This past weekend, history was made in Anaheim, California as UFC 157 marked a new beginning for the sport of mixed martial arts.
Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche became the first women to ever compete and headline an event in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rousey came into the fight undefeated in her six professional fights, with all of them ending the exact same way.
Each fight ended in the first round by her signature submission, the armbar. Carmouche, a relative unknown to the masses, came into the fight with a record of 8-2 and looked to capitalize on a monumental opportunity.
Before the fight, the press attention was at an all-time high. Each fighter was doing numerous interviews with news stations across the country.
The media focus was on Rousey, considering she was the champion. Even UFC president Dana White said in an interview that leading up to the fight it would be the “Ronda Rousey Show”.
Every promotional aspect for the fight focused on Rousey and her road to the UFC. This was met with some negative reaction from UFC fans, but was ultimately effective since it resulted in record pay-per-view buys for the company.
Once the interviews and other press obligations were over, it was time to fight. Other fights on the card were good, but everyone wanted to get to the main event.
As Carmouche and Rousey entered to octagon, I felt the energy at home on my couch. WHen the fight began, Carmouche came out very aggressive and took Rousey down early.
Rousey regained control and seemed on an easy route to win the fight. But just as the fight seemed close to over, Carmouche was able to recover and almost ended the fight with a rear naked choke. The choke looked to be tight, but once again Rousey regained control and looked to end the fight quickly.
Rousey then used her wrestling techniques to get into position and win the fight via her signature armbar. Once Carmouche tapped out with ten seconds left in the first round, the arena erupted as they had just witnessed history.
As a UFC fan, I was excited at the premise of women now fighting within the organization. On the business side, it opens up an entirely new market and continues the expansion of the UFC.
From a national point of view, it opens doors for female fans that want to get into the sport of mixed martial arts. Women in sports have been a major topic of discussion over the years regarding the amount of respect they get. Just one year ago, Dana White was quoted as saying women will never compete in the UFC.
If he was able to finally give respect to women who wanted to fight, then hopefully the world can too. Look forward to the women’s division in the UFC to keep growing and for Rousey to continue her dominance as a fighter.
