Official UFC 170 "Rousey vs McMann" thread

[lucad]

Sorry Stewie, I know that this is your duty, but I wanted to start the conversation a little bit earlier this time. This is going to be really interesting. I'm excited to see if Ronda shows up against arguably her first legitimate competition.

February 22, 2014, The Mandalay Bay Events Center - Las Vegas, Nevada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_170

[lucad]

Let's put it this way: if it was just armwrestling and not MMA, McMann would easily be the new champion 

Jeez those biceps are huge. I dont know if it translate in overall strenght, but I think this is gonna be the first time Ronda has an actual strenght disadvantage on her opponent...

[lucad]

Some more from the UFC title challanger...she certainly looks dangerous!

[lucad]

And lastly:

[Ronald_Frump]

Great pics! Sarah's got the physical potential to ragdoll Ronda. Should be a great match and I'm already psyched!

Let's put it this way: if it was just armwrestling and not MMA, McMann would easily be the new champion 

Trouble is, its hard to armwrestle with a dislocated elbow! 

[lucad]

Alright guys, so the hype is already on.

These are the first reactions from Sara. One thing is for sure: she certainly knows what she's talking about when the subject is fighting. She also seems to have clear in mind what she'll need to do to beat Ronda. That's positive for the action.

Source: mmafighting.com

http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/12/31/5260532/sara-mcmann-bout-with-ronda-rousey-just-feels-like-the-perfect-timing

"Now that the rivalry with Miesha Tate is settled (for the time being, anyway), what's the next step for UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey? Is it more time off? Is she heading back to Hollywood? How soon does she plan on returning to the cage?

As UFC President Dana White announced on Saturday at the UFC 168 post-fight presser, Rousey would not only be returning to action, but in near record turnaround. The Olympic bronze judoka is set to face 2004 Olympic silver medalist in freestyle wrestling, Sara McMann, at UFC 170 on Feb. 22nd.

It's a bit of a curious fight for Rousey. Sure, the fight makes sense of paper. Olympian vs. Olympian is an easy sales angle and McMann is believed by some to have the physical tools and skills to give Rousey trouble.

On the other hand, McMann is still developing as a prospect with only one UFC bout under her belt. She may be a great fighter, but isn't the choice something of a surprise?

To hear McMann tell it, as she did on Monday's MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, even she was a bit shocked she got the call.

"Actually, I kind was," McMann said. "Truthfully, I don't know how it works. I never knew when I was going to get the shot. I'm just trying to be patient and keep getting better every day, so when it did come along, I was the best possible fighter I could be. It definitely was surprising, but I wanted it for quite a while and to be the world champion was my original goal when I started. So, it was a welcome surprise."

Most importantly to McMann, a lifelong athlete who thrives on competition, she didn't get this bout because someone else dropped out or because controversy whisked her into this position. She believes she was in the right place at the right time, which makes the entire thing much more appealing.

"My significant other and I both felt like this couldn't have come at a better time. It feels very right to us. That's what makes us very excited about it because if it had come off some kind of controversy or like, different fights have a different feel to them, some with a more negative perception. This one just feels like the perfect timing."

McMann says she isn't surprised Rousey is returning so soon. Like wrestlers, judokas compete on a regular schedule. The idea of getting three months to train for one event doesn't exist. A short turnaround by MMA standards is a long one in judo or wrestling.

Still, her UFC resume is thin. She handily defeated Sheila Gaff in April at UFC 159, but later turned down a bout with Sarah Kaufman in August, citing undisclosed personal reasons. McMann still isn't ready to discuss what happened then, but says it's all behind her. If anything, she believes the wind is at her back.

"Better than a clear mind," she says of her current state. "It's not only not negative, it's very positive."

McMann states she's in the right position to focus solely on her task at hand. With that in mind, what did she think of Rousey and her UFC 168 performance?

"I thought both girls fought very well," McMann claims. "They seemed like they were very prepared for each other and the different things that were going to happen. I think Ronda having the stronger background in her throws was really dominant, even if it had gone to a decision, I think she'd have won off takedowns and control alone. I don't think there was a clear, standout on the striking aspect of it, but in the grappling she did very well controlling her."

McMann knows her wrestling could be her biggest strength or weakness when facing Rousey's judo, but the Olympic wrestler believes she won't get trapped using hers as some others have trying to wrestle with Rousey

"Truthfully, we've had a lot of girls who grew up doing wrestling and judo. There's a lot of girls who've had that crossover and they bring that to the wrestling mat. I think that's as close as we can see in how wrestling and judo will mix and apply. Before this fight, I already knew that [using wrestling poorly can backfire] happens. I've seen lots of good grapplers get launched by judo people trying to shoot double legs. That was something I've known for a long time.

"I just think unless you've really gone with someone in judo and felt their hips, you don't realize some of the things you do is actually loading yourself onto their hips, which makes the throw even better."

McMann is reluctant to say much about what her strategy might be for the biggest fight of her life, but noted it's not about controlling Rousey with wrestling or achieving one position that's going to get her the win. She wants to control everywhere.

"[Rousey] looked pretty comfortable on her feet. In my mind, there's not one specific area that I want to win that I think is going to make a huge difference. I need to win in every area to beat the champion. If it goes to decision, it's very hard to beat the champion, so you have to definitely dominate in every area. That's how I feel."

While many have clamored for McMann to be the next to face Rousey, others believe the chance should go to Alexis Davis. She's fought more in the UFC and some claim her jiu-jitsu expertise could give her an edge in stopping Rousey's armbar.

McMann believes that's not going to work.

"In BJJ, while they still start on their feet and they do incorporate some takedowns, traditionally they start on the ground. I think if Ronda's in a position where she's the one enforcing the takedown, she gets to choose the better position. It doesn't matter how good you are at BJJ, some positions are extremely dominant like side control and mount or taking someone's back. When you control the takedown, you control a lot more, putting yourself in very dominant positions.

"It would have to be a BJJ girl who's very versed in takedowns and throws," McMann believes.

When it comes to training, it also turns out McMann knew this bout was likely to come a month ago, giving her time to get prepared before the public even knew about it. Yet, she's quick to note that's not how she views her training. That is, she didn't start training to face Rousey a month ago. This isn't some cheap head start. Instead, she views her path to the title as one that started long, long ago.

"Ariel, I've been training for this fight for a lot longer than just a month," she said. "I'm the kind of person that believes if you want to win a world championship like the one in wrestling, you don't start when you make the world team. You start the day after the world championships previously. You start looking at who are your people you need to prepare for and you start building that muscle memory. It's been a long time.

"That's the only way you're ready," McMann continues. "You can't get a call and just prepare for someone very high level with just two months of training. I don't recognize it."

[lucad]

And some more:

Source:mmajunkie.com

http://mmajunkie.com/2013/12/sara-mcmann-ready-for-title-fight-and-possibility-of-ronda-rousey-getting-under-my-skin/

Sara McMann is suddenly back in the MMA spotlight and ready to win the UFC women's bantamweight title.

"I'm a professional fighter, so this is what I've been working toward the entire time," she today told MMAjunkie.

The UFC announced this past weekend that McMann (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will face off with fellow Olympian and women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC 170, which takes place Feb. 22 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center.

But McMann already knew that. Prior to Rousey's defeat of Miesha Tate at UFC 168, she was told she'd fight the winner of the grudge match, which co-headlined the pay-per-view event.

"I had a lot more action on my Twitter and Facebook and got a few text messages, but things haven't been that much different for me," McMann said.

McMann, an Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, has been absent from the public eye since August, when she withdrew from a fight with ex-Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman at UFC Fight Night 27.

"I had more important things to do," said McMann, who declined to say why she withdrew from the fight other than to confirm she was dealing with "undisclosed personal issues," as initially reported.

Now, the most important thing is beating Rousey, a bronze medalist in judo who notched her eighth straight armbar victory in a rematch with opposing "The Ultimate Fighter 18" coach Tate this past weekend.

"Both girls did some things very well," McMann said of the fight. "Both girls obviously made mistakes, like every fight you ever see."

As to what mistakes Rousey made, well, McMann isn't in the business of telling her opponent what she needs to work on.

"There's no time that any of us go out there and don't reveal something," McMann said. "Even if Miesha couldn't exploit it, she revealed it.

"If it were somebody that were making minute technical errors in striking, I would have a harder time exploiting it considering my background. But when people make a grappling error, I'm in a great position."

The bout marks the first time the UFC has promoted a bout between two Olympic medalists, though as of late, Rousey's image isn't so squeaky clean.

Despite her dominant performance in the cage, Rousey elicited boos from the UFC 168 crowd when she refused to shake her rival's hand following a third-round submission victory. During her appearance on "TUF 18," cameras frequently caught her muttering expletives and making obscene gestures toward Tate.

McMann didn't watch the reality show but said she heard about the duo's interactions.

"I know I hear from people in my gym that there was a negativity toward her with everything that went down on 'The Ultimate Fighter,'" McMann said. "I just think that in life, I don't care how good you are. If you treat people in certain ways, it doesn't take long for people to say, 'I don't really like that.' I think it was a matter of time."

So as she prepares to fight Rousey, she'll also prepare to listen to her, as well.

"I'm just going to prepare for anything that could possibly happen, something that would throw me off my game or get inside my head," McMann said.

[Ronald_Frump]

Cat tweets she can take Ronda, even with a dodgy knee.....

[jiminy]

Really hoping Sara can provide a strong challenge but I struggle to see past Ronda.

Here's why:

1. Ronda's grappling is more explosive and geared towards finishing fights. She doesn't even have to throw/take down her opponent to arm bar them. A flying arm bar is just as much a possibility.

2. Ronda is nastier, more aggressive and the more violent woman. She looks to finish her fights as quickly as possible, every single time. We haven't yet seen this kind of ruthlessness from Sara.

3. Age. Both started MMA around about the same time, but Ronda is 6.5 years younger than Sara. It has been almost a decade since Sara won her Olympic silver medal in Athens. Most athletes, when they get into their 30s, will begin a natural decline.

4. Size & brute strength. McMann is compact and extremely powerful, but Ronda is structurally bigger and a monster cutter @ 135. On fight night, she may have 4-5lbs on Sara. Also, Rousey appears to have a lot of underlying "gorilla strength" to back up her excellent technique. Picking up Tate's 140+ pound body like a rag doll is testament to that. Tate certainly did not have that kind of brute core and upper body power.

On paper, McMann needs to emulate someone like Johny Hendricks in his fights against Fitch and Kampmann, or Liddell vs Couture (II & III). Use her wrestling to keep the fight standing and at range, then strike first and strike hard with no mercy. Sounds easy enough, but a very tall order against someone the calibre of RRR.

[jiminy]

This pic frightens me...

Imagine being locked in a cage and told THIS is your opponent:

[Ronald_Frump]

This pic frightens me...

Imagine being locked in a cage and told THIS is your opponent:

I would simply remove all my clothing and prostrate myself before the goddess, in abject servitude......pleading for her to spare my miserable male life.....offering myself as a mere vassal, fit only for the pleasuring of her clitoral desires.

*yes, I've been drinking heavily*

[DR]

I would simply remove all my clothing and prostrate myself before the goddess, in abject servitude......pleading for her to spare my miserable male life.....offering myself as a mere vassal, fit only for the pleasuring of her clitoral desires.

*yes, I've been drinking heavily*

 

[sammy_scuffles]

She doesn't even have to throw/take down her opponent to arm bar them. A flying arm bar is just as much a possibility.

Sorry, that's absurd. Sure, a flying armbar is a thing but it's so vanishingly rare in actual competition that to say it's "just as much a possibility" is ridiculous.

2. Ronda is nastier, more aggressive and the more violent woman. She looks to finish her fights as quickly as possible, every single time. We haven't yet seen this kind of ruthlessness from Sara.

That's a skillset thing. Ronda comes to MMA with finishes already in her game while Sara comes in with great wrestling and not a whole lot else. Wrestling doesn't finish fights, so she's learning finishing skills as she goes. Also, her demolition job on Gaff was about as ruthless as a wrestler can get. 'Course Gaff sucks, but it was very efficiently done.

4. Size & brute strength. McMann is compact and extremely powerful, but Ronda is structurally bigger and a monster cutter @ 135. On fight night, she may have 4-5lbs on Sara. Also, Rousey appears to have a lot of underlying "gorilla strength" to back up her excellent technique. Picking up Tate's 140+ pound body like a rag doll is testament to that. Tate certainly did not have that kind of brute core and upper body power.

She's definitely powerful but that's not really why she was able to throw Tate whenever she wanted. She's got freakin awesome technique in her clinch work too. I'm really interested to see how this fight goes in stand-up grappling because McMann is going to be stronger than Tate and she's also got vastly better wrestling, so she should know how to avoid the worst mistakes that Tate made standing up.

On paper, McMann needs to emulate someone like Johny Hendricks in his fights against Fitch and Kampmann, or Liddell vs Couture (II & III). Use her wrestling to keep the fight standing and at range, then strike first and strike hard with no mercy. Sounds easy enough, but a very tall order against someone the calibre of RRR.

Pretty much how I'd expect her to play it too. Hopefully it'll be interesting. In the mens side of the UFC the best Judo guys have usually found it pretty hard to take down good wrestlers. I don't think McMann's ground game is good enough to play with Rousey for an extended period without getting submitted but she might just have tools good enough to stay upright. If she can then that's uncharted territory really.

[Ronald_Frump]

[jiminy]

I stand corrected re: flying armbars. Off the top of my head I thought Ronda had submitted a couple of girls by jumping into an armbar while they were still standing/clinching but after checking out her highlights, that wasn't such an accurate recollection of mine. 

That's a skillset thing. Ronda comes to MMA with finishes already in her game while Sara comes in with great wrestling and not a whole lot else. Wrestling doesn't finish fights, so she's learning finishing skills as she goes. Also, her demolition job on Gaff was about as ruthless as a wrestler can get. 'Course Gaff sucks, but it was very efficiently done.

Disagree. Having a skill is one thing, how you use it in an MMA fight is another. That is determined by the individual. Some wrestlers brutally finish fights, some don't. Not all strikers are as hungry for the KO as the next, either. Cat Zingano comes from wrestling, but she has always been an animal. She goes in there to hurt people, beat people up.

I have yet to see Sara truly beat anyone up.

...And I don't think it's because she doesn't have the physical ability. She was efficient against Gaff, yes. Ruthless, no. Gary Goodridge was ruthless Vs. Paul Herrera, Jon Jones was ruthless Vs. Vladimir Matyushenko from a crucifix position... Ronda is ruthless if you don't tap. McMann was merciful against Gaff.