Womens' MMA mega-thread

[Ronald_Frump]

Nice pics, RBAP......

[jiminy]

This is awesome news. Wish it had happened years ago, but better now than never.

Looking forward to seeing what's next for Ronda.

I think a few other names will be signed up. Wouldn't be surprised to see Julie Kedzie follow suit. She is Greg Jackson's personal assisstant at Jackson-Winklejohn Gym and she also recently had a great fight with Miesha Tate, in what I'd consider one of the fights of the year so far, along with Kaufman/Davis. Good commentator for Invicta too. I would love to see her rematch Tate under the UFC banner.

[Ronald_Frump]

I'd prefer to see a Tate / Kedzie rematch, before Miesha takes on Ronda again.

[crushed4life]

Chael Sonnen - Ronda Rousey Could Beat Up Rampage Jackson

Ronda Rousey won't be fighting men in the UFC ... but it's not because she can't hang -- in fact, RR could kick the living crap out of some of the UFC's top guys ... this according to Chael Sonnen.

We broke the story ... Ronda just became the very first female to ever join the UFC -- after skyrocketing to the top of the female MMA ranks in Strikeforce.

Now, Chael -- a seasoned UFC vet -- tells us, "I'd like to congratulate Ronda Rousey on becoming a pioneer in this sport. It's well deserved and overdue."

He adds, "Looks like Mitt Romney has a new favorite fighter and Rampage Jackson has another opponent he can't beat."

Smells like a challenge ...

http://www.tmz.com/2012/11/10/chael-sonnen-congrats-rousey-rampage-beware/

[sleepinbin]

sonnen continuing to be king troll...

apparently ronda's agent is denying that the ufc have signed her - to me that's just a sign that the deal hasn't been formalised yet but has likely been agreed in principle. if however, he's not just covering, things might be a bit more disorganised that we hoped 

[Ronald_Frump]

I still maintain Ronda would surprise everyone, if she were to go against some lightweight guys.......

   

   

   

[crushed4life]

UFC 1 commentator Kathy Long believes Ronda Rousey 'stands a good chance' against UFC bantamweight men
By Shaun Al-Shatti on Nov 12, 4:45p



Kathy Long wasn't exactly sure what would happen at the UFC's inaugural event in Denver, CO, on November 12, 1993. All she knew is that she wanted to be there to find out.

"At the time I heard about it I was living in Bakersfield, California," Long reflected on The MMA Hour. "I wasn't new to the idea of mixing marital arts and creating another system because I was very accustomed to [it]. That was Kung Fu San Soo. We incorporated lots of different systems, but nothing to compete with. So that's why I was fascinated by it. I really wanted to see what they were going to do."

And so Long found herself seated between karate champion Bill "Superfoot" Wallace and NFL legend Jim Brown commentating cageside at UFC 1's pay-per-view. A five-time world kickboxing champion in her own right, Long had never heard of the mythical Gracie family until the weekend of the show.

In retrospect, neither her nor her partners knew what to expect from that fateful night. Yet, as we approach the 20th anniversary of the historic event, the threesome's bewildered, often conjecture-filled commentating has become an endearing touchstone of the early days of the sport, when the term "mixed martial arts" was simply "No Holds Barred," and a diminutive man from Brazil steamrolled though a trio of fearsome opponents without barely breaking a sweat.

"I had absolutely no clue [what to expect]," admitted Long. "I know the mass confusion that was going on in the locker room or in the rules meeting. Nobody knew quite what to do, how to do it, what they could do, what they couldn't do. The Gracies were very clear about what you could do, and obviously you can't hit the eyes or the groin. Everybody else says, 'Well, what do I do? Do I wrap my hands?' The boxer especially, poor guy, Art Jimmerson had no clue about whether he should wear gloves or no gloves, or hand wraps or no hand wraps. And ultimately they left it up to him to decide what he wanted to do."

Jimmerson, of course, ended up wearing a boxing glove on just his left hand; a rather poor decision in retrospect, as the former pro boxer inevitably tapped to mere position after spending two minutes under Royce Gracie.

However, Jimmerson was far from the worse off amongst his UFC 1 brethren. That title likely goes to 400-plus-pound Sumo goliath Teila Tuli, who memorably opened the pay-per-view by getting his front tooth smashed out of his mouth by a wild Gerard Gordeau head kick. For audiences at home, such primal, graphic violence was a sight many were unaccustomed to.

"There were a lot of mixed emotions and mixed views about it," Long said looking back. "There were people who liked it, who thought it was really exciting. And there were those who thought, 'Wow, this is way too violent, and I don't know about this. I don't know about these guys laying on top of each other.' There were tons of comments like that. But, I think overall, it was positive. Unfortunately a lot of people thought it was too violent and it was banned for a while, but I'm very happy to that it's evolved to what it is today."

UFC 1 ultimately served as Long's lone appearance in the broadcast booth, however even to this day she remains a major fan of the sport she helped introduce to the masses. She started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu after watching Gracie's brilliance in 1993, and in 2009, Long made her professional debut with a unanimous decision victory. Now, at the age of 48, she's holding out hopes to compete just once under the Invicta FC banner.

Long includes numerous UFC champions among her list of favorite fighters -- Jose Aldo, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones mainly. Though she still has a particular soft spot for the women of the sport, and thusly, is a major proponent of the UFC's newest star, Ronda Rousey.

In fact, Long believes the armbar queen could give a few 135-pound men in the UFC a run for their money.

"You know, all of my sparring partners were, and always have been, men, who are bigger, stronger and heavier than me," Long mused. "Because of that, I've learned to hit very, very hard, because I've had to. They were willing to beat the crap out of me, literally, and that's what made me who I am. That's how I got five world titles, because of all of my sparring partners. Did I hurt them? Yes. Did they hurt me? Yes.

"I think if anybody's willing to go in and continue to train with men, they stand a good chance when fighting against men. When I was boxing as an amateur a long time ago, I only had males to fight against, and I won [against] all of them. So I think [Rousey] stands a good chance."

In the end, though Long's stint with the UFC may have been short, she looks back at that magical moment in time with fond memories and simply considers herself lucky to have been there to witness history as it unfolded.

"I think my favorite memory," Long finished. "Is just being invited to commentate on that show in the first place. Years later I realized what a wonderful opportunity that was and how grateful I was to have it."

[Ronald_Frump]

Good article Crush......

I think if anyone believes Ronda wouldn't stand a chance against a guy of the same weight, simply because of her gender, then they're mildly delusional. The men she trains with on a daily basis keep saying she could hang with male bantamweights and IMHO its not just spin and hype.

Lets face it, if one of us (with no grappling experience) went against an strong, athletic woman of equal weight, who had held a white belt in jiu jitsu for several months, its highly likely we could get armbarred or choked out. That's an equivalent gap in the level of skill, that Ronda has over these pro bantamweight male fighters.

Ronda by armbar.

[jiminy]

In sports where data (time, weight, distance, etc) can be measured, there's always a point where the top women would place amongst the men - and it's often a lot higher up the leaderboard than people think.

There are definitely some men - men that make a very good living from fighting in MMA - that would quite simply, get their asses handed to them by a superior female fighter such as Ronda.

[Ronald_Frump]

Well said Jiminy!

[sammy_scuffles]

Lets face it, if one of us (with no grappling experience) went against an strong, athletic woman of equal weight, who had held a white belt in jiu jitsu for several months, its highly likely we could get armbarred or choked out. That's an equivalent gap in the level of skill, that Ronda has over these pro bantamweight male fighters.

All depends who you're referring to as "these pro bantamweight male fighters". If you're talking about the top guys in the UFC then you're just plain wrong. Top level judo isn't enough in mens MMA because good wrestling / takedown defense and good submission defense is required by now, even in the less established smaller weight classes.

If it was good enough then the best 135 pounders in mens Judo would be knocking down the doors of the UFC to earn those tasty $60000 bonuses you get for submission of the night. Spoiler: They're not.

The ability to easily trounce Kaufmann doesn't automatically translate into being able to compete with Dominick Cruz. It's quite literally not even the same league.

There are definitely some men - men that make a very good living from fighting in MMA - that would quite simply, get their asses handed to them by a superior female fighter such as Ronda.

Nah, only the top guys make a real good living in MMA so far. Even on the undercard of a UFC event you're probably getting like 8k to fight and 8k to win.

[jiminy]

By that I didn't mean to imply "rich". Let me re-phrase, as everyone's financial situation is different.

I basically meant guys that would call themselves "professional MMA fighters" first and foremost. No, not mainstream, established UFC stars, but a good number of fighters that have trained seriously for years would straight up lose against Ronda, Cyborg, etc.

[Ronald_Frump]

Lets face it, if one of us (with no grappling experience) went against an strong, athletic woman of equal weight, who had held a white belt in jiu jitsu for several months, its highly likely we could get armbarred or choked out. That's an equivalent gap in the level of skill, that Ronda has over these pro bantamweight male fighters.

All depends who you're referring to as "these pro bantamweight male fighters". If you're talking about the top guys in the UFC then you're just plain wrong. Top level judo isn't enough in mens MMA because good wrestling / takedown defense and good submission defense is required by now, even in the less established smaller weight classes.

If it was good enough then the best 135 pounders in mens Judo would be knocking down the doors of the UFC to earn those tasty $60000 bonuses you get for submission of the night. Spoiler: They're not.

I understand what you're saying Sammy. However, I would point out that

• not every top male judoka is as specialized as Ronda in newaza.......and *spoiler*       you're unlikely to win a UFC match with a throw
• not every judoka will want to be kicked and punched in the face
• where are the Olympic medal-winners, that these "top-guys" are beating with their TDD and sub-defence?

The ability to easily trounce Kaufmann doesn't automatically translate into being able to compete with Dominick Cruz. It's quite literally not even the same league.

Ronda doesn't exactly train with "cans".

Eddie Bravo (most famous for his win as a brown belt against Royler Gracie by triangle choke in the 2003 ADCC) has openly admitted that if she locks in an armbar, he can't escape. Anything can happen in any given situation. Cruz vs Rousey?......interesting speculation.......

Rousey by armbar   

[sleepinbin]

• where are the Olympic medal-winners, that these "top-guys" are beating with their TDD and sub-defence?

theres a substantial list of male olympian judokas/wrestlers, many of them medalists, crossing into mma and doing quite poorly...

[Ronald_Frump]

• where are the Olympic medal-winners, that these "top-guys" are beating with their TDD and sub-defence?

theres a substantial list of male olympian judokas/wrestlers, many of them medalists, crossing into mma and doing quite poorly...

Fair play. Its just that I wasn't aware of any Olympic medal winners, other than Yoshida, years ago. I still think Ronda's exceptional newaza may set her apart from these guys.