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The greatest fight in Women's MMA

As the world of Mixed Martial Arts continues to grow, one particular segment of the sport has begun drawing more and more attention.  Women are finally gaining respect as being just as tough as men in the octagon.  Fighters like Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg, Miesha Tate, and Ronda Rousey are beginning to take their place in the sport alongside the greats in the men’s division. 

            Once regarded as a freakshow, the sport of women’s MMA has taken off in the past couple of years.  It started with Women like Cris Cyborg who fights with the intensity and cruelty of a champion.  Gina Carano put a nice face on the sport at a time when many people thought that the women of MMA were a bunch of grotesque, muscle-bound steroid addicts.  

            The Women’s division has seen its ups and downs, most notably the long absence of Carano (she hasn’t fought in nearly 3 years) and the recent positive test for performance enhancing drugs by Cris Cyborg.  Just when things were looking bleak for an already sidelined and little respected sport, two new women came along that would capture the attention of MMA fans everywhere.

            Miesha Tate, a 25 year old who wrestled on the boys’ team in high school, hit the big leagues in 2010, and captured the women’s 135pound title in 4 impressive fights.  Her skill as a fighter and approachable attitude outside of the cage made her a fan favorite overnight.  A few months ago, however, a new force exploded onto the scene determined to take the title for herself.

            Ronda Rousey is a 25 year old Judo champion who competed in the summer Olympics in Athens in 2004 at the age of 17.  Before she was to face Tate in the cage for the women’s 135 pound title, Rousey boasted an impressive 4-0 record in mixed martial arts.  All of her wins came by first round arm bar.  

            In the lead-up to the fight, both women had strong words for each other.  Rousey, who would later describe the trash talking as part of the game, promised Tate that she was going to have a very bad night.  Tate, on the other hand, used Rousey’s relative inexperience in the cage as her weapon.  She claimed that Rousey was just a pretty face who didn’t deserve a title shot so early on in her career.  On March 3^rd, 2012, they faced off in Strikeforce’s first fight night that featured women as the headliners.  No women’s fight in the history of MMA had this much hype surrounding it.  

            The fight started off with a flurry of punches from Tate.  Rousey withstood the initial onslaught, and used her Judo prowess to throw Tate to the ground easily.  She moved into position and sunk a brutal arm bar that had Tate’s Elbow bent backward at an excruciating angle.  Miraculously, Tate was able to wiggle her way free and even gain the upper hand.  For the next couple of minutes, they jockeyed for position.  Tate would use her wrestling to get Rousey’s back, and Rousey would user her impressive Judo skills to effortlessly throw Tate to the ground.  

            Finally, with about 30 seconds left in the first round, Rousey was able to sink another arm bar, again bending Tate’s elbow at an impossible angle.  This time, it was too much, and Tate tapped out in an attempt to spare what was left of her elbow joint.  The fight was over, and Rousey was the new champion, maintaining her perfect record of first round arm bars.

            This fight showed the world that contrary to many perceptions the women fighters are just as skilled (and just as brutal) as their male counterparts.  Fights like these are what bring in the fans and make a name for the sport.