Tag: UFC 170

Ronda Rousey vs Sara McMann: What We Learned from UFC 170 Main Event

Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann sat atop as the main event of a night full of squash matches. Daniel Cormier crushed Patrick Cummins. Erik Koch effortlessly dispatched Rafaello Oliveira. Raphael Assuncao took three easy rounds over Pedro Munhoz.
While it …

Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann sat atop as the main event of a night full of squash matches. Daniel Cormier crushed Patrick Cummins. Erik Koch effortlessly dispatched Rafaello Oliveira. Raphael Assuncao took three easy rounds over Pedro Munhoz.

While it was up for debate whether or not the title fight fit that billing, one thing that was beyond dispute was that Rousey was the smart pick. It wasn’t even close, really.

That billing is deserved, of course. After all, this is the woman who consistently forces taps with minimal effort, even from some of the best ladies in the fight game like Sarah Kaufman, Sarah D’Alelio and Miesha Tate. The same fighter who racked up six first-round submission wins to start her UFC career.

McMann is undeniably skilled. In theory, she has the pure athleticism, grappling chops and striking power to threaten Rousey.

But, as we all know, being the qualifier, in theory, is rarely a positive thing. In reality, Rousey did what she always does; beat an opponent with little issue. 

In standard Rousey fashion, she ate a couple of punches that had her fans biting their nails, but wound up with a tight clinch. While her standard tactic from there is to ply her Judo in the form of throws and trips, McMann‘s strong takedown defense kept her from doing so. So she channeled her inner Anderson Silva, manipulating McMann‘s torso to set up a brutal knee to the midsection.

McMann crumbled, clutching herself in pain. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight on the spot, possibly a bit too early, but that was ultimately of little consequence. Rousey earned the win, and not just any win, but her first-ever TKO victory.

By doing so, Ronda Rousey taught the world a lesson. Not only is she as good as advertised, but there isn’t a single fighter in the UFC that could hope to challenge her.

Sure, there are logical contenders in Cat Zingano and Alexis Davis. 

Zingano, though, has been shelved for nearly a year now with a knee injury and barely squeaked by Miesha Tate when they fought in the TUF 17 Finale. Alexis Davis, meanwhile, looked undersized against former 125-pounder Jessica Eye on Saturday and has struggled to bring things to the ground against fighters that aren’t as skilled in takedown defense as Rousey.

Neither of them are legitimate threats to Rousey, and, because of that, she has an unbreakable grip on her belt. Frankly, the only true threat to her reign comes from Hollywood, offering her more money for less work.

So sit back and enjoy the ride, fight fans. The Ronda Rousey train doesn’t look like it will stop until she decides it does.

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Rousey vs. McMann Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey has done it yet again. 
The reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion defended her title on Saturday—this time with a first-round TKO victory over previously unbeaten Sara McMann at UFC 170 in Las Vegas. 

Although…

Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey has done it yet again. 

The reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion defended her title on Saturday—this time with a first-round TKO victory over previously unbeaten Sara McMann at UFC 170 in Las Vegas. 

Although we’ve seen Rousey get her hand raised before, this win had a twist. It wasn’t Rousey’s signature armbar that ended the bout, but rather a knee to the liver in the first round. 

According to UFC, this was the fastest KO in women’s bantamweight history:

The bout may have been between two Olympic grapplers, but the two slugged it out on the feet from the outset. McMann may have landed a few solid shots, but Rousey was able to drive her opponent to the cage and end the bout with a knee to the body. 

McMann went to the mat immediately, and Herb Dean called a stop to the fight. 

There’s no doubt that this victory will just add to the growing legend of Rousey. With an unbeaten record of 9-0 and all eight of her previous victories coming by way of submission, it’s clear that she is one of the organization’s most exciting champions and most marketable stars.  

One could argue that this win stands out as the most impressive in her career. Unlike many of her previous opponents, McMann had the grappling credentials to hang with Rousey’s Olympic background. McMann was a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling. 

However, Rousey’s extensive judo background, which includes a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, proved to be enough to earn the victory. 

Perhaps even more impressive was that she tied the record for shortest time between title defenses by taking on McMann just 56 days after defeating Miesha Tate at UFC 168.  

The loss is a disappointing one for McMann, but it is by no means the end to her career. With just eight fights to her name and a 7-1 record, it’s conceivable that she could be right back in the title picture again if she comes back stronger from this loss. 

With Georges St-Pierre retired and Anderson Silva recently losing his rematch to Chris Weidman, the UFC needed Rousey to prove that she could be the kind of dominant champion who draws in fans. 

That’s exactly what she did on Saturday night by defeating one of the most highly qualified contenders she will see in the UFC. 

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Cormier vs. Cummins: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

This is what happens when you let your mouth write a check your Octagon skills can’t cash.
On Saturday night in the co-main event at UFC 170, Daniel “DC” Cormier embarrassed Patrick Cummins in a minute and 19 seconds, earning a TKO victory. Cummins was…

This is what happens when you let your mouth write a check your Octagon skills can’t cash.

On Saturday night in the co-main event at UFC 170, Daniel “DC” Cormier embarrassed Patrick Cummins in a minute and 19 seconds, earning a TKO victory. Cummins was a late replacement after Rashad Evans tore up his knee 10 days before the fight.

Both men brought exceptional wrestling backgrounds into the fight, but the difference on Saturday night was DC’s striking. His hand speed and punching power were just too much for Cummins. Cormier first hurt his opponent with an uppercut out of the clinch.

He never let up and continued to bomb him with hard right hands as the staggered Cummins tried to recover.

Cormier was in fantastic shape in his first fight at 205 pounds. He moved well, but still displayed the power necessary to gain advantageous positioning in the standing grapple. He quickly maneuvered himself to a position to throw the strikes that ultimately ended the fight.

Cummins and Cormier had crossed paths in their training past, and apparently the former had gotten the best of those encounters. On Saturday night, Cormier proved that practice and a real professional fight are two different things.

Trash talk from Cummins seemed to ignite Cormier. Cummins claimed to have made Cormier cry in a training session years ago. The talk was a violation of an unwritten training rule, and Cormier did not take kindly to the chiding.

He was bursting at the seams to get a chance to shut Cummins up. How confident was Cormier that he would win? Take a look at the plugger and Twitter message in this tweet:

Before the win at UFC 170, Cormier came off a bit bland, but the emotion and mean streak that were brought out of him for this fight will do wonders for his popularity.

Per this tweet, Sherdog Rewind agrees:

Longtime fight fan Rosie Perez was certainly impressed. She tweeted this after Cormier’s win:

DC has his eye on climbing the ladder at light heavyweight. Obviously, Jon “Bones” Jones is at the top of that heap. Cormier has a few guys to fight through before he can challenge the champion. 

Per Mike Johnston of Sportsnet, Cormier is trying to slide into an opportunity to accelerate his ascension up the ranks.

It still remains to be seen whether Cormier is ready to challenge Bones. Cummins was seriously overmatched, but there is no doubt how good Cormier looked at 205 pounds. Cormier will need to beat someone a little more highly regarded at 205 before we’re able to determine that.

If he continues to shine the way he did on Saturday night. Cormier could be one of the biggest stars in the UFC in 2014.

 

Follow me. I dig combat sports.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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Daniel Cormier vs. Pat Cummins: Twitter Reacts to Co-Main Event

Daniel Cormier made the drop to light heavyweight for the first time in his career, and he was supposed to meet Rashad Evans at UFC 170. An injury to Evans opened the door for Patrick Cummins to walk through.
Cummins accepted the fight on short notice …

Daniel Cormier made the drop to light heavyweight for the first time in his career, and he was supposed to meet Rashad Evans at UFC 170. An injury to Evans opened the door for Patrick Cummins to walk through.

Cummins accepted the fight on short notice and made his debut on Saturday night against one of the elite in the sport.

Cormier and Cummins had plenty of talk in the lead-up to the bout, and it helped reinvigorate the hype surrounding UFC 170 that was lost due to Evans’ injury. Cummins had the opportunity to make a name for himself in MMA, and Cormier needed a win to become a viable title challenger.

Here is what Twitter had to think about the co-main event of UFC 170.

 

Pre-Fight

Cummins‘ pre-fight talk helped fire up Cormier for this fight. He was a two-time All-American at Penn State, but Cormier had the more impressive wrestling credentials. A lot of the pre-fight hype surrounded Cummins‘ and Cormier‘s time training together prior to Cormier‘s Olympic bid.

 

Round 1

Cormier takes his time, finds his spots and annihilates Cummins. Absolutely dominant over a UFC newcomer. Cormier takes care of business in just 1:19. Impressive, but expected. Cormier is a legit threat to the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

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Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia: What We Learned from UFC 170 Fight

Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia were moving up the welterweight rankings in 2013, but then both suffered setbacks.
The matchup at UFC 170 would help put one back on the winning track toward gaining a title shot later this year.
Maia turned in a beautifu…

Rory MacDonald and Demian Maia were moving up the welterweight rankings in 2013, but then both suffered setbacks.

The matchup at UFC 170 would help put one back on the winning track toward gaining a title shot later this year.

Maia turned in a beautiful first round. He took MacDonald down and controlled the action. MacDonald defended well, survived and came back strong in the second.

Maia looked gassed in Round 2. MacDonald capitalized on this and punished his opponent with a variety of strikes. Maia remained in the fight, but he looked dead in the water as the fight drew longer. MacDonald piled it on in the third en route to a unanimous decision. The performance showed the importance of cardio.

 

What We’ll Remember About MacDonald vs. Maia

We will remember MacDonald’s resilience the most from this fight.

Being underneath Maia is a terrifying position to be in, but MacDonald weathered the storm. As he took Maia deeper into the fight, the easier the takedown was to defend, and the easier the target Maia became.

MacDonald could have packed it up in that first round, but he did not. He showed his superior conditioning and striking. A quality performance from the Tristar product.

 

What We Learned About MacDonald

MacDonald has no quit in him and showed what kind of shape he is in.

When he was taken down in the third, he was able to get back to his feet rather quickly and finish out the round strong.

MacDonald kept a good pace throughout the fight and did not tail off much in his output. That is a big plus for him in this division. MacDonald’s cardio cost him years ago against Carlos Condit, and he has certainly put that behind him. He looked outstanding.

 

What We Learned About Maia

We learned that Maia is a front-runner. There isn’t anything wrong with that, but it makes him a sitting duck past the first frame.

He shoots from way outside, putting everything into his strikes, and it causes him to tire out quickly. The upper-echelon fighters of this division are not going to tire after five minutes. It hurts Maia’s chances of ever becoming a serious threat in the division.

He’s a gatekeeper.

 

What’s Next for MacDonald

UFC 171 will be very telling for MacDonald’s future. If Tyron Woodley knocks off Condit, then that would be an ideal opponent for a title-eliminator bout.

If Condit wins, it seems like he will get the next title shot, taking that fight off the table for MacDonald.

Another good fight on the card is between Jake Shields and Hector Lombard. Should Condit come out on top at UFC 171, then MacDonald should be opposite the winner of that fight.

 

What’s Next for Maia

As a newly minted gatekeeper at 170 pounds, Maia should take on one of the UFC’s up-and-coming prospects who are close to the top 15 spots.

Maia would be a very stiff test for any of those young bucks, but they need to be tossed into the fire to see if they have what it takes.

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UFC 170: What We Learned from Mike Pyle vs. T.J. Waldburger

The second fight on the UFC 170 main card was a bout between welterweight vets Mike Pyle and TJ Waldburger.
Pyle, the former WEC welterweight champion, got very close to entering the division’s top 10 when he broke off a strong four-fight winning strea…

The second fight on the UFC 170 main card was a bout between welterweight vets Mike Pyle and TJ Waldburger.

Pyle, the former WEC welterweight champion, got very close to entering the division’s top 10 when he broke off a strong four-fight winning streak. The dark horse title contender hopes, however, evaporated when he was knocked out by fellow resurgent veteran Matt Brown. 

Waldburger, meanwhile, owns a modest 4-3 record in the UFC, with his biggest win coming over…Pat Healy, I suppose. That said, he was an on-paper tough matchup for Pyle who had a deceptively solid chance entering the fight.

 

Mike Pyle’s Still Got It!

Right? I mean, the dude beat Waldburger in every area of the cage and made him pay for every hint of offense. That comes from the 15 years of MMA experience he has under his belt, and it’s not something many other fighters can hope to imitate. 

Pyle landed hands from striking range, worked knees in the clinch, scored takedowns at will before finishing Waldburger in the third round. It was one of Pyle’s most impressive performances to date.

 

Herb Dean Is Not Actually That Great a Referee

Now look, I know that refereeing is a tough job and all that jazz. That said, you don’t often see them let a clearly unconscious guy get hit in the face for a solid 15 seconds.

Herb Dean, regularly pointed to as the best ref in the MMA business by the UFC’s commentators, officiated this fight and plain-and-simple let the fight go on far, far too long. It’s inexcusable, it’s dangerous and I doubt you’re going to hear UFC President Dana White go on a tirade on par with one you’d hear if it was Steve Mazzagatti in the cage.

Nobody should play favorites with Dean when it comes to a mistake like that.

 

The Welterweight Division is Uber-Deep

So Mike Pyle looked like a beast, and he is ranked at No. 15 in the welterweight division. That isn’t even a bad place to put him, either. The welterweight division is just so stacked that a really solid fighter like Pyle finds himself buried underneath 14 other guys. 

Pyle, in reality, is one of the best gatekeepers in the UFC, consistently exposing good-but-not-great fighters while getting beaten by legitimate contenders. That isn’t to say he is permanently locked outside of title contention. He has the skills to put together a lengthy winning streak against the right opponents.

Right now, though, he finds himself as the ultimate test for fighters hoping to crack into the top-10.

 

TJ Waldburger Might Want to Retire

So TJ Waldburger looked decent for a little bit there, but was consistently a step behind the 38-year-old Pyle. Much less positive, though, is this:

Chins don’t strengthen with time, and Waldburger‘s has already been reduced to porcelain…and he’s just 25 years old. It’s not like we’re talking about Andrei Arlovski or Chuck Liddell, who both had over a decade of combat sports under his belt before finding themselves prone to getting knocked out by even a glancing blow. 

Waldburger‘s health is at risk here.

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