentien will play the titular role while Sammie Six will play ‘Miesha Taint’, a play on Rousey’s nemisis Miesha Tate. Tate and Rousey are being set up for a third match later this year … should Ronda manage to get past Bethe Correia at UFC 190 this Saturday. So topical!
Here’s Burning Angel’s Joanna Angel on all the efforts they put into to make the film true to the sport and the athlete (via TMZ):
“We changed the armbar to a dickbar. One of the guys in the film he plays Ronda’s trainer, his name is Derek Pierce and he knows a lot about fighting. Derek coreographed a bunch of stuff and fight moves and used a lot of Ronda’s moves and incorporated that into the movie. And all the fight moves led into sex scenes. So she’s fighting ‘Miesha Taint’, I don’t know what words I’m allowed to say. But Miesha Taint had a special right cross c**t punch. We had a lot of fun with it. Kleio Valentine, she looks so beautiful and really does have a lot of similarities as Ronda and she’s a big fan of hers and was really happy to play the role.”
Joanna also affirms her Ronda fandom, agreeing that a XXX parody is pretty much the porn industry’s highest honor. No word yet from Ronda Rousey on what she thinks of all this, since she’s kinda occupied at the moment readying for her fight in Rio de Janiero. And no word on if the real Miesha is working on a devastating right cross c**t of her own.
Here’s some SFW photos from the set…
And a not so safe for work photo from instagram here.
From wonderful video editor and GIF maker _EOW_, comes “Armbar Bill,” the Ronda Rousey revenge story. While Beatrix Kiddo didn’t use any armbars in Kill Bill, she did collect a few, so the comparison is pretty apt.
With Miesha Tate defeating Jessica Eye at UFC on Fox 16 in a title eliminator bout, she punched her ticket for a third bout with the “Rowdy” one. As Rousey puts it:
“I need these other girls. It’s not like I can do this by myself. I need a dancing partner. The analogy that I use a lot is that these girls are like plants. Sometimes you can grow a crop and you can harvest it year after year like Miesha. Sometimes you harvest it once, it’ll never grow back.”
“There’s fan interest, so then there’s my interest. I’m interested in just defending my title as many times as I need to before I feel like I’m done. If she’s the best competitor and she’s who the fans want to see, then I’m extremely interested in doing it.”
“I’m an entertainer. I’m not just here for myself. If that’s what people want to see and she’s the No. 1 contender, then yeah. I’m totally down. She’s the one that has piqued my interest after I’m done beating Bethe. I don’t think Bethe will ever come back after this. But I think this might be the final season I can harvest the Tate crop.”
As with any Rousey fight, the question isn’t if her opponent can win, but simply how long they’ll survive. Tate did show a bit of power in her hands against Eye, dropping Jessica with punches, but Rousey knocked Correia out, so a stand-up battle isn’t advised for Tate. Also, Rousey has already defeated Tate twice.
Cris “Cyborg” Justino has long been clamoring for a fight with Rousey, but the main hurdle has been a matter of weight. Cyborg fights at featherweight, while the largest women’s division the UFC offers is Ronda’s bantamweight, with an upper limit of 135 pounds. Cyborg’s next bout is scheduled for a catch-weight of 140 pounds, and should Cyborg manage to survive the cut down, a MEGA-ULTRA fight with Rousey should be next for both women.
If Cyborg fails to make weight, or test positive for steroids again, or just lose to Rousey, there are a few challengers looming in the background. Instead of looking at previous opponents Rousey has beaten who could make their way back into title contention, like Cat Zingano, here are some fresh faces to consider…
One potential contender is Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm. She’s currently 9-0, with six wins coming by knockout. She’s got good boxing and solid head kicks, and definitely possess more KO power than what Bethe Correia was said to have. Holm struggled in her UFC debut against Raquel Pennington, taking a split decision, but her sophomore outing against Marion Reneau was better. Perhaps by the time Rousey has made her way to Holm, she will have sharpened her skills enough to be a viable threat to Rousey.
Evinger is the current Invicta FC Bantamweight Champ, currently on a seven-fight win streak. She’s got a chip on her shoulder, being that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told her that the UFC won’t sign her because she doesn’t finish fights and is unimpressive. Evinger has since said she wants to play spoiler and upset the chances of prospects that UFC wants to sign from Invicta, and she now has three-straight stoppage wins. The only major downside to a fight with Rousey is that Evinger is already 34 and has been fighting since 2006. If that match is getting made, it needs to happen sooner rather than later.
There are other prospects down the line who need more fights to improve on certain areas, but it will be tough because, in Ronda’s own words:
“There’s no way that they could possibly ever keep up, especially when, every day, they fall farther and farther behind.”
Ronda doesn’t just do things with speed. She takes control of the fight, never giving her opponents even a glimmer of a chance at defeating her. And she hurts them too, stunning them with throws and breaking their arms backwards when they refuse to tap. Let’s take a look through some of Ronda’s most dominating wins, power-ranked:
1. Alexis Davis
Rousey grabs Davis, throws her, and lands on top in side control to quickly throw a barrage of strikes that puts her opponent out faster than you can say “Oh my gosh!” Total fight time: 16 seconds.
2. Cat Zingano
There was a lot of hype coming into this fight that Zingano would be the one to finally challenge Rousey. Alas, Cat rushed Ronda with a flying knee which missed and let the judo expert grab her neck. Next thing Zingano knew, she was on the ground and Rousey had her in what’s called a ‘wrong-way armbar.’ Total fight time: 14 seconds.
3. Bethe Correia
Bethe Correia made the mistake of talking a lot of smack about Ronda, her friends, and her family leading up to this fight. Certain parts of the media and fanbase were also accusing Rousey of being a one-trick pony that could only finish fights with armbars. So Ronda took both issues head-on and beat the crap out of Bethe in this fight, using Bethe’s fear of the throw during the clinch to light her up with uppercuts. She then worked Correia over with body shots before dropping her with a huge straight right. Total fight time: 34 seconds.
4. Julia Budd
Ronda Rousey made the mistake of letting her last opponent’s arm go a bit early in her last fight, and Budd ended up paying for it. Budd was the first to have her arm dislocated backwards by Rousey in an MMA fight. Keep an eye out for what Ronda calls ‘the flamingo knee’ at the end of this one. Total fight time: 39 seconds.
5. Miesha Tate
Miesha Tate is the only fighter to make it out of the first round with Ronda Rousey … but that was in their second fight. This is their first, where the best Miesha can do is survive a Rousey armbar attempt and take her back. But once Tate gets shaken off, it’s all Rowdy again as she lands her trademark judo throw and works for the armbar. Miesha refuses to tap and Ronda dislocates her arm backwards. Absolutely brutal. Total fight time: 4 minutes, 27 seconds.
Miesha Tate is once again next in line to fight Ronda Rousey. The 17-5 veteran has met Rousey twice before and has the distinction of being the only opponent to last past the first round. That and a four-fight win streak seem to have earned her a third shot at the Women’s Bantamweight Championship, pending an official announcement from the UFC.
It didn’t take long for Tate to share her thoughts on Rousey’s dominating performance at UFC 190 over Bethe Correia…
… and on Monday, Tate appeared on The MMA Hour to discuss the fight further. She had some less than flattering thoughts on Correia (transcript via Bloody Elbow):
“It was a pretty quick fight, which I kind of anticipated. I actually thought she might finish it at the end of the first round because I know she really wanted to punish Bethe. But Bethe ended up going down like a sack of potatoes before Ronda could really punish her like she wanted to so I actually think she finished the fight quicker than she wanted to.”
…
“I really don’t think that she is that good yet. I think she really was more full of herself than anything else, and she was really trying to hype herself. I think she had every intention of going out there and winning, and I think she really believed it. But I think she was just treading in too deep of water and was just in over her head.”
“I promise I will fight for the title next year. In 2016, I want to make a new history. I want, above all, to be respected. I want a triumphant return. I will not accept finishing 2016 without the UFC belt around my waist. All I want, I can do. This will be my battle. If she still has the belt, I will meet her again. I will get that belt. I think one day Ronda will be dethroned and hope I’m the one who will do it. Everyone loses sooner or later.”
That’s some impressive mental fortitude. Rousey crushed Cat Zingano back in February, and she still hasn’t stepped back into the Octagon, telling ESPN she “needed to take some personal time” to “get a full physical and emotional makeover for myself.” If Correia thinks she needs the same, she’s hiding it behind some impressive bravado.
Unfortunately for her, reality has a way of smacking you in the head and dropping you on your face once you step into the Octagon.
Sportsbooks have begun pumping out odds for Ronda Rousey’s potential next bout. While the dominant women’s bantamweight champion doesn’t have her next fight officially announced, it’s looking like it will be against Miesha Tate or Cris Cyborg in December at Cowboys Stadium.
Online betting outfit Bovada has released their odds for both matches:
If you think Ronda Rousey being a 10/1 favorite over Miesha Tate is impressive, keep in mind she was a 16/1 favorite over Bethe Correia. Ronda’s odds against Miesha in this potential third fight are similar to her odds against other top women like Cat Zingano and Liz Carmouche. Tate was given some of the best odds to beat Rousey in their first two fights: Ronda was only a 4/1 and 7/1 favorite in those fights respectively.
Meanwhile, Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino is still seen as the biggest threat to Rousey, but has yet to be able to make 135 pounds to challenge Ronda for the belt. There’s still a small sliver of possibility though that Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg could fight next in December. The UFC wants superfights for their as-of-now theoretical Cowboys Stadium show. Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate 3 is big, but nowhere near as big as Ronda Rousey vs Cris Cyborg would be.
Will the Rowdy one agree to a 140-pound catchweight for a bigger fight and a bigger payday? Admittedly, she’s not talking like she would. But when you’re trying to fill an 80,000 person stadium, sometimes you gotta make a few comprimises. Let’s cross our fingers and see what happens.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Getty / InvictaFC
The much anticipated superfight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg isn’t happening, at least not any time soon. Rumors that the fight was coming together hit a fever pitch over the weekend after Cris Cyborg revealed that the UFC had offered her the fight for December 5 at Cowboys Stadium. Her agent confirmed with ESPN that she was willing to take the fight at Rousey’s weight of 135 pounds, the main sticking point in past negotiations.
But now the UFC’s Cowboys Stadium plans have been officially nixed. An event featuring Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo for the featherweight strap has been booked in Vegas for December 12, and Ronda Rousey will not be fighting on it. As for Cyborg, Dana White had this to say to Yahoo Sports:
“The deal with Cyborg is, we told her to make 135 and then we would talk about a fight with Ronda,” White said Monday. “And they haven’t done that. They’re still talking about fighting at 140 [in her next fight in Invicta]. What is wrong with these people? But we already said that Ronda was fighting Miesha Tate next and that’s what we’re going to do.”
That hasn’t stopped Cris Cyborg from continuing to petition for the fight, turning Ronda Rousey’s Do Nothing B*tch catchphrase back at the UFC Champion:
Stop being a do nothing bitch! Let's do this for the FANS now (December 12) not later/ don't worry it will be your last fight!!@RondaRousey
One thing seems for sure: Cris Cyborg is done sitting on the sidelines waiting for a fight with Ronda Rousey to come together. She’s talking like she wants it and is willing to chase Ronda to get it. Now all she has to do is make 135 pounds once, and there will be no legitimate reason why the fight can’t happen. For now, though, we’ll have to take Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate III at a date and location to be determined.
Mixed martial arts is a fickle sport, and today’s title contender can become tomorrow’s also-ran in the blink of an eye. Just ask Miesha Tate, who thought she was next in line to fight UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champ Ronda Rousey.
You can excuse her for assuming that — after all, she won a fight against Jessica Eye that was widely billed as a No. 1 contender fight. And then when rumors that Cris Cyborg might end up facing Ronda at Cowboys Stadium, UFC prez Dana White shot them down by declaring, “We already said that Ronda was fighting Miesha Tate next, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
That was last week. But, early Friday on Good Morning America, Ronda Rousey appeared and announced that she’d be fighting former boxing champ Holly Holm. Holm is a solid opponent with a 9-0 record, but, up until Rousey spoke her name on TV, no one was talking about her as a potential title contender. Maybe after another fight or three, but the whole thing seemed premature with only two decision wins under her belt in the UFC.
“I’m absolutely shocked,” Josh Jones of KHI Management told MMAFighting.com. “I found out just like you did. Very disappointed to hear the news.”
…
“I want to know the reasons behind [the decision],” Jones said. “To not even be given a head’s up is very disappointing. She doesn’t even know yet. She is going to be absolutely shocked.”
Jones said Tate had already begun training for the Rousey trilogy fight, and her sponsors were already under the assumption she was fighting Rousey next.
This is gonna hit Tate hard right where it hurts — her wallet. Or her purse. Whatever. Factoring in bonuses, a small nibble of the pay-per-view pie, and sponsorship, Tate was looking at a million dollar fight with Ronda. That’s much better than the 75k she made getting her orbital bone broken in two places against Sara McMann earlier this year.
Like Tate’s manager, many people are asking “Why?” Why switch fighters last second like this? Why go from Tate, ranked No. 2, to Holm, ranked No. 9? There’s only two reasons that really makes sense: Someone thinks a Holm fight will make more money. Or Ronda just wanted to fight Holm more than Tate. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Maybe Rousey wants Holm now because she won’t be around to fight her later. Maybe she’ll fight Holm then Cyborg then leave the sport for Hollywood. Or maybe her home planet needs her and she must return from whence she came.
There’s so many maybes here that maybe it’s best not to speculate. One thing is for sure: Ronda Rousey is fighting Holly Holm on January 2 at UFC 195. There are ads for the fight already appearing across the internet, so you know it’s official. Unlike Miesha Tate, who just thought her fight was official.
Ronda Rousey announced on Friday that her next fight will be against Holy Holm at UFC 195 on January 2nd (learn more about Holm). And while everyone is pretty excited to see the judo master take on a striker of Holm’s pedigree (Ring Magazine named her their Female Boxer of the Year twice), there was some confusion surrounding the match. Hadn’t UFC president Dana White already said numerous times that Miesha Tate was next for Rousey?
“We were talking about Miesha from the start, then as we started sitting around we were saying, ‘Everyone has seen the Miesha fight already. A third fight in a rivalry usually comes after the stuff we’d see in [Arturo] Gatti-[Micky] Ward,” White said of the classic boxing trilogy. “With Miesha, the result has been the same twice. Everyone’s already seen that fight.”
[…]
White insisted that Tate did not complicate negotiations with outrageous demands and he added that there was no contractual requirement that Holm receive a title shot in her third UFC fight.
“Everyone has jitters in their first fight. Holly came back from that and destroyed a woman who’d looked damn good in her previous fights,” White said. “When you talk about the possibilities of what Holly can do … she’s a world-class boxer … the Holly Holm fight for Ronda is way more intriguing.”
That doesn’t mean Tate will be left out in the cold completely. White says he’s working on setting up a fight between Tate and No. 4 ranked bantamweight Amanda Nunes for the same card.
Also planned for the same UFC 195 card: another women’s title fight. Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk will defend her strawweight title in the co-main event against Claudia Gadelha, pending medical clearance on a hand injury Gadelha suffered earlier this month.
It sounds like UFC 195 is going to be a huge card full of the best female fighters in the world. Conspicuously absent as usual is Cris Cyborg, who hasn’t said much since declaring she could make 135 pounds to fight Rousey at Cowboys Stadium. Ronda has demanded Cris fight at bantamweight once before she’ll accept a fight with the Brazilian powerhouse.
If that happens around the same time as the Holm fight in January, it’s hard not to speculate about the match-ups that could occur at another event that’s quietly appeared on the UFC’s schedule: UFC 200 on July 2nd, 2016.
Ronda Rousey is set to fight Holly Holm on November 14 in Melbourne, Australia. But before that, the plan was Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate, Part III. Tate had to defeat a very game Jessica Eye in what was widely promoted as a No. 1 contender match, and when rumors swirled that a long-anticipated fight between Rousey and Cris Cyborg might happen, UFC president Dana White repeated that “Ronda is fighting Miesha Tate next.”
Then, Ronda Rousey went on Good Morning America and announced she’d be fighting No. 8-ranked Holm instead. Tate woke up a few hours later to several dozen messages on her phone from friends and managers, plus a text message from the UFC apologizing for the last-second switch. It doesn’t sound like she’s accepted that apology. The UFC had planned on having Tate fight Amanda Nunes, but Miesha turned the fight down. Here’s her reasoning, via Ground and Pound TV:
“More things are going to have to be contractually agreed upon, instead of verbally. That’s just what happens when you can’t come to a verbal trust point. I’m going to have to have things just written down from now on.”
…
“I’m very frustrated with the UFC. I’m not in a position where I feel like I need to be pushed around and, ‘Oh, you take this fight, take that fight.’ It makes no sense to me why I’m not the champion and yet I’m fighting all the No. 1 contenders. Amanda Nunes is ranked No. 4 and Holm is ranked No. 8. What is wrong with that picture? I’m not the champion and I’m fighting better girls than the champion is fighting, and I’m not getting paid what the champion is getting paid. That is the champion’s job, to fight the best girls in the world. When I’m the champion, we’ll talk.”
Tate also took offense to Dana White’s claim that a third loss to Ronda Rousey would leave her at a dead end in her career, saying she didn’t plan on losing to Rousey again. But let’s be honest here, no one plans to lose to Ronda Rousey… but 12 to 45 seconds into a fight, they usually do. And that would leave Tate as gatekeeper good enough to keep out all other challengers, but not good enough to ever take the belt — at least not so long as Ronda Rousey is in the UFC. That doesn’t help the UFC, it doesn’t help the division, and it doesn’t help Tate.
It’s a harsh reality, but there’s truth to what Dana White is saying. So long as a third fight with Ronda sits on the horizon, Tate has purpose in the UFC women’s bantamweight division. Does it suck that she has to continue to fight other top women until the time is right for that not-very-rubbery rematch? Sure. But the top guys in the UFC lightweight division have been killing themselves and each other while their belt has been defended three times in two years due to injury. They’re not throwing themselves a pity party about it.
In the end, this whole situation comes down to money. Miesha Tate feels disrespected, and she feels like she lost a whack of cash losing the Ronda Rousey fight. If the UFC wants to make it right, they should sit her down and add a zero to her fight paycheck. But the promotion has never been about giving someone a raise from the goodness of their hearts… those who play ball and say yes sometimes get taken care of. Those who don’t often find themselves on the bench until financial realities force them to take whatever they can get. Which in this case will probably still be Amanda Nunes, for the same amount Tate has on her contract right now.
Miesha Tate has declared herself to be in “career limbo” at the moment after being overlooked for another title shot against Ronda Rousey a few months ago. The whole thing played out pretty ugly — Tate won a No. 1 contender fight against Jessica Eye, UFC president Dana White confirmed she was next for Ronda, and then out of the blue Ronda Rousey announces she’s fighting Holly Holm instead.
That pissed Miesha off a little, and based on the above video it seems like she’s still got some of that anger and is able to put it to good use. The Janoskians are five friends from Australia that make Jackass-style videos that pull up to a million views, proving there’s still money to be milked out of hitting yourself in the nuts with things. This week they went to America and dropped into XTreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas to get their asses kicked by Tate.
Not content to choke each guy out just once, Tate agreed to face each one for two minutes apiece to see how many times she could tap them. There’s no counter, but I saw 15 taps. Not too shabby, Miesha, but Ronda could have done 20!
Holly Holm just headkicked her way into UFC history by defeating Ronda Rousey at UFC 193, and now it looks like she’ll be following Rousey to the big screen in 2016 as well. Okay, the not-so-big screen. Holm appears in the low budget movie Fight Valley alongside several other female mixed martial artists like Miesha Tate and Cris Cyborg. Here’s the plot, care of IMDB:
When Tory Coro turns up dead, the neighborhood turns up silent. Rumor has it she became yet another victim of the small town known as FIGHT VALLEY. Tory’s sister Windsor moves to town to begin her own investigation on her sister’s mysterious death after weeks of no leads from the police. She’s quick to learn that Tory fought for money to make ends meet. If girl-next-door Windsor is going to make her way into FIGHT VALLEY to find the truth about Tory, she’s going to have to fight her way in.
“Jabs” (Miesha Tate) swore she would never throw a punch in the Valley again. Jabs now finds herself training Windsor to survive the painful, unexpected path she’s about to take. Every corner. Every alley. Every doorway. She must follow the last footsteps of her sister in order to come face-to-face with Tory’s killer in FIGHT VALLEY.
Yes, that’s right. Miesha Tate’s character is named Jabs. Other great character names include Bricks, Stakes, and Yanni. Our new women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm plays Payton Walsh – no word on if having a last name means her character gets a meatier role.
Fight Valley continues the trend of A-list mixed martial artists showing up in D-list entertainment. We’re not sure where all the money comes from to produce these low budget Skinemax style flicks, but they keep getting made at a furious pace. Argentinian ’90s action star Hector Echavarria was responsible for a long stream of MMA-themed movies with inexplicable cameos from guys like Georges St-Pierre and Rampage Jackson. Here’s how that turned out for St-Pierre in 2009’s Never Surrender:
Now it looks like the next generation of combat sports cinema has arrived. One of the defining characteristics of these movies is they’re often driven by one person – in the case of Fight Valley it’s New Jersey writer / director / actor / rapper Rob Hawk. He’s also put together such films as Grievance Group and the punctuationally challenged Hostile’s Inbound: The Lost Ladies.
This time Hawk steps behind the camera to merely write and direct for Fight Valley. We don’t get to experience too much acting from Miesha Tate and Holly Holm in the preview, but this clip shows you some of the Academy Award-winning scene-chewing we can expect…
Holly Holm’s fight this past weekend shows she’s definitely got the skills to be a champion. But her acting chops in this leave a little to be desired. She might want to consider getting a better agent now to prevent more Fight Valleys from happening.
Mike Winkeljohn has been with Holly Holm since the beginning when Holm joined one of his cardio-kickboxing classes in the late ’90s. Over the years Winkeljohn became one of the most sought after striking coaches in mixed martial arts and Holm developed into a multiple boxing champ. Now she’s the UFC women’s bantamweight champ after knocking Ronda Rousey out with a headkick, and he couldn’t be prouder. Via The Mirror:
‘It was the best moment of my coaching career. I have been working with Holly for 17 years, she’s very close with my family, I taught her to throw her first punch so to see her win was a big moment for me.’
As for what he wants next for his star pupil, Winkeljohn sounded like he wasn’t interested in waiting around for a Ronda Rousey rematch:
‘It will be a long road back for Ronda, I think she needs to get a lot of gym time in and really focus on her boxing skills because she’s really missing in that area. To be honest I don’t see a rematch being much different to the first fight, I think Holly is evolving and getting even better every day so I think Holly would be very comfortable in a rematch and Holly would be victorious. In regards to who Holly should fight next, that’s Holly’s decision, but I think Miesha Tate deserves a chance, I think that makes the most sense.’
It’s an interesting perspective and one that seems to be shared by more and more people as time goes on. The UFC obviously has a vested interest in making the rematch happen – Rousey vs. Holm 2 would be an even bigger fight than the first, and that one was the most attended UFC fight in the promotion’s history. But a second loss to Holm would be devestating for Rousey’s career, and many are thinking the former Olympic judo medalist wouldn’t be able to train up in time for a theoretical rematch at UFC 200 in July 2016.
Holm herself has said she wants to keep busy and fight again soon. Another fight in April against a name like Miesha Tate could be just the solution. But the UFC hates potentially screwing up a big money fight when they don’t have to. The last three years have been clusterf*cks of non-stop injuries suffered by fighters in training. Another camp for Holly increases the possibility of that.
And that’s not even touching on the mess it makes of the division if Holm loses to Tate, whose wrestling skillset could cause trouble for the boxing champ. In mixed martial arts, styles make fights. Ronda might have known just enough about boxing to make her predictable to Holm. Miesha Tate on the other hand is an unorthodox brawler with strong takedowns. Long story short, it’s a high risk proposition. The UFC may prefer to keep Holm on the shelf until UFC 200. Unless Ronda Rousey agrees with Mike Winkeljohn’s assessment of the situation. Then all bets are off on what’s next.
And now Holly Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez has taken his request for a fight with #1 contender Miesha Tate to the press, telling the LA Times…
“Holly’s used to staying active. We’re from the old school, and we believe the No. 1 contender is there for a reason. … [Tate] deserves a shot, but it’s not for me to decide. … Holly’s not so much about the money as [much as thinking] she wants to fight. We’d like to fight Miesha. We understand there are risks, but Holly’s a dominant champion, and she wants to fight the best. Right now, Miesha is the best.”
For their part, the UFC has officially offered Holm a bout at UFC 200 in July and stated, “There are no immediately open dates for Holm’s first title defense between now and July.” Meanwhile, Fresquez says Holm is ready to fight as soon as February.
The UFC often has to straddle a fine line between legit athletic competition and profit-driven promoting. Over the years, they’ve rarely strayed too far from keeping things legit, but the big money ramifications of a Rousey/Holm rematch may be too great to ignore. If Holm goes out and loses to Miesha Tate, that not only ruins Holly’s rep, but further tarnishes Ronda’s. A PPV fight once guaranteed to break a million buys will maybe get half that or even less.
And for all the greatness that has rubbed off on Holm since she beat Ronda Rousey, it’s worth saying again that styles make fights in mixed martial arts. Boxing may beat judo, but wrestling often beats boxing, and Miesha Tate is a wrestler. Holm’s earlier UFC performances probably make the UFC a bit nervous, too … her last wins before fighting Rousey were average decisions to middle-of-the-pack fighters.
Whatever happens with Ronda Rousey, it sounds like the UFC is set to put Holly Holm back to action at UFC 200. If Ronda wants her first, she’ll have to make it for that date. If not, Holm may get her wish to fight Miesha Tate … several months later than she might like it.
The two have a lot of history. They’ve fought twice, with the second fight involving an entire season’s worth of drama on The Ultimate Fighter beforehand. That resulted in a lot of middle fingers being thrown around and no handshake between the two after Rousey beat Tate again.
Tate’s career is currently up in the air on account of Rousey, too – she has been feuding with the UFC ever since they unexpectedly switched her our of a third fight with Rousey for Holm. The UFC is also refusing to let Holm fight Tate before a rematch with Rousey goes down in July for UFC 200.
So, keep all that in mind when Tate shares her opinion on Rousey’s chances of defeating Holm so soon. Via MMA Junkie Radio:
“I’m not a fan of the rematch in that amount of time, because with everything else that Ronda has going on, plus her injuries, I just don’t think it’s going to amount to a good outcome,” Tate told MMAjunkie Radio. “It wasn’t a competitive fight, and Holly has the perfect style to beat Ronda. Holly’s already back in the gym training; she had no injuries from the fight. She knows she’s fighting Ronda next, but she gets this whole time to fix maybe even the little things she wanted to improve on in the fight. She’s going to be even more prepared, and I don’t know if it’s a smart move, because Ronda might go 0-2.”
That’s all part and parcel in what makes the rematch so interesting: the fact that Rousey could lose. After years of being the invincible favorite, we’re getting our first taste of doubt regarding the former champ’s abilities. And honestly, a lot of people are taking it a little far with these declarations that she’ll get stomped in the rematch.
Let’s never forget that Rousey is always one judo throw away from arm-barring her opponents and winning a fight. She also doesn’t need to get better at boxing than Holm. She just needs to figure out a way to neutralize it long enough to close the distance and get her hands on the new champ. Easier said than done, but a few months ago everyone thought that was a foregone conclusion. Now popular opinion has swung the other way, with the truth lying somewhere in between. That’s what makes the Holm vs Rousey rematch such an exciting fight.
When UFC 194 was announced, some considered it one of the greatest fight cards in UFC’s history, with McGregor-Aldo and Weidman-Rockhold on the same weekend. Well, it sure looks like UFC 197 is going to blow that straight out of the water.
BREAKING: Multiple sources confirm UFC will soon announce UFC 197 for March 5 in Vegas with Dos Anjos/McGregor and Holm/Tate.
Ronda Rousey may still be the biggest name in mixed martial arts, but no one’s stars are brighter than Conor McGregor and Holly Holm’s. And they’ll be fighting on the same night! Hold on to your butts. Holm will face Miesha Tate, who many consider the third-best fighter in the 135-pound weight class (you can guess one and two, we imagine), but who is sick and tired of getting beaten by Ronda. Maybe she’ll have better luck against a different style of fighter.
McGregor’s fight is where it gets really interesting, however. He’s the current featherweight (145 pounds) champion, but will be moving up in weight class to fight 155-pound Rafael dos Anjos. If he wins, he would be only the third fighter ever in UFC to hold titles in multiple classes, after Randy Couture and B.J. Penn. After the cruel way he dispatched one of the greatest fighters ever in Jose Aldo, you can understand if he feels like he’s ready for a new challenge.
UFC 197 is setting up to truly be a night for the ages, and it will be on March 5 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
It’s been a strange 2016 for Ronda Rousey so far. Even as her name continues to pop up in rumored Hollywood projects, her lengthy recovery from the beatdown she suffered at the hands of Holly Holm has frustrated those who wish to see a rematch as soon as possible. But we finally have some good news on that front: Rousey herself says the rematch will happen in 2016.
Many figured that it would take place at UFC 200 in July, but that was ruled out. Rousey, in an interview with TMZ, said, “They haven’t told me an exact date or location. It’s a decision we’re all going to make together. I’m kind of waiting to hear from them on what options they’re going to give me.”
By “them,” Rousey probably means the promotional team at UFC, who normally don’t give their fighters many options at all. It’s a subtle-yet-powerful reminder of the special kind of star Rousey is that she can pick and choose when to fight. Then again, we’ll have to see just how many options UFC boss Dana White gives her.
Holm isn’t going to wait around for Ronda, as her first defense of the featherweight title will take place on March 5 against Miesha Tate.
Miesha Tate has twice faced off against Ronda Rousey, and in both bouts she ended up submitting to an armbar from the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion. That hasn’t stopped Tate from voicing her opinions about Rousey though, so it’s no surprise to see her back at it when TMZ caught up to her Friday.
Tate was asked if she would watch Ronda host Saturday Night Live tonight and she of course said, “I don’t know what Ronda’s up to.” Miesha added that she would be focusing on her March 5 fight with Ronda-conquorer Holly Holm instead. When asked if she would ever become friends with Rondo, she was pretty transparent with her answer.
“Hell no. Definitely not and I have no desire to.”
Miesha, on the other hand, did note that she could see herself becoming friends with her UFC 197 opponent, Holm.
“I really like her a lot actually. She’s super fun to hang around and I could see us being friends outside The Octagon.”
Back in November, Miesha was seen basking in Ronda’s defeat to Holm, going viral with her instant reaction.
“Nobody has the right to beat you? Well you just got beat, bitch.”
Clearly there’s still no love lost, but maybe she should be a little grateful. It was Ronda’s decision to take some additional time off before a rematch with Holm that helped earn Tate the shot at the title in March.
The UFC women’s divisions can’t seem to step out of the long shadow cast by former champion gone Hollywood Ronda Rousey. On March 5, Holly Holm the Rousey killer makes her first return to the cage since kicking Ronda in the face and taking her belt. But the fight hasn’t gained much traction with fans or media. Her opponent Miesha Tate understands … she wants to know how the Holm vs. Rousey story plays out, too.
“I’m interested to see the rematch, as well,” Miesha told USA Today. “I thought the first fight was fascinating, and I’m curious to see what adjustments would be made on Ronda’s side, if any, and if Holly can do it again.”
But the scrappy wrestler isn’t going to let that interest get in the way of her plans to spoil everything. Ronda Rousey recently spoke to TMZ Sports, and told them she wants to be the one to beat Holm.
“If that’s what she wants, sorry, but I’m going to ruin that for her,” Tate said. “If they want to make that rematch happen, that’s how I see it going down because, on Saturday, I’m going to go in there, and I’m confident that I’m going to win the belt. So, they’re definitely going to have to adjust the game plan. I would like to see Holly and Ronda fight again, but it just may not be for the belt.”
Despite what you may hear from the legions of casual fans who hopped from the Rousey bandwagon onto Holm’s, Miesha Tate does have a chance of winning the belt on Saturday night. She’s not going out there with something to prove about her striking, and is going to put her wrestling base to good use trying to smother Holly Holm.
Before she switched her nickname to ‘Cupcake,’ Miesha was known as ‘Takedown Tate.’ And while Holly Holm has an impressive amount of firepower in her arsenal, a lot of it requires she stay standing upright to use it. There’s also the question of consistency — leading up to the Rousey fight, people were quick to note Holm’s lackluster performances in the Octagon. She had two wins, both decisions — and one of them a razor thin split decision to middle of the pack TUF contestant Raquel Pennington.
A Holm loss to Tate would be devastating to the UFC. When originally trying to set up Rousey vs. Holm 2 for UFC 200, Dana White said he should lose his promoter’s license if he didn’t make that fight. But if Tate drags Holm down into the mud and grinds her out for a decision, Holm’s aura of invincibility goes away, and so does half of the pay-per-view sales for the UFC’s rematch of the century. Sure, people will still tune in to check it out. But not in the numbers if the stars had aligned and an undefeated Holm rematched Rousey as champion.
Ronda said she needs Holm to win so she can be the one to defeat her. The longer she spends away from the sport refusing to answer fighting questions, the more likely she is to lose this opportunity. And the millions of dollars that would have come with a rematch made while the iron was hot.
Nate Diaz and Miesha Tate have big tasks ahead of them at UFC 196. Diaz, on short notice, is facing one of the sport’s best strikers, while Tate is challenging for the bantamweight title against someone not named Ronda Rousey. Both are big underdogs, but as Holly Holm proved to us just a few short months ago, anything can happen.
Miesha Tate
Mindful of the Take Downs
Miesha’s best path to victory hinges on her wrestling. Whether it’s a grind-y decision or nabbing a submission, Tate needs to get the fight on the ground to win. Miesha will have to pick and choose her takedown attempts very carefully, though. One of Ronda’s biggest mistakes was charging headlong at Holm, eating shots and tiring herself out in the process. Tate needs to time her shots and try to catch Holm moving forward on counters when looking to get the fight on the mat.
Not Too Aggressive
Holly’s gameplan in this fight will probably closely resemble her fight with Ronda — a few punches, a lot of circling away. Tate can’t spend the entire fight in chase mode as she doesn’t have the cardio for it. If she does over commit and charges in, Holly’s likely to stop on a dime and just blast Tate with straight punches and then keep circling away. However, if Miesha is a bit more methodical and stalks Holly, there’s a good chance two MMA judges will score multiple rounds in her favor. On a somewhat related note, Tate needs to keep her left hand up. She did much better in the Jessica Eye fight, but had a bad habit of keeping her left hand at hip height. That’s just begging for a Holm headkick to slide up in Tate’s DMs and ruin her whole night.
Nate Diaz
Thug Jitsu
Nate’s biggest advantage is on the ground, but one look at his narrow ass will tell you that his wrestling skills aren’t that great. He does have a few trips that have born success, but whatever the method, even butt scoots and guard pulls, Diaz has to get it to the mat. Nate has a good arsenal of submissions, so his attack should be varied to try and catch Conor off-guard. Even giving up position momentarily (if a better sub is available) might not be a terrible option in this case.
Stockton Syndrome
I’m not sure what it is about Nick and Nate, but they have an uncanny ability to get opponents to abandon sound gameplans and just trade punches. Whether it’s taunts, sh*t talking, the Stockton Slaps, or just the appeal of landing a megaton punch on a guy standing flat-footed and making “come at me, bro” arms, way too many fighters go the route of STAND-N-BANG versus the Diaz Bros. Conor’s got a big edge in striking, with his devastating kicks and serpentine movements, but if Nate can piss off McGregor just enough to wade forward, Diaz has a much better chance of winning if he can’t get the fight on the ground.
It’s the weekend, fight fans, and that means it’s time to watch fights! There are three solid events, ending with a big-time UFC pay-per-view, so let’s take a look at what’s going on.
Titan FC is one of the upper-tier minor leagues currently airing on UFC’s Fight Pass. They’ve got three title fights, which could mean the night runs a little long, but the fights should be fun. Everything starts at 8 p.m. ET. Flyweight champ Tim Elliott is defending his belt against Pedro Nobre, and I’m a big fan of this version of Elliott. He’s been getting RealWeird with it recently, so hopefully he pulls off more wack shenanigans.
Stand up and cheer because Bellator is here! Bellator 151 has more tiny men on tap, and hopefully nobody gets sick or hurt, because these fights should be really fun. Goiti Yamauchi and Bubba Jenkins are both top prospects in the featherweight division, so this fight could be a secret No. 1 contender bout. In the main event, Joe Warren faces Darrion Caldwell, in what should be a wrestling heavy contest. Everything starts at 6:45 p.m. ET with online prelims, and the main card is at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV.
Hey, it’s finally here. UFC 196 might have lost its original double title fight main events, but there’s still one belt being defended. Let’s see who’s fighting and how you can watch it.
The prelims start on Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the feature bout there is a lightweight scrap between Jim Miller and Diego Sanchez. That should be an intense fight. The prelims roll on to Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET. We’ve got two wrestlers going at it in Darren Elkins and Chas Skelly. The final two prelim fights should be nice and violent, as Erick Silva takes on Nordine Taleb and Brandon Thatch faces Siyar Bahadurzada.
The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET, only on PPV. We start off with Amanda Nunes taking on Valentina Shevchenko, then it’s a pair of light heavyweight slug fests as Corey Anderson faces Tom Lawlor and Gian Villante squares off against Ilir Latifi.
The co-main event is a bantamweight title bout as Holly Holm defends her belt for the first time against Miesha Tate. The main event sees featherweight champ Conor McGregor taking on Nate Diaz in a welterweight contest.
There are three events and four title fights across two days, so dig in with Uproxx Sports for a weekend of combat sports. Join us for every single punch, kick, slam and sub!
Hey fight fans, we’ve got a big one here. UFC 196 might have lost the champion versus champion match when Rafael Dos Anjos got hurt, but Nate Diaz taking on Conor McGregor is getting a ton of hype behind it. The fights kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fight Pass, so let’s dive into the predictions.
Note from Dr. Vet: For Cowboy vs. Cowboy two weeks ago, my four office cats went 10-1. Teeeeeeeeeeeen and ooooooone. I fear that they will soon form a collective and become something akin to the Borg.
This week, I’m going to do something similar, but inter-office bragging rights (and snacks) will be on the line. This week it’s Abby, the Abyssinian Assassin vs. Frodo “Woofin’ 25/8” . Cat vs. Dog.
If you need a reminder of how I did this a few weeks ago – I printed out the pictures from the official card page on UFC.com. Then, I put a small amount (roughly a quarter of a teaspoon for Abby, tablespoon for Frodo) of wet food above the head of each fighter, being sure to not cover any part of the body of the fighter in question. Last time, I put the picture on an elevated examination table. This time, I just put the picture on the floor and had them pick 6 fights each.
Featherweight – Julian “Juicy J” Erosa vs. Teruto “Yashabo” Ishihara
Jessica: Half of Erosa’s fights have been against Ryan Mulvihill and Drew Brokenshire. Ishihara’s losses have come against guys I’ve heard of, like Michinori Tanaka and Ulka Sasaki. Both dudes have reality show experience, with Julian racking up split decision wins before getting knocked out by Artem Lobov on TUF 22, while Ishihara went a more JMMA route, getting majority decisions and then drawing with Mizuto Hirota on the finals of the Road to UFC event. I’m going with Ishihara to take this by decision, mostly because Erosa doesn’t deserve the “Juicy J” nickname.
Burnsy: I don’t like being one of those bros who’s like, “Bro, that’s not very manly of you, bro.” But Juicy J? Yeesh, bro. Yashabo wins just because.
Jared: Isn’t Erosa they guy who got KO’d by Artem “Low Hands” Lobov on TUF?
(*goes a quick Google search*)
Yep, that’s him. Clearly, Erosa’s 14-2 record is deceiving some of the bookies out there, so I’ll start things off by going against the grain and taking Ishihara to win.
Marty: All I can think of is that I vaguely remember Ishihara fighting to a draw in that competition final at the end of September, and everyone wondering why there wasn’t a sudden death fourth round. His first fight outside of Japan isn’t going to go so well, against a guy with six inches on him in height and reach. W: Erosa
Jamie: Um. Whodafugg? Ishihara is the ship from Dead Space, right? Yeah. Cool. Ishihara by tentacle-sodomy.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Abby
Pick: Ishihara
Lightweight – Justin “J-Bomb” Salas vs. Jason Saggo
Jessica: Salas is a win one, lose one fighter in the UFC, and he’s due for a win here. Who am I to stand in the way of fate? I’m apparently some kind of dumb jerk, because I have Saggo winning by third round TKO here.
Burnsy: I’ll take J-Bomb to win this one because he used my patented “Can’t think of a nickname? Just use your first letter and -bomb, and voila!” nicknamification system.
Jared: Jesus, neither of these guys have fought in over 2 years. We should all get a win added to our records just for making a prediction in this fight.
(*flips coin*)
Saggo.
Marty: What, I’m supposed to remember what two guys that haven’t fought in over a year can do? Come on, I’ve got the memory of a goldfish over here. Screw it – W: Saggo
Jamie: I am reasonably sure I have heard these names before, perhaps even in the context of fisticuffs. However, I’m just failing to recall anything worthwhile about either of these dudes. I’ll take Saggo by coin flip.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Frodo
Pick: Saggo
Lightweight – Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez vs. Jim Miller
Jessica: Time for me to enter the Cry Zone. While it’s true that TUF1 did get me (back) into MMA, it wasn’t Griffin versus Bonnar, it was Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez running through chumps on the weekly show. I remember catching episodes after Monday Night Raw (Remember when that was just two hours long?) and seeing this weird kid who tried to channel lighting into his body during storms who just took fools down, beat them up and then sunk in a rear naked choke. Diego got me hooked, and I was a fan of his from then on. Which is why this fight is gonna make me super sad. There’s no way that Diego’s got It any more. He hasn’t had It for a few years, if we’re being honest, not at featherweight on up to welterweight. Diego’s last non-controversial win was probably back in 2011. Yeeesh. Miller’s not as good as he used to be a few years back, when a win over him meant a title shot was right around the corner. He’s still plenty good enough to spill Diego’s blood. Miller wins a decision because it is scientifically proven that Diego Sanchez is too dumb to knock out.
Burnsy: An epic battle of two guys who have lost three of their last four. The UFC seriously needs to stop putting fights like this on any PPV card, even if it’s going down in the free fights portion of the event. Nothing about this fight will make people tuning in for the first time say, “Gee, if all fights are like this, count me in!” Whatever, Sanchez will win by UD in the most boring fight of the night.
Jared: In order to find the last truly legitimate win of Diego Sanchez’s career, you have to go all the way back to 2010, where he picked up a unanimous decision over Paulo Thiago at UFC 121. The rest has just been highly-depressing, one-sided beatdowns and gifted decisions, and even with that, Sanchez is still only 2-4 in his past 6. While I’m sure the UFC will continue giving Sanchez fights due to the “golden boy clause” that can be found in the contracts of every TUF 1 contestant, the man is running on little more than crazy these days. I like Miller to drop him early and possibly submit him.
Marty: The return of the Fight Pass Feature, and this one’s not bad at all. Granted, they’re both 1-for-4 of late, but they put on entertaining fights, and they’re about as hard-headed as you’ll find. FotN contender right here (but won’t be.) I think the originator of the YES! gets to do it again by decision. W: Sanchez
Jamie: I’m really not sure why, in 2016, Diego Sanchez is still in the UFC. But here’s the end of the road. Not even a damaged, shopworn, maybe broken-down Jim Miller could lose to Diego Sanchez. This will be brutal. This will be violent. This will be uncomfortable to watch. Women will sob. Men will hang their heads in shame. Diego Sanchez will not even look human at the end of this. Dana White will not be able to justify Diego’s continued MMA career. I’ve got Sanchez by split decision.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Abby
Pick: Sanchez
Featherweight – Darren “The Damage” Elkins vs. Chas “The Scrapper” Skelly
Jessica: Two slender wrestle boys, gettin all shirtless and grabbing on each other. Are we sure this isn’t taking place in some creepy guy’s apartment? Elkins has faced a better crop of competition, so of course he’s got more losses in the UFC. I think Elkins has better wrestling, but I could see Skelly getting a submission during a scramble. This is a tough call for me, but I’m going with Elkins to eke out a decision here.
Burnsy: All right, Skelly time! Dude has won four in a row since losing in his UFC debut, and that includes a win over my guy Jim Alers, so I have to show the Scrapper some respect. Also, Scrapper? That’s the most St. Louis Cardinals fighter nickname of all-time. Only “True Grit” or “The Right Way” could top it. Elkins is win one/lose one, too, and he’s due for a loss, so all signs point to Skelly.
Jared: Darren Elkins may be the most athletically unimpressive fighter in the entire UFC (well, next to CM Punk-OH SNAP!!), but I’ll be damned if the guy doesn’t know how to grind his way to a victory most of the time. I don’t know a whole lot about Skelly, but he hasn’t faced the level of competition that Elkins has and I see him falling victim to that goofy f*cker’s grappling attack en route to a decision loss.
Marty: This one will be a good test for Skelly, riding a four-fight win streak, against #11, who’s coming up on the 6-year anniversary of his UFC debut. However, if Elkins’ recent outcomes follow its pattern, he’s ending up on the wrong side here. I’ll go with it. W: Skelly
Jamie: Elkins is the new Fitch. God hates fun. Elkins by Godawful UD.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Frodo
Pick: Skelly
Middleweight – Vitor “Lex Luthor” Miranda vs. Marcelo “Magrao” Guimaraes
Jessica: Guimaraes dosen’t seem to fight a whole bunch. He’s only had three fights in the UFC and he joined back in 2012. Miranda is a dangerous puncher and only one of his wins went to the judges. Miranda is going to blast the heck out of Marcelo’s face meats and get a second round KO.
Burnsy: I wish Miranda was a few years younger, because this dude has me sort of hyped from his last two fights, as he won ’em both by TKO. But at 36 he has me concerned about his ability to hang with the younger, up-and-comers. Good thing Magrao really doesn’t qualify there, because he’s 32. I like the way Lex Luthor pummels dudes, so let’s hope he scores the TKO turkey here.
Jared: Guimaraes’ only wins in the UFC have come via split decision. One of those was over Dan Stittgen, aka the guy who got torched by “Wonderboy” Thompson. The other was over Andy Enz, who is Andy Enz. Miranda takes this one with ease.
Marty: Why do I take a shine to a Brazilian when they’re predominantly a striker? JDS on the brain? Vitor Miranda seems much more comfortable now that he’s fighting at 185 where he belongs, instead of 40 pounds higher. I’m hoping for an exciting (T)KO here. Also, maybe Joe Rogan will have figured out how to say “Guimaraes” by this point. W: Miranda
Side note: I wonder if my pick has three friends named…I can’t finish this joke.
Jamie: I’m a comic nerd. I can’t pick against Lex Luthor. Miranda by Kryptonite laser.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Abby
Pick: Miranda
Welterweight – Erick “El Indio” Silva vs. Nordine Taleb
Jessica: Is Taleb a wrestley-grapple man? I don’t think this is rhetorical, I honestly don’t know his general fighting style, but if he is, there’s a good chance he can stifle Silva’s offense and grind out a win. Oh, wait, he lost on two different seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, so he must be mocked. Silva’s going to beat the brakes off Taleb. Erick takes this with a first round KO.
Burnsy: I’m a little more interested in this fight than my colleague, J-Bomb, and I think this one is a sleeper for Fight of the Night. Silva loss by split to Neil Magny his last time out, so he gets serious respect for that, but what I like about him is that when he wins, he finishes. Taleb is a decision guy, though, which makes me think that Silva’s going to get him at some point, but he’s going to have to work to get that win.
Jared: Against anyone but the division’s elite, Erick Silva is nothing short of an eater of worlds. Seriously, the guy turned Takenori Soto’s head into a hacky sack, twisted Jason High into a pretzel, and ran roughshod over Josh Koscheck without breaking a sweat. Nordine Taleb is nowhere near being a member of the division’s elite, so by the logic I’ve just laid before you, I see Silva styling on Taleb and finishing this early.
Marty: This one didn’t exactly jump off the page at me, which is probably why it’s in the middle of the mid-card. Nordine Taleb is perfectly cromulent, I guess; at least Erick Silva’s fights are usually exciting one way or the other. What the hell, I’ll take exciting over cromulent. W: Silva
Jamie: I can’t stand picking Erick Silva fights, because EVERY MOTHERF*CKING TIME it seems like an easy straightforward pick where Silva is gonna unleash some comically fast violence on a poor soul, he shows up looking like he just spent a week sleeping in a room made entirely of HR Giger paintings. Having said this, I’m convincing myself that there’s no way that even living dead Silva is going to lose to Nordine friggin’ Taleb, while at the same time I’m probably gonna scream when he inevitably chokes. Silva by explosive crazy violence, round 1.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Frodo
Pick: Taleb
Welterweight – Brandon “Rukus” Thatch vs. Siyar “The Great” Bahadurzada
Jessica: Holy sh*t, Siyar still exists? I feel like I haven’t seen him since 2012. After checking Fight Finder, I guess that’s because 2012 is the only time he won in the UFC, before dropping a pair of fights in 2013. Yeah, I’m taking RUKUS to do some handsome violence to Siyar’s face, head, chest and torso region. Thatch ends this with a first round KO.
Burnsy: Despite both guys coming off two consecutive losses, I won’t call this a pink slip fight. Both guys are quality fighters, so the loser will live to see another day. That will be Siyar, because Thatch’s last two losses have been to Benson Henderson and my man Gunni Goddamned Nelson, and his win before that? KNEE TO THE BODY KO. Thatch is a bad boy and he’s gonna lock up Performance of the Night in this one.
Jared: In a matchup between two promising prospects who have failed to deliver on the big stage for the most part, I gotta take the guy who has at least fought in the past 3 years. Thatch.
Marty: The FS1 feature is between a couple of guys that beat Paulo Thiago then dropped a pair, but Siyar the Great took 2 years off after his last loss. Man, 2 years. I wonder what he did…climb mountains? Attain inner peace? Reboot, heal up, and do stuff that would help after a fight career? Whatever he did, it’s gonna work, because he’s gonna show Thatch the pink slip door with his ground work. W: Bahadurzada
Bantamweight – Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes vs. Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko
Jessica: Shevchenko looked very impressive in her short-notice UFC debut against Sarah Kaufman. She’s got good kickboxing, and her only loss was back in 2010 to Liz Carmouche. Nunes, however, is super scary. She’s like the female version of Vitor Belfort, in that her wins all come in the first round, and if an opponent can survive that initial onslaught, she doesn’t have much left to throw at you. I think Shevchenko will be able to avoid getting ker-blapped by Nunes in the first, and then she’ll just pick Amanda apart for the next two rounds. Shevchenko wins by third round TKO.
Burnsy: NOO-NEZ! NOO-NEZ! NOO-NEZ! My girl finishes her damn fights. She will finish this one and she will be in the title conversation.
Jared: Shevchenko is legit talent, but Nunes has the size, strength, and momentum as far as UFC wins go, so I’ll take her for the win.
Marty: I wanted to say I was really looking forward to this fight; maybe I will be by the intros. It’s not that I’m underwhelmed by Shevchenko, since she beat Sarah Kaufman in her short-notice UFC debut (by split dec.,) but the Lioness has destroyed everyone in the octagon save Alpha Cat. I don’t know about another “destruction,” but she’s getting the next non-Rowdy title shot. W: Nunes
Jamie: Nunes is, in my opinion, the hardest hitting woman in the UFC. However, she’s got the cardio of a heavyweight halfway up Everest. If she doesn’t finish this early, expect this to get ugly. Nunes by KO, round 1.
Justin: Both of these ladies are tough as fuck. Bullet Valentina is a Muay Thai killer that even has victories over our beloved Joanna. She’s been thrown to the wolves quick and got that decision of Kaufman but I believe Amanda Nunes is an even bigger step-up in competition. The longer this fight goes, the worse it looks for Nunes. I’d say she’s strong enough to earn a victory within the first 2 rounds but Shevchenko has been through the wars and it’s nothing new. Schevchenko by unanimous decision.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Frodo
Pick: Shevchenko
Light Heavyweight – “Filthy” Tom Lawlor vs. Corey “Beastin 25/8” Anderson
Jessica: Oh dang. Oh dang oh dang ohdang. I like Tom, but I just don’t know if anyone on the planet is capable of dealing with a man that has broken the laws of physics and spacetime and can Beast 25 Hours per Day, 8 Days per Week (I assume that with his increased Beastin abilities, Corey can Beast a full 13 months a year, which is impressive, since that lousy Smarch weather usually puts most people off their Beastin) Buuut, I don’t think overclocked Beastin is prepared to deal with someone as dirty as Filthy Tom. This is going to be a tough scrap, but I think Lawlor gets this with a third round TKO.
Burnsy: I don’t really know what to base this one on. Lawlor TKO’d Gian Villante while Villante was the most embarrassing night of Anderson’s young career. I have vowed to not take Anderson for granted anymore, though, especially because of his silly nickname, and despite my gut telling me to take Lawlor I’m gonna roll with Beastin’ here.
Jared: Given their respective performances against Gian Villante, MMA math would dictate that the “Filthy” one should win this by TKO. But as we know, anyone who even brings up MMA math as a way of analyzing fights is a dense dullard with a probable drinking problem and serious mommy issues, so I’ll take Anderson.
Wait.
Marty: All I can think to say about this is: I want pro graps fans to win in UFC, so Ariel Helwani talking about the slow heel turn works fine for me. Oh, and being back at 205 will probably do just fine for him. W: Lawlor
Jamie: The Notorious Tom McLawlor is a national treasure, and if you don’t love him you’re a terrible person. Tom Lawlor by super-boring UD.
Justin: I love Tom Lawlor but how often is he Beastin’? I don’t think it’s 25/8. I’m pretty sure it’s not even 24/7. In fact, Lawlor has been pretty wishy-washy in his last fights. Of course, the “crafty veteran” (goddamn we love saying that all the time) could definitely pull off the win. He KOed the guy that KOed Anderson after all, but I just think they’ll be too much Beastin’ going on. I’m saying we get the UD for Anderson or a surprise late round KO.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Abby
Pick: Anderson
Light Heavyweight – Gian Villante vs. Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi
Jessica: If this was the rap world, I’d call this the Weed Carriers Invitational. We’ve got two lackeys here, Gian for Chris Weidman and Ilir for Alex Gustafsson, and I don’t really care who wins, I just want to see the two Big Dawgs duke it out next. That being said, I’m taking Latifi, because that dude can friggin PAWNCH. Latifi wins by first round megaton KO and then engages in some romantic horse riding on the beach.
Burnsy: This could be a really good one, which would make it a really quick one, or it could be a lazy dud. I’m going with a quick one, as Latifi will turn Villante’s lights off in the first round.
Jared: Despite being a decent puncher in his own right, Villante is just way too hittable, (especially as the fight progresses) and Latifi throws bricks. I’ll take “The Sledgehammer” by TKO.
Marty: On a relatively quick turnaround of seven weeks, Latifi’s going to use his overhand right and stone head to take out Villante. At the very least, he’ll put up more of a fight than a 40-something Aussie. W: Latifi
Jamie: Jesus, this fight. Somehow, this is happening. It is the most brutal indictment of the 205-pound weight class that I can think of to say that Gian Villante is somehow on a UFC pay-per-view main card. Latifi’s not that good (I’m bracing for the wave of comments about UNBEATABLE UFC CHAMPION ILIR THA KILIR, GAWD OF THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS) but he’s more than talented enough to wreck Villante’s face. Latifi by KO, round 2.
Justin: Illir Latifi posted a picture riding shirtless on horseback like Putin. (can we post that here?) (Editor’s Note: Yeah boyee) Therefore, I must not pick against him. Besides, Lawlor KOed Villante. Latifi by mascule, MMA Math KO in Round 2
Dr. Vet: Picker: Frodo
Pick: Villante
Bantamweight Title – Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm vs. Miesha “Cupcake” Tate
Jessica: I’m not trying to launch myself at supersonic speeds at the Holly Holm bandwagon, but she’s got this. I’m starting to believe more and more that her early UFC fights were in first or second gear, and then she kicked it into fourth against Ronda. Miesha’s smart and won’t just bullrush in, so I don’t think Holly will do as much damage as quickly, but I still see Holm winning this. It’s going to take a lot of circling and stuffed take downs, but much like Tate’s second ever fight against Kaitlin Young, Holm wins with a headkick knockout. Let’s say in the third round.
Burnsy: I’m still tired of Tate as a championship contender. She hasn’t done a single thing that has made me say, “Damn, that fighter deserves another shot.” She’s won four in a row, sure, but do you remember a single moment from those fights? No, because they were all unspectacular decisions. She went two-and-change with Ronda Rousey, but she still lost. And yet all this time she sits there like the Diaz sister, yapping her mouth about why she should be getting a title shot. I respect that, because top level charisma is in short supply in the UFC right now, but she’s not a serious contender. You know who Miesha Tate is? She’s Chael Sonnen. She’ll always be in the conversation because she knows how to get into the conversation. So, that all said, can she do what Holly Holm did and learn the weaknesses that she’ll need to exploit to do the unthinkable and ruin the Holm-Rousey rematch like she claims she’ll do? I doubt it, because again, she’s never proven that she’s an elite level fighter. So I’m taking Holm because I think she’s obviously the better fighter, but I’m also picking Holm because it would be a shame for Tate to win the belt and then lose it to Rousey in three months. We deserve Holm-Rousey 2 and not Rousey-Tate 3.
Jared: I’m not entirely sure what skills Miesha Tate possess that makes her a nightmare for Holm, as some have suggested, but the woman does find a way to win against anyone not named Ronda Rousey. Unfortunately, Tate was also flash-KO’d by Sara McMann, who has approximately 1/10th of the striking prowess of Holm, which says more to me about this fight than anything. Holm is gonna touch Tate early and often and set up that Rousey rematch that may or may not ever actually happen.
Marty: I want this to be a good fight. I really, really do. I mean, it’ll be entertaining for sure, but I want it to be competitive. I just don’t know how competitive it’ll be. No, you know what, I shouldn’t say that. Tate is definitely a better striker than a misguided Ronda Rousey, but she’s certainly not as good of a grappler. The best plan to knock off a striker is to take them to the mat, but if a champion judoka couldn’t do much with Holly down there, what hope does Miesha have? She loses the reach comparison, so I would think the champ would be able to pick her apart rather efficiently. This might go longer than six minutes for Holm, but she’s still getting the finish and retention. W: Holm
Oh, and read Jessica’s Keys to Victory. The last line in that paragraph killed me. Dead. (Editor’s Note: THE ANTIDOTE SHALL BE DELIVERED TO YOU POST HASTE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION)
Jamie: Holly Holm’s striking is hideously overrated, which is to say that it’s still miles ahead of the rest of the division. Miesha is going to surprise some people and turn this into an honest-to-God fight, but she’s just not good enough to keep up with Holly for the full five rounds, and when she screws up, Holly will capitalize on it. Holm by round 4 KO
Justin: Holly Holm, the best women’s fighter in Earthrealm, has what it takes to cement herself in this fight. …Until she wins and then everyone clamors for a rematch with Ronda Rousey even though I find it completely unnecessary. Miesha Tate is no joke and will not bull rush Holm running straight into her strikes. However, I feel like Holm’s movement will stifle Tate and Holm will be able to get off her strikes and make it a long night for Tate. Holm could also find a home to land a sick headkick to put Tate (look up Tate taking headkicks) away if Tate loses composure. Holm by unanimous decision.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Abby
Pick: Tate
Welterweight – “The Notorious” Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz
Jessica: Are you kidding me? This is the fight that gets made to save the show? Nate’s 2-3 in his last five, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one expecting him to look like utter dogsh*t against Johnson in December based of his performance against RDA in 2014. Now he’s coming in off basically no camp and it’s gotta be at welterweight because I doubt that Diaz is in any kind of fight-ready shape. Conor might be stymied a bit by Nate’s longer reach and high volume, but he also won’t stand flat-footed and let Diaz just tee off on him. Diaz is a tough guy to stop, but Conor hits really friggin hard, and I think he’ll accumulate a ton of damage. I’m not really happy about any of this, but I’ll say Conor takes a third round TKO.
Burnsy: Nate looked like the most diabolically cranial fighter in the world in his victory over Michael Johnson. That was just one of the best under-his-skin fights I’ve ever watched, because Johnson had nothing for him, and it was hard to watch him sinking in quicksand. Nate’s last win before that was a first round TKO of Gray Maynard, who, let’s face it, is a Glass Joe at this point in his career. Other than that, Diaz hasn’t done much to deserve our faith. And yet… I’m picking Diaz. I love Conor McGregor, and I don’t get why UFC fans don’t like him when he is everything the company and sport have needed for years — a brash, ballsy, arrogant, flamboyant, sh*t-talking superstar who does not lose — and wants to win every belt in his prime. But I’m getting that feeling that I got before Rousey lost, when I wanted to pick Holm but stuck with Rousey because she doesn’t lose. I want McGregor to win and expect him to, but I am a pessimist and fear the end of all good things. So, prove me wrong, Notorious One, but I think Diaz wins this one and keeps stirring the pot.
Jared: OK, can we all just agree that the youngest Diaz is being “hugely” undervalued in this fight? Short notice or not, Diaz has the reach, the size, and most importantly, the submission skills to tap damn near anyone. The question is whether he will actually attempt to get the fight to the ground or whether his pride force him into a standup battle with McGregor. According to literally everything we know about the Diaz’s, the answer to that is a firm “f*ck yes” for the latter. At this point, McGregor is a force of pure will, and I don’t see Nate being the man that stops him.
Marty: The featherweight (145) champ against the fifth-ranked lightweight (155) in a short-notice welterweight (170) fight, but Conor knows how to promote and Nate knows how to cuss and flip birds. I’m trying to look at this logically, but something’s trying to get me to throw that out the window.
Nate’s fighting at 170, which he can hit more easily, and he just picked apart Michael Johnson in December, but this is on short notice, and despite having a weight advantage, his opponent didn’t have to cut at all. Hard head, great striking, and a ground game to go with it. Cocky, mouthy, and will slap you in the face if you let him (and even if you don’t.)
Conor fighting at welterweight − weighing in at 168, even − is the healthiest you’ll even see him in the cage; that’s what happens when you don’t have to cut anything at all. For once, he has to fight someone noticeably bigger than him, but that doesn’t have to mean anything. As he said after beating Jose Aldo, “precision beats power, and timing beats speed.” I don’t think Conor’s psych-out tactics will work very well on Diaz or vice versa, but if Diaz isn’t sharp, Conor’s quote will be accurate again.
I think the key here, as was the case against Chad Mendes, is whether McGregor can keep this fight standing. Against Mendes, he had a bit of trouble on the mat, but no camp gassed Mendes quickly. Diaz didn’t have a camp either, but having the weight advantage should help him keep McGregor down. On the other hand, Conor is at full power with no weight cut, so there’s probably no chance he gets tired late, should it get there. You know, provided he isn’t getting pummeled the whole time.
Gee whiz, which way to go? W: McGregor
Jamie: This is actually a fantastic bit of last-minute matchmaking. Let’s get the obvious out of the way here. Yes, Conor and his pool noodles are going to play touch-butt all over Nate’s face. Provided Conor doesn’t do something incredibly stupid, this is entirely his fight. At the same time, I know a few friends of mine have put some money down on Nate by sub, thinking that it’s his only way of winning, and it’s entirely within the realm of possibility. I’m not confident in this enough to put money on it, but there’s certainly an argument to be made for Nate by sub. That being said,.it’s not gonna happen. McGregor by round one KO.
Justin: I actually think this Conor McGregor’s biggest fight yet. McGregor has made a career out saying “I told you so”. Each time he proves us all liars as we tell him what he can’t do and he fucking goes out there and does it. Well, this time, McGregor has leaped straight off the deep end and is up two weight classes from home and he is driving through Stockton in a Royce that doesn’t belong. While this isn’t the title fight, this fight will still answer so many questions: How does McGregor’s sniper left leveled up with a 90% critical hit fair at a higher weight? What happens when McGregor’s psychological warfare and whiskey-tinged tongue goes up against a graffiti-covered brick wall? Obviously Diaz has the advantage on the ground, but mostly only uses it when people try to bail out from being overwhelmed by his punches. The fact is, Diaz is going to stand and trade with the Irishman and one person is going to fall. Diaz is crazy durable, but also hittable. I feel that, even with the tall, lankiness of Diaz and the 2′ reach advantage, that McGregor will find his target and give Diaz his 2nd KO of his career. McGregor by KO in Round 3.
Dr. Vet: Picker: Frodo
Pick: McGregor, TKO (Hound in Pound)
Miesha Tate walked into UFC 196 saying that she’d defeat Holly Holm and ruin Ronda Rousey’s chance at redemption. Could she, an ex-Strikeforce champion, throw the UFC’s plans at a mega-rematch between Holly and Ronda? Would Miesha finally get UFC gold?
Yep. Miesha Tate did it. She’s the UFC bantamweight champ and it was a brilliant performance.
The first round featured a lot of range-finding for both fighters, with Holly Holm picking away at Miesha’s defenses as Miesha tried to get within striking distance. As time went on, Holly showed accuracy and better striking, but that doesn’t matter when you’re on your back. Miesha took Holly down and dominated the second round with by taking Holly down, grinding her into the mat with ground and pound, then threatening a very close rear naked choke.
In the third Holly stuffed two of Miesha’s takedowns, and seemed far more aggressive. This is a close as hell fight heading into the fourth, where Holly would stuff more takedowns and finally start putting together combinations…
The fifth round starts off quietly again, and it could be anyone’s fight, UNTIL MIESHA TATE TAKES DOWN HOLLY HOLY, GETS HER BACK, SINKS IN A CHOKE AND PUTS HER TO SLEEP AFTER THE REF MISSES THE TAP.
Ladies and gentleman, Ronda Rousey is PISSED and Miesha Tate is your new UFC bantamweight champion!
UFC 196 delivered on all sorts of levels with an entertaining card from start to finish. We saw great performances, we saw Miesha Tate shock the world and send Holly Holm into dreamland with a rear naked choke, and we saw NATE DIAZ TAP CONOR MCGREGOR ON TEN DAYS NOTICE!!!
Main card
— Nate Diaz def. Conor McGregor via submission (round 2)
Conor bloodied up Nate Diaz, but as the fight went on, the typical Diaz boxing came into play, then McGregor went down and Diaz tapped the featherweight champ.
—Miesha Tate def. Holly Holm via rear naked choke submission (round 5) to become NEW women’s bantamweight champion.
It was a close fight, but Miesha could handle almost everything Holly threw her way. The fight was close, but Miesha took her shot and choked Holly unconscious in the fifth.
—Ilir Latifi def. Gian Villante via unanimous decision.
This was Latifi’s third win in a row, and he’s now 5-2 in the UFC since fighting Gegard Mousasi on short notice in 2013. This probably puts Latifi near the top 12 in the light heavyweight division, so the dream of Latifi in some big fights is real.
—Corey Anderson def. Tom Lawlor via unanimous decision. Somehow, despite getting absolutely rocked in the first round, Anderson received two 30-27 scores. I had it 29-28 Lawlor. Boos rained from the crowd.
Seemed like most saw it that way:
Not a lot of action in that round but seems like it should be 20-18 Tom Lawlor after 2#UFC196
And Dan Harmon was Lawlor’s special guest cornerman for the losing occasion.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
—Amanda Nunes def. Valentina Shevchenko via unanimous decision.
Nunes faded as the fight went on, but had Shevchenko in multiple DEEP submissions and dominated early, which bailed her out on the scorecards. After the fight, she predicted Miesha Tate would beat Holly, and called for a title shot.
—Siyar Bahadurzada def. Brandon Thatch via arm-triangle submission (round 3). Bahadurzada returned to the Octagon after a two-year layoff and looked fantastic, showing power on the feet, and surprisingly looked strong against the bigger Thatch on the ground.
—Darren Elkins def. Chas Skelly via unanimous decision.
Fight Pass Prelims
—Diego Sanchez def. Jim Miller via unanimous decision.
This was a great and close fight, but Diego proved that he’s still got it with perfectly-timed takedowns and (obviously) a more aggressive approach to the fight.
While Miesha Tate and Holly Holm battled in the co-main event of UFC 196 for the bantamweight belt, longtime former champ “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey was taking in one of her favorite past times, Pro Wrestling Guerilla’s brand of indy wrestling.
It was the second night of All-Star Weekend 12, and it appears Ronda was notified of something “more important” just as the Drew Galloway vs. Trevor Lee match spilled out of the ring in front of here.
Something tells me now that the champ is someone she’s beaten twice, Rousey will be hitting the gym hard for a rematch. You won’t be seeing her hanging around the Legion hall in Reseda, at least now without some gold.
Somewhere in California, Ronda Rousey is having a very bad weekend. Following her devastating headkick knockout loss in November, the whole world wanted to see how she’d do in a rematch against Holly Holm. Pundits and insiders alike reckoned that she’d have to completely overhaul her training to defeat the new “undefeatable” champion. The UFC began putting together plans to have the two fight again at UFC 200 in what would have undoubtedly been one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport.
But instead, Rousey decided to take time off and concentrate on her Hollywood career. Once it was clear she wasn’t going to return any time soon, the UFC reluctantly booked Holly Holm vs Miesha Tate as the co-main on a hastily put together supercard starring Conor McGregor. Holm would get more exposure, and the eventual Rousey rematch would become even bigger. Win, win! Except nothing in mixed martial arts ever seems to work out that easily.
Tate came out with a similar gameplan to Rousey, but completely different execution. The goal: to take Holm down and submit her. But where Rousey charged in to try and initiate a clinch up, Tate stayed far on the outside, moving left to right and never standing in front of Holm. She played a patient game, lulling the now former champion by not shooting a single takedown in the first round. It probably cost her on the scorecards, but paid off in the second when Holm threw a left and Tate ducked under it, dragging her opponent to the ground.
From there Tate’s superior wrestling became apparent as she attacked with ground and pound and kept Holm pinned to the mat, forcing her to give up her back. The final minute of the second round was a desperate one for Holm as Tate worked to secure a rear naked choke, forcing her arm under Holm’s neck and nearly forcing the champion to tap. But Holm managed to break the hold and survive the round.
Back in her corner, Tate’s expression looked far from jubilant. Rather, she looked like she knew she’d just missed what might have been her best shot at victory. And over the next two-and-a-half rounds, Holm nearly proved that to be true. The patience that helped set up Tate’s pivotal second round takedown was also destroying her on the judges’ scorecards. While she was doing a good job of staying outside the range of Holm’s punches, the champion was still connecting with a constant stream of sidekicks and keeping out of Tate’s grasp.
Tate’s takedowns became more desperate in the fourth and fifth rounds, while Holm shrugged them off or sprawled out to defend them with growing ease. The sense of victory that Holm was cultivating from the third round onward was becoming almost overwhelming, but halfway through the fifth round, it happened: Tate lunged in wildly and tackled Holm with a shot that was more football than mixed martial arts. Holm almost got back to her feet but Tate hooked a leg around her and pulled her back to the canvas.
The two scrambled toward the cage and suddenly Tate was on Holm’s back. Tate got her arm under Holm’s neck again and locked up a tight rear naked choke. Holm staggered to her feet and desperately tried to flip over and dislodge Tate, but it was no good. Tate’s grip only tightened, and after some reflexive pawing at the air, Holm lost consciousness.
It was a shocking turnaround in a fight that was clearly going Holm’s way on the scorecards… until Tate turned the fight, the division, and the UFC’s plans for a Rousey comeback on its head with her submission win. The invincible rub that Holm had gotten off beating Rousey is now gone, and so are a lot of pay-per-view buys for the eventual Holm-Rousey 2 main event.
It’s said ad nauseam that styles make fights, and Tate’s wrestling ability and grit were always a danger to Holm – that may have been why the UFC was so reluctant to set the fight up in the first place. Holm’s coaches put together a solid plan to deal with it, but in the end it proved to be too defensive. Without a Rousey-like opponent bullying forward, Holm wasn’t able to put together any combinations or stagger Tate, who was never in any serious trouble, except on the judges’ scorecards. That gave her 25 minutes to pull off her strategy. It took her 23 minutes and 30 seconds.
So once again, the myth of the unstoppable UFC fighter is destroyed, and we’re left with another reminder that every puzzle can be solved by someone with the skill and determination to do it. Miesha Tate is the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion, and Ronda Rousey will have to face her for a third time if she wants her belt back.
Dave Oancea is really good at gambling. “Vegas Dave,” as he’s known on social media, has cashed in some huge bets over the last few years, and last night he won almost $200K by betting $77 grand on Miesha Tate. He loves betting on the underdogs, and it’s paid off wonderfully for him over the last two UFC women’s bantamweight title fights. Miesha Tate took home UFC gold last night in a brilliant performance against Holly Holm and it made Oancea a little bit richer.
This comes just a few months after he won with a huge underdog bet on Holm over Ronda Rousey:
Miesha Tate was a +250 underdog, which means his $77K bet will come out to $192,500 in winnings. Considering Holm was (possibly) winning on the scorecards as time wound down, it must’ve been a stressful night that paid off in the end. Perhaps Vegas Dave bet on Diaz as well? Maybe. If he had, we probably would’ve heard about it by now.
So let this be a lesson to fight fans everywhere: odds don’t matter and styles make fights. UFC 196 was the night of the underdog and Vegas Dave is a few hundred grand richer for knowing it.
“I think that Ronda now will face Miesha Tate for the title,” he said. “That’s what’s going to happen. That’s what I said before this fight even happened: whoever wins tonight will fight Ronda for the title.”
“Ronda wasn’t watching the fight,” White continued. As we reported, she was at an indy pro wrestling event instead. “I text Ronda and she said ‘What happened?’ and I said ‘Miesha just choked her unconscious.’ And she said ‘Well, it looks like I gotta get back to work.’ I don’t know what that means … if that means acting or fighting!”
“She’s scheduled to not come back until October or November, but it doesn’t mean I can’t ask. Ronda Rousey has worked very hard for this company for three and a half years. Believe me, she did anything that was asked of her and went above and beyond the call of duty. And if she wants to stay out until October, I’ll let her do that.”
While Holm’s loss to Tate will undoubtedly hurt pay per view numbers when the eventual Rousey rematch happens, it may be a boon that brings Ronda back to the UFC sooner than originally expected. Rousey holds two dominating wins over Tate, so she may be much more willing to juggle her other responsibilities while fighting the scrappy wrestler than she would against Holm.
She may also be learning that Hollywood is a fickle industry that will push back a movie’s shooting again and again without notice. After dealing with projects changing course or being completely cancelled, the desire to punch someone in the face again may be getting pretty strong for the competitive athlete. And she does love to punch Miesha Tate in the face. The two have a fierce rivalry spanning nearly five years that started after Miesha questioned Ronda’s worthiness to fight for her Strikeforce title. Ronda paid her back for those comments by breaking her elbow backwards in an armbar.
As of this moment there’s been no official word from Rousey, who has been pretty scarce on social media since her loss to Holm in November. But if what Dana White is saying is true, it sounds like there’s a chance Ronda may return to the cage for UFC 200. We’ll keep you informed as the story develops.
UFC 196 was a roller coaster of an event. Both Holly Holm and Conor McGregor looked strong early into their fights, only to eventually fall to their underdog opponents — Miesha Tate and Nate Diaz respectively. And you know what happens when heavy favorites bite the dust: the jokers and haters come out of the woodwork and make memes about their losses.
It’s all in good fun, though. Conor and Holly are true warriors who are gonna bounce back from this adversity and continue to make the big bucks fighting in front of millions around the world. So, allow yourself to get a laugh or five out of these great memes that came out of UFC 196…
An accurate description of the women’s bantamweight championship situation right now. Will one of these fighters be able to break the cycle?
Oof. Don’t worry, Conor. Most fight fans won’t judge you on a single ground pounding delivered by one of the best jiu jitsu players in the game, and while you were knocked silly to boot.
Yeah, I know you’re sick of Sad Jordan. Which is why we picked only the best SJ for this post. Both Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor have fallen since being put on the cover of EA Sports UFC 2, keeping the creepy EA Sports cover curse alive and well.
Kron must be a proud jiu jitsu daddy after watching his student cut through McGregor on the ground like a hot knife through butter.
Here’s Sad Dana thinking about all the hard knocks his stars have taken over the past few months. If only the UFC protected its stars like certain other promotions…
“He makes gang signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left hand.” — Conor McGregor, before he got murked.
Just another reminder that all men must die. It’s easy to make a parallel between McGregor vs. Nate and the Mountain vs. the Viper from Game of Thrones. Conor boxed Nate up for 90 percent of the fight, and then got his face smashed and his throat crushed. The show’s filmed in Ireland, Conor! You should have known what happens when smaller guys face bigger opponents.
Most oddsmakers had Holly Holm as the clear favorite over Miesha Tate at UFC 196. And for a majority of that fight, the oddsmakers looked like geniuses as Holm kept Tate at bay with roundhouse kicks and jabs. But in the fifth round, Holm made a crucial mistake — an overhand right missed the mark and Tate took her down. The rest as they say is history, as Tate ultimately finished Holm off with a rear naked choke hold.
On Tuesday, UFC president Dana White took dead aim at Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, and blamed him for the loss.
“The sad part about that is, listen, he’s an old boxing guy who thinks he’s smart, and he’s not,” White said during an appearance on ESPN’s Russillo & Kanell. “It’s one of those things. I feel bad about it. I feel bad for Holly. I don’t know if Holly really knows what she lost. I think she has so much faith in the people that surround her, she feels like, ‘Well, they got me this far.’
White added that Holm didn’t attend a meeting with some UFC personnel ahead of the fight. Instead Fresquez and the rest of Holm’s team took care of it. Who knows what this meeting entailed or what, if anything, Holm could have added. It’s very possible she just doesn’t care about the details and overall production of the fight. And that’s certainly her prerogative. As Dana White astutely observed, she’s gotten this far with them. A victory over Ronda Rousey and winning the bantamweight belt is nothing to scoff at.
So, what’s this really about? Why is Dana White hammering Holly Holm’s team so hard?
If you recall back in December, White and Fresquez kinda went at it in the media, disagreeing over Holly Holm’s next fight after the Ronda Rousey victory. Fresquez wanted Holm in the ring as soon as possible. When told about this, White sarcastically responded, “We’re real concerned with his opinion.”
Yeah, these two don’t get along. That’s the most obvious explanation for White’s comments.
The UFC women’s bantamweight division is in an interesting spot right now. They’ve got three legit champs, and each can defeat one other, but not both. It’s like some real life version of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and it could go on until someone manages to break the cycle. If it’s up to Miesha Tate, the cycle ends with her beating Ronda Rousey, who she thinks is a different person after her loss to Holly Holm.
“What about Ronda’s mentality? I think Ronda is beating herself up over this,” Tate told Jay Mohr on his Fox Sports podcast. “I mean, she previously said that she’s so emotional to the point where she’s considering crazy things. It’s like, this is a broken woman. I don’t know if she’ll ever come back the same.”
“But I have proven that I can come back from adversity and I do come back and I will come back. And there’s no one in this sport that can break me. I have the strongest mindset of anybody in there. I don’t know where Ronda is with her mindset, but I have to wonder. Is she ever going to come back the same?”
Miesha isn’t just relying on Ronda returning a shadow of her former self. She also feels her striking is where it needs to be to stop Rousey from implementing her patented judo throw to armbar combo that defeated her the first two times they fought.
“From that fight that I fought Ronda, I still had really wild, kind of flinging hooks,” she said. “I let Ronda come right into that clinch. [My punches were] so wide and open and nothing down in the middle.”
Miesha will have a chance to back up her words — UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Ronda will face her first for the belt Tate now holds. When that will be remains a mystery. When told of Tate’s win, Rousey allegedly told White, “Time to get back to work.” But does that mean we can expect a Tate-Rousey fight in July at UFC 200, or will Rousey stick to her original plan of returning in October or November?
Miesha Tate captured the UFC women’s bantamweight championship this weekend by submitting Holly Holm in a big fight that pulled a lot of press. But somehow, that moment wasn’t Tate’s biggest of the weekend. Rather, that honor goes to an Instagram video of a Las Vegas PD officer trying and failing to keep his eyes off her backside at the weigh-in.
The struggle is real. That clip went viral, gaining way more eyes than her impressive last minute defeat of Rousey-killer Holly Holm the next night. Tate obviously heard about the clip and rather than get mad, she’s played along. Here’s an Instagram she posted with the officer in question, Russel Mettke.
Mettke isn’t the first person to get caught on camera enjoying the view during UFC weigh-ins. Here’s a staffer at an event from last December getting an eye full as well, proving that no matter what your gender, it can be hard to keep from checking people out when they’re literally stripping down right in front of you.
“I really question her mentality,” Tate told Maxim in a recent interview. “I know whenever I’ve been put through any kind of adversity or come back from a loss, the first thing I want to do when I come back from a loss is to get in the gym and get better. That’s not what I heard from her. I have yet to hear, ‘Oh, I just want to get back in the gym and get better.’ She has other reasons and other things she wants to go focus on, so it just makes me question.”
“She said she wants to have kids with Travis Browne,” she added. “I don’t know where her mind is with everything. I’m not really seeing something that sticks out to me that I can identify with like, ‘Is this a comeback fighter?’ I don’t know.”
“We’re questioning whether she’ll ever fight again. It seems to me like she’s in a weird mental state. And I feel like I’m mentally the best I’ve ever been.”
Tate pointed to her five fight winning streak as proof she’s a different fighter from the first two times she faced Rousey. And Ronda’s aura of invincibility isn’t what it used to be. Miesha said she planned to “exploit holes in [Rousey’s] game.”
The UFC hasn’t officially announced anything yet, but all signs are pointing toward Ronda Rousey’s return to the Octagon going down on November 12 at Madison Square Garden. Last week, the former women’s bantamweight champion made it known that she wanted onto the UFC’s first New York card, saying she’d earned a spot after spending two years lobbying the legislature to legalize MMA in the state.
UFC president Dana White wouldn’t confirm the Rowdy one’s participation, but did admit on ESPN’s Beadle and Shelburne podcast that “she’s definitely part of the discussion and will fight whoever has that belt when she comes back.”
That means Rousey will most likely face the winner of the Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes title fight at UFC 200 in July, setting her up for a softer rebound from defeat than if she’d have to face Holly Holm in her first fight back. But you can’t accuse the UFC of coddling their last remaining superstar (now that Conor McGregor is gone). The fight promotion tried setting up a rematch between Tate and Holm for UFC 200, but were allegedly rebuffed by Tate’s camp. And it sounds like they’re open to Tate fighting between July and November if she wants to.
“I think Miesha, she’s fighting at [UFC 200], she might fight again before [November],” White said. “She wants to fight. We’ll see what happens. Miesha has been the No. 2 baddest woman in the world for years. For her to stay active right now makes sense.”
That’s assuming Miesha defeats Amanda Nunes, who is no slouch. But one thing is for certain: whoever ends up being the one with the 135 pound strap when Ronda returns is going to have to fight her for it.
The longstanding feud between Ronda Rousey and her nemesis Miesha Tate continues, and it looks like Tate is ready to air a lot of dirty laundry regarding Ronda and her bullying behavior. Tate was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Thursday and of course Ronda Rousey came up — it’s expected that the two will fight for the third time in New York this November if Tate beats challenger Amanda Nunes at UFC 200.
But what she shared with Rogan was more than just her own personal experiences dealing with Rousey. She also claimed that Ronda “freaked out and just cussed” out UFC strawweight and Dancing With The Stars contestant Paige VanZant.
According to Miesha, VanZant told her that she was warned during a Reebok media shoot not to approach Ronda or ask for a picture. And then later that day, Rousey got in VanZant’s face
“Like they’ve never really had a conversation either,” Tate told Rogan. “She’s like ‘I don’t know Ronda other than like hi, bye, that’s it.’ Ronda came up and was like ‘F*ck you, you fair weather b*tch, how dare you cross me.'”
“She’s like ‘Cross you, what are you talking about?’ And [Ronda] was like ‘You congratulated Holly Holm for beating me, so f*ck you.’ … And Paige came and told me, and I was like ‘Honey, welcome to my world.'”
Keep in mind that this is all hearsay from someone who has never kept her dislike of Rousey a secret. After Ronda’s loss to Holly Holm in November, Miesha responded by saying “I’m f*cking stoked; f*ck Ronda Rousey!”
“F*ck her and her ‘Nobody has the right to beat me.’” Tate continued. “Nobody has the right to beat you? Well you just got beat, b*tch.”
We’ll see what Paige VanZant has to say about this now that the incident has been dragged into the spotlight by Miesha.
UPDATE: Paige VanZant confirmed the confrontation with TMZ, telling them, “It appears that I offended Ronda by congratulating Holly after her victory. The incident was very shocking and totally unnecessary.”
From winning the title, to #UFC200, to a potential Rousey rematch, @MieshaTate shares all in The ExchangeImage may be NSFW. Clik here to view. 6/13 https://t.co/dSGp51WfFM
Miesha Tate is a Strikeforce and UFC champion. Both wins were against big opponents in Holly Holm and Marloes Coenen, and in both, she was considered by some to be an underdog. Still, even with a convincing win over Holly Holm, and with an 18-5 record, she has two losses to Ronda Rousey, who many still consider to be the best female fighter in the history of MMA. Despite the fact that she’s never defeated Ronda, Miesha Tate believes their longstanding feud is potentially one of the greatest of all time, and who are we to disagree?
Yes, Ronda has arm barred Miesha into oblivion twice, and even if they never fight again, it’s still very likely that Miesha’s correct with her evaluation. A whole season of The Ultimate Fighter fueled their hatred for one another, and two championship fights full of trash talk has permeated the minds of MMA fans everywhere. There are certain things every MMA fan knows, and the fact that Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey hate each other is one of them.
Of course, if they were to fight for the third time, it would absolutely cement their rivalry as one of the greatest – if not the greatest – of all time just based on airtime alone. Only Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, or Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell (or Ken Shamrock) could come close.
Now, if Miesha were to beat Ronda in the third bout, well they’d have to fight for a fourth time, right? Then it truly would be the greatest MMA rivalry of all-time.
Over the last year, Dave Oancea, a.k.a. “Vegas Dave” has made nearly a half million dollars on women’s MMA fights. Actually, he’s made nearly a half million on two WMMA fights alone. He bet $20K on Holly Holm over Ronda Rousey at 11-1 odds, then followed up that huge win by putting down $70K on Miesha Tate over Holly Holm. Now, he wants to make MMA gambling history with a million dollar ticket, betting a cool mil on Miesha Tate to beat Amanda Nunes at UFC 200.
“Most people that bet big money they do it underground or over shores to avoid taxes and eyes watching them. Me, I’m a pretty open book. I found someone overseas to make the bet and it’s already in place… It would be the highest sports bet on paper ever seen. No one’s ever seen a million dollar wager on paper… It would also be the biggest paid sports bet in UFC history.”
If he wins, the bet will pay out $400,000 to Dave, who’s probably extremely confident about this fight. Miesha Tate seems to be peaking and is a big favorite against Nunes at -250 to +195. Of course, it’s MMA and anything can happen, but unless Miesha’s fighting against Ronda Rousey or a prime Cat Zingano, the smart money is on her.
We saw an entire season of sh*t-talk on The Ultimate Fighter, we saw Miesha Tate’s elbow bend at impossible angles during their first fight in Strikeforce and then we saw her submit once again to Ronda in the UFC.
But now, everything has changed. The mighty Ronda has fallen to Holly Holm, who subsequently fell to Miesha Tate, and Miesha doesn’t believe Ronda (if she comes back) will be the same fighter that was once considered to be one of the greatest ever. Why are we talking about the never-ending Miesha/Ronda hatred? Because Miesha hopped on Conan to discuss her upcoming UFC 200 fight with Amanda Nunes, but things naturally transitioned to her rival.
“I’ve been defeated before and I’ve come back stronger for it. I question if she’ll be able to do the same.”
Cue the “deal with it” sunglasses immediately after that comment. Look at Miesha, she knows Ronda is watching and she know she’s getting under her skin.
Miesha continued to pile onto the former champ.
“She seems awfully pouty about the loss and it’s like, we’ve all had losses. You either get up back on the horse or you sit out for a year.”
BOOM. That’s a cutting comment right there. Even Kumail Nanjiani’s like, “damn.” Granted, Ronda Rousey was genuinely beat the **** up by Holly, and could only bite into an apple months after the fight, but Miesha has a point — you gotta get back on that horse. But then again, Miesha is only now getting the Conan spots, the calls to do mainstream media and the pressure of being a UFC champion. How will she handle it? I guess we’ll find out at UFC 200. And who knows how Ronda will respond to this interview.
There was a big press conference for UFC 200 today, and the event was filled to the brim with fans of the sport in Las Vegas for the weeklong International Fight Week. The three main events got together at the end for a staredown, and of course Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier couldn’t stand face to face without it almost turning into a fight. If you listen carefully to the video above, you can hear the back and forth between them.
Cormier: I’m done playing games, you have no idea what you’re in for. Jones: You said that before. Cormier: You’re gonna get whooped, you’re gonna get whooped. Cormier: You continue to play games — Jones: Shut your mouth. Cormier: Take this loss, you’re gonna take this loss. Jones: Shut your mouth. Cormier: Make me! Make me! Make me!
What’s most interesting is how angry Daniel Cormier seems to get once Jon Jones starts telling him to shut his mouth. It’s at that point that UFC president Dana White gets between them to avoid a repeat of their previous promotional event brawl.
I hate to quote Jon’s terrible smack talk, but he truly does seem to be “balls deep” in Cormier’s head right now. That’s space that should be devoted to keeping calm and fighting a smart fight across five rounds, not getting bent out of shape the second Jones smirks at him. A lot of people are banking on Jones defeating Cormier in similar fashion to their first fight. Daniel’s most recent loss of composure during this face-off isn’t going to change many minds.
Both Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt looking relaxed and happy coming into their staredown.
Amanda Nunes is fighting Miesha Tate for the woman’s bantamweight belt, also known as the belt Ronda Rousey used to hold. Word is Ronda will be facing whoever has the belt when she returns … too bad we have no idea when that may be.
Welcome to the final installment of Keys to Victory for Fight Week. UFC 200 originally had three titles on the line, plus a huge heavyweight clash. There was some big changes, but there’s still two title fights and a heavyweight super fight to provide game plans for. However, while most editions of Keys to Victory provide a couple of options for each fighter, the sheer volume means each person’s only getting analysis for one path to winning.
Frankie Edgar
Slip N Rip
Edgar’s best bet is to use his very good boxing to dart in, land punches, and zip back out before Aldo can retaliate. If he can frustrate Aldo and get him to start throwing wildly, Edgar can set up some devastating counters and really sit down on his punches to add a lot more power to them.
Jose Aldo
Leg Kicks
Aldo’s kicking game is probably his strongest area, and Frankie Edgar’s in and out movement can be frustrating. If Aldo can slow down The Answer with low kicks, he can also get the fight to a more relaxed pace that will suit him better.
Brock Lesnar
Don’t Shoot Doubles
Mark Hunt has deceptive take down defense. He’s a larger man, so getting hands clasped on a double leg is tricky. Plus, Hunt is one of the strongest dudes in the division, so there’s a good chance he just tosses Brock to the side. However, single leg attempts, plus trip takedowns work very well, mostly because he’s a large guy and doesn’t have the greatest balance.
Mark Hunt
Uppercuts
On the chance that Brock does go in for a double leg, Hunt should look to catch Lesnar coming in with a shovel punch or an uppercut. He has knockout wins over Brock’s training partner Chris Tuchscherer and the iron-jawed Roy Nelson when both men ducked low.
Amanda Nunes
Attack, Attack, Attack!
Much like Vitor Belfort, Nunes has a ton of first round finishes, 75% of her total wins, in fact. Outside of that, she’s got a 50% chance to win or lose, so her best bet is to really just go for broke in the first. If Nunes can land some big shots on Tate and either swarm her or just jump on a submission, that’s her clearest path to becoming champion.
Miesha Tate
Weather the Early Storm
Nunes comes out aggressive and looks to finish early. However, Nunes doesn’t have a great gas tank, so if she doesn’t end it quickly, she almost always loses a decision.
You can watch all of these fighters attempt these game plans at UFC 200. The main card is exclusively on pay per view, starting at 10 p.m. ET.
Quick, fight fans! Let’s watch UFC 200 before anything else bad happens to it. The mega-card suffered a lot of changes and set backs, but everything should be locked into place now. The fights start at 6:30 p.m. ET with prelims on Fight Pass, then the prelims continue on to Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET. The main card is only on pay per view, starting at 10 p.m. ET.
Join us for a live discussion of all the action for what should be a great night of fights. First, though, let’s take a look at the Uproxx Sports Staff Predictions.
Lightweight – Jim Miller vs Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi
Jessica: The only way Gomi wins is Miller is so decrepit he actually gets hit with an overhand that Gomi’s throwing from UFC 100. I really hope that isn’t the case, so I’ll take Miller to out grapple Gomi, get him down, beat him up a bit and sink a RNC in the second.
Bill: Miller really seems to have the grappling advantage here. So while I hate to pick against The Fireball Kid, I’ll take Miller by second round submission.
Jason: Both these guys are past their primes, but Gomi moreso than Miller. I can see Gomi getting subbed, but not before he rocks Miller. It’ll be a fun fight, and I’m picking Gomi because I’m never not going to pick Gomi. Damn the overall prediction percentage.
Burnsy: FIREBALL! FIREBALL! FIREBALL! Sorry, I thought I was ordering shots at an awful college bar for a moment. Whatever, as I always say, we pick who we drink, so I take Fireball.
Middleweight – Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs Thiago “de Lima Marreta” Santos
Jessica: Who wants to cash in that “dudes what lost to Uriah Hall” sweepstakes? Mousasi is probably a better fighter than Santos, but he’s always got at least a 45% chance of pooping the bed and turning in a performance reminiscent of a drunk hobo stuck in a garbage bag. I’m taking Santos to land some hard body kicks, get Gegard’s tummy hurting and finish with a swarm of punches. Santos wins by second round TKO.
Bill: Mousasi needs this win badly to not only stay in the rankings, but to remain relevant. I think he’ll have the edge in his mindset and sometimes that’s all you need. Mousasi by third round TKO.
Jason: Mousasi is one of my favorite fighters and Santos didn’t have too much time to prepare for someone of his caliber, so I’m going Mousasi via neat KO.
Burnsy: I’m picking Gegard Mousasi because of all the guys in the UFC right now, at least those that I can think of, he has the most Game of Thrones name possible.
Lightweight – Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez vs Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon
Jessica: If Lauzon can’t horribly cut or submit Diego in the first, it’s going to be at least ten minutes of Sanchez rushing forward, and that’s not good for J-Lau. Sanchez wins via third round TKO.
Bill: This fight is a real throwback and I’m a little sad it didn’t happen on Friday’s TUF finale. Sanchez has always been a better fighter and that’s still the case. Sanchez by second round submission.
Jason: Diego Sanchez via controversial decision.
Burnsy: It’s a battle of the ages for these win one/lose one fighters. Joe is set to win based on my time-honored logic, so let’s roll with that.
Lightweight – “Super” Sage Northcutt vs Enrique “Wasabi” Marin
Jessica: Sage’s opponent is the only person on the card without a Wikipedia page, which is uh, not great. Northcutt wins by first round KO.
Bill: Northcutt looks like a trillion goddamn bucks right now. He’s going to make mincemeat out of Marin.
Jason: I pick Marin to handily defeat Northcutt just so I can rile up Jessica.
Burnsy: As the one person in the entire world who called Sage’s first loss in the UFC (no citation necessary), I will double down. I like Sage and think he’s a genuinely nice dude with a bright future. But my man needs to pay his dues, fam. He gets a loss here as well, and that should be all the humble pie that Hunkenstein needs to eat before going on a 10-fight win streak. (Of course, it’s worth pointing out that Sage gets the easiest matchup on this “Greatest Card of All-Time.” So, he’s probably going to win easily.)
Bantamweight – TJ Dillashaw vs Raphael Assuncao
Jessica: Dillashaw has changed a whole heck of a lot since he lost to Assuncao in 2013. Plus, Assuncao is coming off a broken ankle, which probably isn’t the best against a guy with the kind of movement TJ uses (Yeah, I know Cruz had all his leg parts rot and fall off and he returned to beat TJ at his own game, but c’mon, Dom is the best). TJ is gonna light up Assuncao a lot and unload a fifty-thousand punch combo to get the win. Dillashaw by third round TKO.
Bill: UFC 200 seems pretty heavy on matches with known names going up against relative unknowns, which is fine by me. Dillashaw can use a win and I’m pretty confident he’ll get one here.
Jason: Dillashaw should take Assuncao and make it look easy, right? MMA Math makes that a foregone conclusion, right? You can’t pick anyone but Dillashaw, right?
Burnsy: Ass-on-cow probably doesn’t stand a chance here, but that has been my biggest mistake with my picks over the last year. I’ll take my man Raph to get the job done and secure the title shot against Cruz (which he will lose, of course).
Welterweight – Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks vs Kelvin Gastelum
Bill: Johny, man, what the hell happened to your hair? The Bigg Rigg isn’t running so well these days and this will be the first fight of the night where someone we know gets taken down by someone we’re not as familiar with. If Hendricks makes it out of the first round, I’ll be surprised.
Jason: Last time Hendricks fought I wrote about how he was too in love with his hands, and had poopy head movement which would lead to him getting beat up by Stephen Thompson. Kelvin Gastelum is game, but not Stephen Thompson. I think Bigg Rigg will go back to his wrestling to set up his heavy hands and get the decision.
Burnsy: This one hurts. Hendricks was the guy I wanted to be a long-reigning champ, knocking f*ckers out with that meat-club hand of his for years to come. That is, until it was time for MY MAN Kelvin Gastelum to step in, win the title, and then have a 10-year feud with MY MAN Gunni Nelson that results in annual title changes and epic five-round brawls. Didn’t really work out that way for ol’ Bigg Rigg. Oh well, still love the dude, but my money is on Gastelum to keep climbing the ladder to his first title shot and eventual reign.
Bantamweight – “Alpha” Cat Zingano vs Juliana “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena
Jessica: I’m slightly nervous for Cat, since she’s been out for so long. However, Khabib and Dom Cruz have both shown that long layoffs sometimes don’t really matter. If Pena was more of a hyper-aggressive attacker, I’d give her a much better chance, but I think Zingano will roll with whatever Juliana throws her way. Cat wins by third round TKO.
Bill: If everything goes according to plan, this is a good tune-up match for Zingano. I’m very much pulling for her, so I’ll pick her to win as well. I think she’ll get a first round submission for some reason.
Jason: Welcome back, Cat! She’s been one of my favorite fighters for a long time, so I hope she can come back strong. I don’t doubt her motivation, but she’s had a lot of stuff happen to her, and distractions and a long layoff aren’t good, especially against Peña. This is a good fight, and I think Peña takes it.
Burnsy: I’m picking Zingano because I still feel bad for her that her whole career was derailed by injury, when she should have been the one to lose to Ronda Rousey in humiliating fashion, when it ended up being Miesha Tate. Oh well, back on the horse, Cat, and maybe you can get a title shot before we get the ROWDY ONE back in beast form.
Heavyweight – Cain Velasquez vs Travis “Hapa” Browne
Jessica: Hopefully Cain has been training and not just in cryogenic storage, trying to heal. I’m confident that regardless of the altitude, Velasquez will destroy Browne without much difficulty. Cain wins by second round TKO.
Bill: It’s been way, way too long since we’ve seen a Cain Velasquez fight. Again, I badly want him to take this fight, so I’m picking with my heart. Second round KO sounds about right.
Jason: This is sea-level Cain with a healthy camp. How can you pick against him? Cain via TKO in a 2-round war.
Burnsy: I don’t just want Cain to win this, nor do I just want to pick him to win. I want Cain to make this a statement fight by demolishing Browne in such a way that Hapa reconsiders his career. I do not like Travis Browne. I would like to see the soul knocked out of him.
Interim Featherweight Title – Jose Aldo Junior vs Frankie “The Answer” Edgar
Jessica: How will Aldo show up in this fight? Will be he super tentative, scared of getting knocked out again? Or will he want to prove himself and come out ultra-aggro, looking to destroy Frankie as quick as possible? If he’s more reserved, I give him a much better chance of winning than if he just blitzes right out of the gate. Ultimately, though, I’m picking Frankie to win this. If Aldo blitzes, I think Edgar clips him early. If Aldo takes his time, I think Frankie will grind him out slowly. I’m going to take Edgar to win by second round TKO.
Bill: I think Aldo gets back on the right track here, because if he doesn’t, it’s pretty much all over for him. Jose by decision.
Jason: My “predictions” are always based on what I want to happen and my gut, so I believe Frankie wins here so he can finally take on Conor McGregor and beat the Irishman with takedowns from hell. I love Jose. LOVE him. But this is Frankie’s time.
Burnsy: I think Jose is going to win, so I’m picking him. I won’t be surprised at all if Edgar wins, because he’s a badass. The only thing I care about now is that Conor shuts up and defends his damn title for once instead of chasing pointless ego matches. But yeah, best of luck against the No. 5-ranked lightweight that you already lost to, bud.
Light Heavyweight – Daniel Cormier vs Anderson “The Spider” Silva
Jessica: wat. I’m using up my CHAOS vote later in these picks, so I’ll go with brains and say that DC hurls Silva around before locking up a submission. Cormier wins by second round submission.
Burnsy: Yeah, so, this is weird. For starters, replacing a guy busted for PEDs with a guy who has recently been busted for PEDs is a bold idea, because I can’t wait for the post-fight news that Silva failed a drug test. That said, DC should win this just based on being healthy and conditioned for the fight. Worst case scenario: Silva wins and is busted. Actually, I am pulling for that. Burn the whole f*cking machine down.
Bill: I think the smart money is on DC just wrecking shop here, which is absolutely what should and will happen. But if anyone can prove everyone in the world wrong, it’s the G.D. Spider. I’m intensely interested in this fight, but I think Cormier wins easily in the second round.
Jason: Nghhhhhhh I love Anderson so much and I want him to go full- Forrest Griffin mode on Cormier… But I don’t think it will happen. I think we’re probably going to see Silva get taken down like we never have before, and I think Cormier could potentially knock him out. That said, Anderson with the round 2 TKO. You can’t make me predict against him!
Heavyweight – Brock Lesnar vs Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt
Jessica: Hunt hits way too hard. Brock gets put to sleep in the first. Mark by walkoff KO.
Bill: There’s no way this fight makes it out of the first round, either way. I’m dying for Brock to win, but he hates getting hit, especially in the face, so I don’t think it’s in the cards following a five-year layoff. Hunt by first round KO.
Jason: I feel like I have to do pushups before this fight. I feel like I have to do pushups before writing my prediction. I want to tear my shirt off in front of a roaring fire and scream, “MARK HUNT VIA VICIOUS KO!”
Burnsy: I thought it was funny how during Thursday’s Smackdown there were UFC 200 commercials with the original main event. It was almost like the WWE was trolling in a way that they could say, “Hey, it’s the cable company, not us.” And I know it wasn’t the WWE’s doing, but it was fun to imagine that, because the eventual reveal of Brock facing Randy Orton at Summer Slam was dull and forced me to watch Corey Graves talk, and I don’t like doing that. So where was I? Ah yes, this “fight.” In my make-believe scenario of the WWE enjoying the exposure it gets from Brock “saving” the UFC’s big event, the only real way for the UFC to come out on top is if Brock loses. If he wins, he’s back in the WWE to gloat, so what’s the point? At least WHEN Hunt wins, he can get a title shot as the guy who sent Brock packing. Knock his head off, Mark.
Bantamweight Title – Miesha “Cupcake” Tate vs Amanda “Lioness” Nunes
Jessica: Tate is a better overall fighter, but Nunes is a good early finisher. If she can land something big early, she’ll put Miesha away. I’m going to give in to chaos and say Nunes wins by first round submission, mostly so that if Ronda really does get an immediate title fight whenever she comes back, it’ll be against someone with no connection to her.
Bill: I think Tate retains and sets up rematches with Holm and Rousey. Or maybe I’ve just been writing about pro wrestling for too long.
Jason: Nunes is a solid fighter, but Miesha has always been good, and she’s at her best here. She’ll submit Nunes in the 3rd with an RNC.
Burnsy: I’m picking Nunes to win because it’s great for the division to show that there’s so much talent, at least before Ronda returns to reclaim her belt and then probably retire. However, I’d love to see Tate defend and then be humiliated by Ronda one last time.
Miesha Tate choked Holly Holm unconscious. She beat the woman who beat Ronda Rousey, her greatest rival. Now we’re here at UFC 200, with Tate the UFC bantamweight champ, looking at Amanda Nunes as her first title defense.
Unfortunately for Miesha, her reign didn’t last long. Nunes started fast and destroyed Cupcake on the feet and then choked her out in a bloody fight that ended in the first round. Nunes was just too quick and too accurate for Miesha, who excels when she turns the fight into a grinding sort of fight. Typically Miesha eats a few punches before imposing her will on her opponent, but tonight Nunes just punched too hard. You could hear the smack of Nunes’ punches against Miesha’s splattered nose. It was brutal.
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Eventually, a dazed Miesha tried for a takedown, got muscled to the mat, and it was all over. We have a new UFC bantamweight champion. The only person who can hold a belt in this division is Ronda Rousey.
Miesha broke it down, saying, “She’s fast, very dangerous in the first round and she caught me fair and square.”
This fight was also special because Nunes made history, becoming the UFC’s first openly gay champion.
Amanda Nunes is also the first openly gay champion in UFC history.
So what now? Will Nunes fight the winner of Holm vs. Shevchenko? Or will Ronda Rousey finally come back to see if she wants to remain a fighter? Should Julianna Peña get the fight?
No matter who the challenger is, we know that Nunes is ready. This was a huge win.
The historic UFC 200 show was full of highlights as we saw the return of multiple legends to the cage. While the action wasn’t as intense as hoped, the card still delivered with historic moments that will shape the UFC for years to come. Brock is back, Cormier is dominant, Aldo vs. McGregor 2 is going to happen sooner than later, and we have a new women’s bantamweight champ in Amanda Nunes with Ronda possibly waiting in the wings. Anderson Silva also enjoys life, even if he’s getting his head pounded in.
—Brock Lesnar def. Mark Hunt via unanimous decision. It was a Brock fight, and he was all over Hunt with the tenacity that he probably has when he’s eating a steak. It was pretty one-sided.
—Daniel Cormier def. Anderson Silva via unanimous decision. Like Lesnar/Hunt, this was all Cormier despite flashes of brilliance from Anderson late. You can see the full results (and Anderson’s deformed nose) here.
—José Aldo def. Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision. This was a brilliant performance by Jose Aldo, who looked revitalized and hungry. He stopped Frankie at every pass. Check out the replays here.
We bounced over to Fox Sports 1 for the next leg of the Mega-CardImage may be NSFW. Clik here to view., with a solid collection of action shaping quite a few divisions. It wasn’t quite as hard-hitting as the Fight Pass prelims, but hey — we’re all having fun here.
Interesting note… all 3 Fight Pass fights ended by 1st RD stoppage… all 4 FS1 fights went the distance for unanimous decisions #mma#ufc
—Julianna Peña def. Cat Zingano via unanimous decision. Cat looked good to start, with strong takedowns and solid knees, but she faded as the fight went on. Peña has situated herself for a title shot in the near future. Peña vs. Nunes, please.
— Kelvin Gastelum def. Johny Hendricks via unanimous decision. Gastelum was quicker and more accurate than the former champ, and it got him the biggest win of his career. Hendricks is now 2-4 since losing to Georges St-Pierre.
—T.J. Dillashaw def. Raphael Assunção via unanimous decision. This puts the Dillashaw/Assuncão series 1-1. I’m down to watch them fight a third time. Post-fight, Dillashaw called out Dominick Cruz for a bantamweight title fight rematch. Let’s make that happen, Dana.
—Sage Northcutt def. Enrique Marín via unanimous decision. No one can deny the heart of Northcutt. Some fans love him, some loathe him, but you can’t deny that the kid is a fighter. He pulled a Dan Hardy/GSP UFC 100 moment by not tapping to this tight armbar, and he rallied in the third to pull off the tough win.
The prelims kicked off UFC 200 with the appropriate amount of violence, with three first round stoppages gracing our Fight Pass by the will of the MMA Gods. Yes.
—Joe Lauzon def. Diego Sanchez TKO (round 1). It only took 86 seconds for Lauzon to brutally pick apart Sanchez until the ref (thankfully) stepped in to stop the fight. Sanchez is too tough for his own good, going into zombie mode early and taking everything Lauzon had while still throwing what he could between stumbles. The ref should’ve stopped this way earlier.
In a short period of time, Dave Oancea, better known as “Vegas Dave”, has gone from an unknown to an MMA betting legend. He made a load of cash when Holly Holm defeated Ronda Rousey, and when Miesha Tate choked Holm unconscious at UFC 196, he cashed in a $77K bet for nearly $200K in winnings. Vegas Dave has won millions gambling across sports, with some truly incredible calls that would make any sports fan proud, but he’s currently swallowing a bitter, million dollar loss. His historic bet on Miesha Tate has backfired.
We now know that Amanda Nunes destroyed Tate by busting her up with accurate strikes before forcing her to tap to the rear-naked choke, so because of those bloody few minutes, Dave lost a million dollars.
Maybe it was his haters:
“I mean, unbelievable how miserable some people are out there… they’re praying for me that I lose tonight.”
At least he’s handling it well.
Forget the money. I feel the pain for @MieshaTate I will always be her number one fan. Much love and respect for her. #UFC200#vegasdave
For Dave, the only way to react after losing a million bucks in a matter of seconds is a quiet, zen-like calm. A calm perhaps, before the storm of total grief.
Miesha Tate has kept out of the public eye since she had her belt taken from her in a one-sided thrashing by Amanda Nunes, but now she’s back in the best way possible. A family was hiking at the top of Mount Charleston in Nevada when their 6-year-old daughter fell and broke her arm. Miles from civilization, a willing and able Miesha Tate swooped in to save the day and ease the burden on the already exhausted parents.
The girl’s father took to Instagram to thank Tate:
To our rescue and assistance came the amazing@mieshatate the UFC fighter. She offered to help us carry her down the mountain. Such an amazing and humble person to have met. Our family cant thank you enough for all the help. You saved us easily hours of hiking and helped us get her to the hospital sooner. Thank you again
Miesha is no stranger to heroic deeds. You’ll notice that one of the first Facebook commenters brought up an incident in which Tate saved her boyfriend, UFC fighter Bryan Caraway’s, mother. In 2014, Tate and the Caraway’s were snorkeling when Caraway’s mother had a deadly asthma attack. If it were not for Tate’s quick thinking by inhaling his mother’s inhaler then performing mouth to mouth, she would’ve died then and there.
Miesha needs to change her nickname from “Cupcake” to “Superwoman.”
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Getty/USA Today
Thanks to a few negotiations gone sour and a borderline strike from some of New York’s finest fighters, November 12’s UFC 205 has been rapidly devolving from one of the most stacked events of the year to a borderline Fight Night-worthy card with a handful of albeit intriguing matchups. It’s certainly not the ideal setup for the UFC’s first trip to Madison Square Garden, but thankfully, a pair of high-profile women’s bouts have just been added to bolster up a card in desperate need of them.
First up, a women’s strawweight title bout between longstanding champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz has been booked for the main card. Aside from being a surefire banger of a fight, it also holds the record for most consonants ever documented in a single UFC fight (just for kicks, I say we get Krzysztof Soszynski to serve as a special color commentator for the match and watch Mike Goldberg’s brain explode).
Currently 3-0 in the UFC, Kowalkiewicz earned her shot via a split decision win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 201 back in July, improving her record to 10-0 overall (also of note, Karolina’s on-point winking game). Jedrzejczyk, on the other hand, last defended her belt against noted rival Cláudia Gadelha at the TUF 23 Finale just a few weeks prior, making for her third straight defense since capturing the title from Carla Esparza last year.
Also on par for UFC 205 will be the return of former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, who will do battle with the surging TUF 18 alum Raquel Pennington. After getting absolutely manhandled by Amanda Nunes in her first title defense at UFC 200, Tate has quietly returned to training in recent weeks, only occassionally taking a break to perform heroic acts of kindness on injured children in her downtime. Pennington, who was actually selected as the third pick on Tate’s team during the Rousey vs. Tate season of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2013, has somewhat surprisingly scored three straight victories in the octagon in the past year over the likes of Jessica Andrade, Bethe Correia and Elizabeth Phillips.
The full lineup for UFC 205 currently looks something like this:
-Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson (welterweight title fight)
-Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (women’s strawweight title fight)
Miesha Tate may be recently retired from mixed martial arts, but she’s keeping her options open as far as other potential future career moves. The 30-year-old former UFC women’s bantamweight champion announced she was done with cage fighting last November, and has since been doing a little bit of submission grappling and a lot of UFC analyst work. But would she ever consider a foray into professional wrestling? Perhaps even in WWE?
A fan asked her that very question at a fan Q&A event in London and Miesha was more than down with the idea.
“I would love to,” Tate said. “It would be fun. I would love to. I’m open to all kinds of things like that. It would be a lot of fun.”
Of course, we’re probably talking about a one off special appearance like her nemesis Ronda Rousey had at WrestleMania 31. We can’t imagine Miesha is looking to spend her post-UFC retirement days literally learning the ropes in pro wrestling and getting to a place where she could compete in legit matches. But that being said, any chance to get more MMA fighters into pro wrestling is okay by me … it’s certainly an improvement over MMA fighters going into boxing.
Say what you will about her overly dramatic feuds with Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate is a fighter. She was around well before women’s MMA was at the heights of popularity it’s in today, back when Dana White was bashing the division and the ladies were forced to compete under different rules with three-minute rounds. She will be looked back on as one of the pioneers of WMMA.
“I mean, what do you really have to lose when you fight someone like Cyborg, of her stature? If you beat Cyborg, you’re on another level of respect. And if you lose, it’s like, well so has everybody. So, my opinion of it is, as a fighter, just from a fighter standpoint I think it would be an awesome thing to be able to fight Cyborg.”
That said, she’s not bashing former UFC featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie’s decision to not fight Cyborg, which left the UFC no choice but to strip Cyborg of the belt, she gets it. But still, fighters fight.
“I do respect and understand what Germaine is saying,” Tate said. “And I don’t think she’s scared of Cyborg. She’s a fighter. She’s been kickboxing forever. She’s one of the baddest women on the planet.
[De Randamie’s] point she’s trying to make is, she doesn’t believe it’s fair,” Tate later added, “and that, I cannot disagree. I don’t disagree with what she’s saying.”
Considering Tate is a big 135er (a former featherweight) and has trained with ‘Borg, seeing Miesha come out of retirement to fight Cyborg would definitely be something most MMA fans would be into.
