Three Down, Three to Go: Women in the UFC
By: Felicia Spencer
At the beginning of the year, MMA fans were anticipating the very first women’s fight in the UFC. The support from the media, fans and the promotion itself was, and continues to be phenomenal. Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche of course headlined UFC 157 on February 23rd, which was the first of many “firsts.” They were the first women in the octagon and Carmouche was promoted as the first openly gay fighter in the UFC. In April, Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano fought in the first number one contender match-up in the division and upon winning, Zingano became a coach alongside Rousey to be the first female coaches of The Ultimate Fighter show. This season will be distinct as the first with female contestants training and fighting alongside the men. Zingano also became the first mother in the cage.
The UFC has now had three women’s bouts, each having an important role in the integration of the women’s division. Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche was more exciting than many people anticipated, even though it still ended predictably. Rousey winning the title match and therefore keeping the hype, was arguably the better outcome for the sake of the division taking off.
Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano was on the main card and had a chance to show “Fight of the Night” award winning action and intensity through to the third round where Zingano showed off some vicious striking to win via TKO. What they did for the division was essential- they showed the level of talent the women have and they energized the fans.
Sara McMann vs. Sheila Gaff was placed on the undercard, which was perfect timing for the division. For the women’s division not to come off as a spectacle, they need to be treated like any division, which means putting fights in the appropriate place in the line-up. The women came out in a non-highly publicized fight that ended in a first round TKO by McMann. McMann has proven herself to be a viable future contender for a title shot, with her background as an Olympic Silver medalist and her first octagon victory. The UFC is thinking about the future of the division by building up contenders this way and not just having as UFC President Dana White once put it, “the Ronda Rousey show.” (He seems to have warmed up to the talent in the division now).
Three fights down and there are three fights currently scheduled- not including the inevitable match up of TUF coaches Rousey and Zingano at the end of the season. First up is Alexis Davis (13-5-0) vs. Rosi Sexton (13-2-0) at UFC 161 on June 15th. Both have strong Jiu Jitsu and good striking, but Davis has the advantage of facing higher level opponents for most of her career.
UFC on Fox 8 will host two women’s bouts: Julie Kedzie (16-10-0) faces Germaine de Randamie (3-2-0) and Miesha Tate (13-4-0) faces Liz Carmouche (7-3-0), on July 27th. Kedzie is one of the pioneers of women’s MMA that is still active. Her last bout with Miesha Tate in Strikeforce was a testament to her skills where she was winning the fight until Tate pulled off a submission. Germaine de Randamie is an unbeaten Muay Thai fighter out of the Netherlands. From her 46-0 Muay Thai record, 30 wins came by way of knockout!
Tate and Carmouche are the only women in the UFC who have faced Ronda Rousey and both are undoubtedly looking to make their way back to the top of the list for a rematch with the champ. With the title held up by TUF and Cat Zingano, it may be too early to tell if this is a number one contender fight as the ladies have said they want to be actively fighting. There are some intriguing future match-ups for Rousey if she retains her title. Alexis Davis is savvy on the ground and even won via submission over another known submission fighter, Shayna Baszler, in her last fight. Germaine de Randamie’s striking record is impeccable and poses a threat to anyone. The rematch with Tate is anticipated by the fans and the rivalry between the two adds some interest. But first Rousey has to beat the unbeaten Zingano, who happens to be very hungry for the belt.
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