Rousey vs. Tate: Women Fighting for Women.

Miesha Tate (left) and Ronda Rousey (right) get heated at the weigh in.

     My last post on this blog was about Anderson Silva getting knocked out by Chris Weidman for the UFC Middleweight Championship, so I find it almost fitting that I pick back up with an article on the day of Silva vs. Weidman 2. But to me, tonight's fight to watch isn't going to be fought among the 20 competing men, but by the lone two women.

      Tonight's co-main event will be for the Women's Bantamweight Championship and will feature the #2 contender Miesha "Cupcake" Tate, and the reigning (and thus far, only) champion Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey.

     If you're into submissions and good old fashioned grappling, this is the fight for you.  Rousey has won all seven of her fights in the UFC via submission, and Tate a respectable 46% percent of her 13 wins.  The two combatants are virtually the same physically and both have been spending a lot of time together coaching opposite one another on "The Ultimate Fighter 18." That's enough time to develop a grudge.

     But there is a lot more on the line in this fight than just a belt.  This fight has potential to either hurt the development of women fighters in the UFC, or help it grow exponentially.

     The good news is, Rousey has already done a fantastic job of generating female interest in the sport.  She was the first women to sign with the UFC, a feat that President Dana White had sworn earlier would never happen, and has become a super star the likes of which the sport has yet to see from a female fighter.  She is exactly what fans like to see, a talented, confident, fighter who is well known for her trash talking. She has begun profiting off her own popularity, with new found careers in modeling and acting (she will be staring in The Expendables 3 and Fast & Furious 7). But most importantly, she is undefeated in mixed martial arts. She has become another Laila Ali, except Rousey is in the stable and growing sport of MMA, not the dying and corrupt sport of boxing.

     There is a lot to like about Ronda Rousey, who is already well known. But fans of the inaugural Bantamweight Champion should not over-look her opponent, Miesha Tate.  Tate has a bit more experience in MMA, with a record 13-4 and has the capability to knock out other fighters.  She hasn't had the same success as Rousey, but her one fight in the UFC (a TKO loss to Cat Zingano) earned her a "Fight of the Night" bonus.  She is more than capable of snatching the belt from the champ.

     This fight is probably the most important fight of the night, maybe even one of the most important in UFC history.  If these two can provide a fight worthy of the controversial $60 pay-per-view price, then all the doubts and questions about women fighters could disappear.  If they don't, then only more questions will be raised. Questions like "should women be on the main card?" or "is Rousey only one freakishly good fighter in a group of mediocrity? Are women's fights even worth watching?"

     As wrong as it sounds, those are the questions that WILL be asked if these two warriors can't provide a quality bout.  That is the nature of the UFC and it's fans. It is a nature that needs to change, but one that won't without the help of strong, qualified women fighters.  Now is the time to silence the critics.  For Rousey, she has to prove that her one UFC fight was no fluke, and that her fame isn't earned from her looks and her funny trash talking.  For Tate, it is time to show that she is a capable fighter who has the ability to ignite a rivalry which could become one of the most historic in the UFC.

     The timing is ripe for this fight.  People are excited to see Silva and Weidman which means all eyes will be watching UFC 168.  Women have never been more popular in fighting than tonight and if these two can come through, it is more than likely we will see a greater number of fantastic female fighters on the horizon.

     Consequences aside, I think we are in for a fantastic bout. Ronda Rousey is ranked as the #10 best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a ranking that includes men. She is at the apex of her career right now and her confidence gives her a fearless and dangerous edge.  Tate will want revenge from the last time she face Rousey in Strike Force, where Tate was armbared by Rousey in the first round. She'll also want redemption from her first UFC fight with Zingano, which Tate believed ended prematurely.  My official prediction is Ronda Rousey will win by submission in the second round, possibly by armbar again. And I have confidence that people will be more than satisfied with the fight.

     And in case you were wondering, I think Silva redeems himself and wins back the Middleweight Championship by unanimous decision. If you want to know why that is important, read my previous article here.

 UPDATE:   The fight was pure beauty and there was many things to take away from it.  Tate was able to take the fight to the third round which was history already due to the fact that Rousey has never been in a fight she didn't end in the first.  The actual battle was nothing short of spectacular with Rousey dominating a majority of the action, but Tate holding her own. Rousey managed to get in a few shots to the face which left her opponent bleeding by the end of the first. When all was said and done, Rousey armbared Tate once again to end the bout early in the third round and retain her title as Champion.  But that wasn't the end.  Tate offered to shake Rousey's hand, but Rousey ignored it, saying that her history with Tate didn't allow her to offer respect.  Boos rang down loudly in the arena and it seems Rousey has sealed her fate as a villain. But in regards to the sport, this is a good thing. After all, if there is one thing people pay attention to in sports, it's a trash talking bad guy (bad girl, in this case).  And there is a hero. Miesha Tate won the crowd's favor and put up a performance that showed she deserves to compete at the highest level. I think this is the start of something wonderful. Don't be surprised if we start hearing about Rousey vs Tate II in the next few years.

The Arrogance of Anderson Silva: A Story of Poetic Justice

Photo from mmafighting.com

On July 6, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, UFC 162 took place. The main even was Anderson "The Spider" Silva, versus Chris Weidman. Silva (age 38) came into the fight as the UFC Middleweight Champion holding a mixed martial arts record of 33-4 with 20 knockouts and six submissions. It is also worth noting that all of those four loses were recorded before Silva signed with the UFC. Weidman (age 39) was a relative newcomer with only five UFC fights in his career and four bouts in the Ring of Combat fighting league. But don't let his lack of experience fool you. Before July 6th, Weidman was 9-0 with four knockouts and three submissions and was the number one contender in the middleweight class.

Even going up against a man nearly nine years younger than him, it seemed that Silva had the upper-hand. Vegas odds had him as the favorite and most bloggers and analysts, while skeptical, still predicted him as the eventual victor. After all, it's hard to pick against the guy who has knocked out big names like Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort, and who has been proclaimed by many as the best mixed martial artist of all time. The Muhammad Ali of MMA.

If you watch tapes of The Spider, it is hard to find a a true weakness in his fighting style. But he does have one weakness that up until Saturday, had yet to be exploited. Anderson Silva is incredibly arrogant.

In 2010 at UFC 112, Silva was widely criticized for what UFC President Dana White would later describe as the most embarrassing moment in his career as president.

Silva, who was scheduled for the main event, danced around the ring for five rounds barely putting forth any effort, taunting his opponent, and hardly throwing punches.  The fans in the arena began booing the defending champion and leaving the fight early. White was so disgusted by the fight that he left in the fourth round and gave the championship belt to Silva's manager, claiming he did not even want to personally give the belt to the fighter. Silva would end up winning by unanimous decision.

The fight was arguably the lowest point in the UFC's otherwise pristine history. Fans who bought tickets and paid the expensive fee for pay-per-view were outraged. White claimed that Silva didn't deserve bouts with top fighters like Georges St-Pierre, and writers were claiming that despite his talent, he was ultimately bad for the sport.

Silva managed to redeem himself by winning his next 5 fights, but fans have always remembered his embarrassing performance in 2010.

Flash forward to Saturday. Silva refused to touch gloves with Weidman after introductions are made, which isn't totally uncommon, but most fighters are willing to show a bit of respect before they spend the next 25 minutes punching each other.

The first round was not exactly fight of the night material, with both fighters exchanging blows and Weidman scoring a big take down.  But Silva was not making the highlight reel for his punches.  He had already began taunting Weidman and dancing around the ring.

Weidman had won the first round, but that did not stop The Spider from playing his mind games. Silva continued to trash talk Weidman before the second round started and when the fighters approached each other, Silva kept his guard down. Hands on his hips. Walking flat-footed. Scoffing at the other fighter. Lazily leaning out of the way and demanding that Weidman give it his best shot. Well, luckily for UFC fans, Chris Weidman was more than happy to oblige.

Silva, who had his arms down, caught a left hook from Weidman and immediately hit the canvas. Weidman wasted no time jumping all over Silva and pounding his fist into the Spider's face until the referee declared Weidman the winner by knockout.

Everyone's immediate reaction was shock. But for anyone who watched UFC 112 in 2010, that shock quickly turned into long-awaited satisfaction.

What Anderson Silva displayed on Saturday was pure arrogance and shocking immaturity from a 38 year old fighter with nearly 40 fights on his résumé. He knew that he was is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. He knew that he could easily win this fight against a guy who had fought in less than 10 professional bouts. And he knew he was in for a quick payday. What did he do? Taunt and undermine his opponent until he lost.

I can't take away anything from Weidman. He has worked hard to earn this belt and deserves it for sure. But I can't help but wonder what would have happened is Silva had gone on the offensive. Would Weidman still be the Middleweight Champ?

Saturday looked very similar to what Silva did in 2010. Only this time around, justice was served and the guy who actually showed up and did his job, won. Silva should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself.

 I heard him talk on the radio the other day and he couldn't stop mentioning how the UFC isn't the big picture, but respecting the martial arts is the most important part of his life. How do we take him seriously when he says things like that?  I never studied jiu jitsu but I doubt that disrespecting your opponent and making a spectacle of yourself is proper practice of MMA.

Silva is still a good fighter, no doubt about it. But this loss should hit home for him. Dana White couldn't convince him to shape up. Neither could his fans. Maybe a loss of this magnitude is just what he needs. And he will get his shot. White has already promised a rematch.

Hopefully, the next time we see Anderson Silva in the cage, he will fight with the determination and vigor of a man trying to prove that he's not the butt-end of a joke in the UFC. Hopefully he fights like the champion he is.  And if not, I doubt most MMA fans will mind seeing Chris Weidman knock him out again.