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Court McGee Drops to Welterweight, Set to Face Josh Neer at UFC 157

Two guys looking to avoid the UFC chopping block will face one another at UFC 157.MMAFighting.com has confirmed that Court McGee—former winner on The Ultimate Fighter—will face UFC veteran Josh Neer in a welterweight bout.Neer has been in a…

Two guys looking to avoid the UFC chopping block will face one another at UFC 157.

MMAFighting.com has confirmed that Court McGee—former winner on The Ultimate Fighter—will face UFC veteran Josh Neer in a welterweight bout.

Neer has been in and out of the UFC roster for the majority of his career. Every time he seems to build some momentum into an UFC return, Neer squanders it by losing a handful of fights in the Octagon.

He had won his first two fights in his return to the UFC against Keith Wisniewski and Duane Ludwig, but has since dropped two-straight bouts.

Both of his recent losses came before the final bell, as Neer lost by TKO to Mike Pyle and was submitted by Justin Edwards.

McGee had been on a roll since joining the UFC’s ranks. He defeated Kris McCray to win The Ultimate Fighter and won his next two fights.

However, McGee’s run came to a halt after losing his last two appearances in the Octagon. He lost a hotly contested decision against fellow The Ultimate Fighter cast-mate Nick Ring in his last bout, and also lost a decision to Costa Philippou in March.

The fight against Neer will require McGee to make the 170-pound limit for the first time in his career.

UFC 157 is set to feature the first women’s MMA bout in UFC history when Ronda Rousey faces Liz Carmouche.

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Dana White: Ronda Rousey Is Only Reason Women’s MMA Is Happening in UFC

UFC president Dana White has officially dubbed women’s MMA as the “Ronda Rousey Show.”With Rousey set to make her UFC debut in February, there are many questions surrounding the future of women’s MMA on the big stage.Is the UFC looking to promote women…

UFC president Dana White has officially dubbed women’s MMA as the “Ronda Rousey Show.”

With Rousey set to make her UFC debut in February, there are many questions surrounding the future of women’s MMA on the big stage.

Is the UFC looking to promote women’s MMA or just Ronda Rousey? What happens if Rousey loses?

During an interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, White was an open book when it came to his plans for women’s MMA:

I’m putting my toe in the water, and I’m checking it out. There’s no doubt, for people who say, ‘Oh, this is the Ronda Rousey show,’ [expletive] right it is. You’re absolutely right. I’m not trying to shy away from that and say, ‘Oh no, we’re getting into women’s MMA.’ This is the Ronda Rousey Show.

White has come a long way in embracing women’s MMA.

In 2011, he told TMZ that women would never fight in the UFC. Now, women won’t just be competing in the UFC, but Rousey’s bantamweight title fight against Liz Carmouche will serve as the headliner for the UFC 157 pay-per-view.

White’s concern has always been about the depth of talent in women’s MMA. While there are a few talented fighters, Rousey is in a class of her own when it comes to all-around talent and marketing power. White has already admitted himself as being a big fan of the Olympic judo bronze medalist.

Still, it’s dangerous to put your eggs into one basket, especially considering the unpredictable nature of MMA.

Rousey will be a heavy favorite over anyone she fights at 135 pounds, but there are some tough women in the division capable of pulling off an upset and derailing the UFC’s newfound hype machine.

If Rousey loses, White will give the new champ a chance to defend her title and see how everything plays out:

Ronda Rousey is a mean, nasty fighter, the type of fighters that I like. Now, whether she can win and whether she can keep it going, that’s up to her. I have nothing to do with that. Whether it’s Liz or any of these other women that beat her, then they’re the champ, and then they got to defend their belt.

I don’t know how long this is going to last. This could last a year. This could be forever. The 135-pound division could fill up with tons of talent, and we could have tons of great fights. I can’t honestly sit here and predict what’s going to happen, but don’t kid yourself, this is absolutely the only reason this is happening is because of Ronda Rousey.

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Ronda Rousey: Headlining UFC 157 Is Huge Development for Female MMA Fighters

UFC 157 will mark a huge occasion for women’s MMA and female sports in general, as the fight between superstar Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche will not only be the first fight between women on a UFC pay-per-view, but the first to headline one as we…

Even Dana White recognizes that making Rousey and Carmouche is a risk, but apparently sees enough potential in Rousey‘s star power to take a chance.

From Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com (via Cincinnati.com):

“I don’t know how the whole women’s thing is going to go, how it’s going to go over, or what it’s going to do,” UFC President Dana White told USA TODAY Sports. “She’s the only title fight on that card, but that card is going to be stacked.”

For my money, it’s a risk worth taking.

Rousey is the perfect star to usher in a new age of female MMA. She’s attractive, talented, has a signature move (a devastating armbar) and an unfiltered, no-holds bar personality that is at once intense and refreshing.

But this is a big deal for women’s sports in general. Too often, female competitions are given second fiddle. The WNBA is regularly the butt of jokes. Despite having the top team in the world, the United States doesn’t have a sustainable women’s soccer league.

Now, the UFC is fostering a legitimate star and allowing her to headline a major event. Yes, the card is stacked—White is a savvy businessman, and he knows how to cover his bases in the event Rousey isn’t enough to draw major numbers—but the ladies have a chance to prove on the big stage they belong.

And that puts a lot of pressure on Rousey. She’s not just fighting Carmouche, she’s fighting for the right to establish herself as an ambassador for female fighting in general. Yes, if she loses the UFC will simply market Carmouche as “the next big thing.”

But Rousey is tailor-made to be a star with crossover appeal. She’s also chock full of classic sound bites. Put her in that Octagon and there are few people alive, man or woman, who are as bad as Rousey. I have nightmares about that armbar.

And a big win will likely set up another headlining fight that everyone wants to see—Rousey versus Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, the woman who essentially ended Gina Carano’s stint in MMA.

Oh, and Rousey has already blasted Santos for her steroid use, which will surely only stoke the fire between the two. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t be excited for that fight. I sure as hell would.

Women’s MMA is getting a huge boost by the UFC and Rousey, and the superstar has to hold up her end of the bargain and win. I’m not betting against her.

She hasn’t met a woman she couldn’t defeat yet. I’m guessing the heavy weight of expectations won’t be able to hold her down, either.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are terrified of Rousey‘s armbar. TERRIFIED.

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Brendan Schaub and Lavar Johnson Verbally Agree to UFC 157 Bout

Hard-hitting heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Lavar Johnson have agreed to a February showdown in Anaheim, Calif.The contest is a rescheduling of a purposed UFC on FOX 5 matchup that had to be scrapped when Johnson injured his groin in training and was …

Hard-hitting heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Lavar Johnson have agreed to a February showdown in Anaheim, Calif.

The contest is a rescheduling of a purposed UFC on FOX 5 matchup that had to be scrapped when Johnson injured his groin in training and was forced to withdraw from the action.

The new home of Schaub vs. Johnson will be UFC 157, which has the distinction of hosting the promotion’s first ever WMMA match—that between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche.

According to Sherdog, the card will also feature bouts between Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson, Urijah Faber and Ivan Menjivar and Neil Magny and Jon Manley.

Both Schaub and Johnson will enter their impending tussle with the intention of getting back on track. Johnson is coming off of a submission defeat to Stefan Struve at UFC 146, a result that brought an end to his two-fight win streak.

Schaub is coming off of back-to-back first-round knockout losses and will have to tread lightly in the Octagon with the uber-powerful Johnson if he hopes to break that trend.

Both fighters are renowned for their considerable punching power so the bout’s addition to UFC 157 is likely to give the event some flare. And more than likely, a knockout.

Eight of Schaub’s nine career victories have come via TKO, while 15 of Johnson’s 17 have come the same way. And between the two of them, just three of 10 combined UFC fights have gone longer than a single round.

News of the bout between Schaub and Johnson heading to UFC 157 was first reported by MMA Junkie.

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Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson Re-Scheduled for UFC 157 on 2/23

(Brendan Schaub and the always-relevant MC Hammer. / Photo via Brendan’s Facebook page)

UFC heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Lavar Johnson were originally scheduled to bang on the UFC on FOX 5 preliminary card over the weekend, until an ill-timed groin-pull* forced Johnson to withdraw less than two weeks out from the fight. As a result, Schaub was removed from the lineup entirely. Fortunately, they just got their do-over date.

According to MMAJunkie, Schaub vs. Johnson will now take place at UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche, February 23rd in Anaheim. No word yet on if the match will be part of the main card or if it’ll be re-slated for the prelims — but with supporting bouts already in place between Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida, and Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar, the UFC’s historic ladies’ night is shaping up to be a can’t-miss event. (For the record, Hendo says his knee is fine and he’ll be ready to roll.)

* Are groin-pulls ever correctly timed? I guess not, huh.

(Brendan Schaub and the always-relevant MC Hammer. / Photo via Brendan’s Facebook page)

* Are groin-pulls ever correctly timed? I guess not, huh.

UFC Squash Match Alert: Ronda Rousey Opened as a 15-1 Favorite Against That Other Girl

(Keep it together, Ronda. Never go full Sally Field. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com)

According to BestFightOdds, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey opened as a -1500 betting favorite against her UFC 157 challenger Liz Carmouche, who opened at +700. Since then, the odds have leveled out somewhat; SportBet currently has the line at a more reasonable -1110/+690, which means that you’d need to put up $1,110 in order to turn a $100 profit on Ronda if she wins, while betting $100 on Liz would…you know what, I’m not even going to finish that sentence. Please do not bet money on this fight.

The current odds make Rousey vs. Carmouche rank among the most lopsided UFC matchups of all time, which comes as no surprise — before the booking was announced, many UFC fans may not have even been aware of the existence of Liz Carmouche, who is an unknown quantity to everyone except hardcore fans of women’s MMA and Strikeforce. Plus, Carmouche fell short both times she faced champion-level competition, suffering a decision loss to Sarah Kaufman in July 2011 and a submission loss to Marloes Coenen four months prior, although Carmouche was winning that fight until she was stopped.

(Keep it together, Ronda. Never go full Sally Field. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com)

None of Rousey’s previous matches have turned out to be very competitive, and it’s hard to imagine that this one will be any different. (If Liz gets armbarred in the second round as opposed to the first round, she should immediately be ranked the #2 women’s bantamweight in the world.) Is that necessarily a bad thing? A string of highlight-reel finishes from a charismatic champion can go a long way in drawing casual fans to women’s MMA. Think of it this way: Mike Tyson became famous by rolling over outmatched palookas, not by clawing out victories in gritty 12-round wars — and converted hordes of young people to boxing fandom in the process.

Not that we’re calling Ronda Rousey the Mike Tyson of women’s MMA (at least not yet). But maybe a good squash match is just what the sport needs right now.