Tag: UFC 157

Gene LeBell: Ronda Rousey Is a ‘Sadistic Wench’

As the MMA community progresses towards UFC 157, we will continue to learn more about the camps of both Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche. While both fighters are now well-known, only time will tell if they have any staying power within the sport. One man…

As the MMA community progresses towards UFC 157, we will continue to learn more about the camps of both Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche. While both fighters are now well-known, only time will tell if they have any staying power within the sport.

One man who knows Rousey just about as well as anybody is “Judo” Gene LeBell. LeBell has been around the world of martial arts for most of his life and has crossed paths with some of the most decorated people in the sport.

LeBell shed some light on his relationship with Rousey in a recent interview with Fighters.com.

“I’ve known Ronda long before she knew who I was. I knew her mother, who was a very good judo person.”

LeBell also touched on how tough Rousey actually is, even when she goes up against male opponents.

“Ronda beats a good percentage of the men who are bigger than her — and good ones, too.

“She doesn’t fool around. There’s no sitting down and signing autographs. It’s all business to her.”

It’s no secret that Rousey‘s game plan is to weather an initial storm by Carmouche and look for an opportunity to take her down. One has to wonder if Rousey relies too heavily upon one technique and how long the armbar will allow her to remain the UFC champion.

While LeBell believes Carmouche is a formidable opponent, he also says the challenger “should give a good fight for about 30 seconds.”

Rousey has shot up the popularity charts due in large part to her demeanor in front of the media. You all know by now that she says what’s on her mind and continues to act as if she is one notch above everyone else.

LeBell believes this is exactly why she’s going to continue winning her fights.

“Nothing bothers her. She’s got icewater running in her veins. She doesn’t give a damn about pressure. She’s a sadistic wench.”

Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche headline UFC 157 on February 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

 

Joe Chacon is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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UFC 157 Will Be Just Fine, in Large Part to Ronda Rousey

Dave Meltzer released a report yesterday on MMAfighting.com that seems to have the MMA community up in arms. According to Meltzer, UFC 157 pre-sale ticket numbers aren’t exactly mystifying: thus far less than 5,000 tickets have been sold. Natural…

Dave Meltzer released a report yesterday on MMAfighting.com that seems to have the MMA community up in arms. According to Meltzer, UFC 157 pre-sale ticket numbers aren’t exactly mystifying: thus far less than 5,000 tickets have been sold. Naturally sports analysts are leaping to brand the UFC’s inclusion of female combatants as a complete and utter failure.

But let’s be honest: we’re jumping the gun.

As Meltzer himself indicates, Southern California venues don’t typically serve as a premiere hotbed for mixed martial arts fanatics. I’m not indicating an impossibility to draw outside of Nevada, I’m simply pointing out a fact: if the UFC aims to yank down massive attendance numbers, there are limited markets capable of meeting tremendous expectations.

That said, come February 23rd, the Honda Center in Anaheim, California will likely house a solid 12,000 plus spectators. How many of those seats will have been comp’d remains to be seen, but we’re still nearly two full months detached from UFC 157, and you can bet that as the event inches closer, media will swarm. And they’ll swarm for one major reason: Ronda Rousey, the UFC’s first female fighter will headline a stacked card.

Rousey has earned a wealth of publicity in the last year. Her stunning looks and terrifying signature armbar have turned too many heads to count, and the media hasn’t ignored this fact. ESPN has taken notice, and a slew of other noteworthy sports outlets have followed suit. The result is the sudden birth of a legitimate star.

Unlike many who are cast into the spotlight unexpectedly, Rousey likely has the talent to maintain her position as Queen of WMMA (that’s women’s mixed martial arts if you’re out of the loop). This is a woman with a competitive nature that few possess, and a knack for fighting that few rival. Ronda loves to fight, plain and simple. She’s not a pretty gimmick; she’s an outspoken warrior who appears hungry enough to devour all competition.

On February 23rd she’ll make history, and news outlets around the world will help to make her debut a success, as just about everyone in this business is eager to be associated with the revolutionizing of the sport, no matter how minor that part may be.

Everyone is itching to see how the woman performs on the biggest stage available in North America. The fact that she’s a stunningly beautiful specimen doesn’t hurt the situation, and you can rest assured as the calendar days slide by, and February inches closer, UFC 157 coverage will only intensify.

The box office may not be on fire right now, but Rousey’s debut will entice many, and the little engine that could will morph into a full-fledged high-speed freight train by fight time.

When it comes down to pure numbers, which at this point don’t look mind blowing, I admit, UFC 157 will likely draw fine Pay-Per-View marks, even if attendance falls short of expectancy. In addition to the mystery of Ronda Rousey, the card is weighted by a handful of compelling matchups, a few of which bear massive divisional relevancy.

Fan favorite wrestler turned slugger Dan Henderson will meet another beloved figure of the sport, former champion and artistic technician Lyoto Machida. The victor more than likely ensures a shot at the winner of the forthcoming Jon Jones versus Chael Sonnen fight, and both bring aesthetically pleasing styles to the cage. There’s a reason people adore both “Hendo” and “The Dragon”: they put on stellar fights.

Another crowd pleaser in Urijah Faber will take to the cage next month, and he’ll meet the always exciting Ivan Menjivar in what promises to be a fast-paced, thrilling rematch. The two met seven years ago at TKO 24, where Faber picked up a disqualification win. Odds are, Ivan is eager to claim revenge. Odds are just as high that fans are chomping at the bit to see it happen.

Toss in a few captivating matchups that will see Josh Koscheck and Robbie Lawler toe the line, as well as a collision between top featherweight talents Chad Mendes and Manny Gamburyan, and you’ve got yourself a damn fine card with plenty of appeal.

The men will help to sell UFC 157, and they’ll do a fine job of it, but at the end of the day, the public is attracted to the odd and unorthodox. Rousey’s debut will provide that fix. The horse may have emerged from the gate a bit slow in this instance, but she’ll warm right up with each stride.

Take that prediction to the bank.

 

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UFC 157: What Will Happen to WMMA If Ronda Rousey Isn’t a Draw?

With the recent report (via MMAmania.com) that UFC 157 has sold less than 5,000 tickets, we are forced to wonder if the UFC audience is going to be receptive to the most dangerous women alive taking center stage.Granted, UFC 157 doesn’t take place unti…

With the recent report (via MMAmania.com) that UFC 157 has sold less than 5,000 tickets, we are forced to wonder if the UFC audience is going to be receptive to the most dangerous women alive taking center stage.

Granted, UFC 157 doesn’t take place until February 23. However, with more than 18,000 available seats at the Honda Center, it is safe to say that tickets are selling slower than Zuffa had hoped.

Dana White and Co. are taking a huge leap of faith by booking Rousey versus Carmouche as a Pay-Per-View main event. After all, the female side of mixed martial arts is as unproven a commodity as they come.

Some may point to Strikeforce: Carano vs Cyborg in support of Rousey’s top billing.

After all, there were two other title fights on the card, yet the females took the spotlight at the exciting event.

However, let’s keep in mind a few variables that the event had on its side that UFC 157 does not.

Most importantly, Rousey’s headlining fight will have a $55 price tag attached, while Carano’s time on top was aired for free to Showtime subscribers.

In the source article, Dave Meltzer talks about how this event is selling faster than UFC 133 and UFC 150, however, both of those events were considered to be failures on PPV, with the former selling 310,000 with Rashad Evans in the main event and the latter generating less than 200,000 buys.

Regardless of what fans may think of the main event, UFC 157 provides a solid card for pay-per-view. The co-main event is occupied by a title eliminator between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida.

Also, Josh Koscheck welcomes Robbie Lawler back into the UFC in a welterweight battle, and former WEC champion Urijah Faber is also on the card.

In the event that Rousey’s time in the spotlight generates disappointing numbers, it is hard to imagine that the UFC president will continue showcasing the females who are now signed to Zuffa contracts. 

Perhaps the ladies will be moved onto Fox broadcasts.

After all, that’s what happened to Benson Henderson and Demetrious Johnson after the UFC realized that they weren’t capable of carrying a PPV on their own.

In any case, Rousey has taken some major steps towards getting WMMA accepted by the MMA community. If she fails to draw quality numbers for the UFC, it isn’t the end of the world, but corrective measures will need to be taken quickly in order to make sure that the ship doesn’t sink.

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UFC 157: Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Josh Koscheck returns to the Octagon for the first time since May to welcome Robbie Lawler back to the organization and division.Koscheck dropped a split decision to Johny Hendricks back at UFC on FOX: Diaz vs. Miller. The win would have elevated him b…

Josh Koscheck returns to the Octagon for the first time since May to welcome Robbie Lawler back to the organization and division.

Koscheck dropped a split decision to Johny Hendricks back at UFC on FOX: Diaz vs. Miller. The win would have elevated him back into title contention. Now he will try to get things going once again in 2013.

Lawler will be back inside the Octagon for the first time since UFC 50 back in 2004. He has dropped three of his last four bouts, but will hope a return to 170 pounds will give him a fresh start as the calendar turns.

This is how the battle between the two hard-throwing welterweights stacks up.

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UFC 157: Five Ways Ronda Rousey’s Debut Could Be a Total Failure

Although UFC 157 will be a historic night for mixed martial arts, there’s no avoiding the fact that it could also be a death knell for the careers of many female fighters.Despite the best efforts of Ronda Rousey and the UFC, the women’s bantamweight ch…

Although UFC 157 will be a historic night for mixed martial arts, there’s no avoiding the fact that it could also be a death knell for the careers of many female fighters.

Despite the best efforts of Ronda Rousey and the UFC, the women’s bantamweight champion’s debut is being built on a house of cards.

So far, only a small handful of women have officially been signed to the UFC.

President Dana White, for his part, doesn’t seem too committed to women’s MMA one way or the other, constantly claiming that he’s testing the waters. So, what happens if everything goes south and the event is a total bust?

How could that even happen?

Well, there’s more than a few ways Rousey’s debut could flame out before it ever heats up. If any of these five circumstances comes to pass, UFC fans might be saying “so long” to Rousey and the women’s division before the year is even over.

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Report: Fewer Than 5,000 Tickets Sold for Ronda Rousey’s UFC Debut at UFC 157

UFC 157—an event meant to showcase the first-ever female UFC champion Ronda Rousey—has sold fewer than 5,000 tickets, according to a report by Dave Meltzer of MMAfighting.com.Rousey can’t armbar fans into parting with their cash, …

UFC 157—an event meant to showcase the first-ever female UFC champion Ronda Rousey—has sold fewer than 5,000 tickets, according to a report by Dave Meltzer of MMAfighting.com.

Rousey can’t armbar fans into parting with their cash, or so it seems. 

Meltzer elaborated the situation: 

The location, the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., was also a risk. While Rousey is from Southern California, the Los Angeles/Anaheim market has never been an easy one after the immediate sellout of the company’s debut show there in 2006. Generally speaking, the more a city is run, outside of Las Vegas which is a strong casino market, the harder it is to sell tickets.

While the 2010 Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez heavyweight title fight at the Honda Center got off to a strong start even that wasn’t an instant sellout. But most shows at the Honda Center or Staples Center in Los Angeles have in recent years done more in the range of 6,000 to 7,000 tickets over he first week of sales.

Meltzer also noted that UFC 157’s numbers displayed “slower early sales than most major UFC pay-per-view shows.”

But despite such dolorous tidings, Meltzer also pointed out that it was too early to sound the alarms. “The Southern California market has done strong walk-up business in the past,” he wrote. “[UFC on FOX 4] ended up selling 10,151 tickets to the Staples Center and had 16,080 in the arena.”

Furthermore, UFC 157 isn’t the only PPV to have put up poor initial numbers:

[UFC 157] is also ahead of the pace for UFC 150 in Denver on Aug. 11, headlined by Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar for the lightweight title It’s also selling tickets ahead of the early pace of UFC 133, a show on Aug. 6, 2011, the company’s second trip to Philadelphia, which was originally headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis. 

The MMA world has gotten a bit carried away with Rousey-mania. True, an attractive, silver-tongued, kick-ass fighter seemed to have “top draw” written all over it (and, generally, web traffic in Rousey articles supported this fact). However, the most sacrosanct of metrics—dollar bills—show that society really doesn’t care all that much. 

Perhaps the idea of women in a cagefight doesn’t appeal to a wide audience? Or maybe MMA pundits refused to take off their triumphalism-tinted glasses and recognize that MMA is just a niche sport, even if it’s a highly marketable woman that’s doing the fighting?

Of course, ticket sales are only part of the equation.

The success of Ronda Rousey as a draw will be known for sure once the PPV numbers come in.

Then the world will see if women’s MMA in the UFC will live or die. If the most prominent female fighter alive can’t get PPV buys, the UFC’s great female experiment will likely be considered a failure. The plug will be unceremoniously pulled, snuffing out the dreams of many a female fighter across the world.

 

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