Rousey’s armbar streak snapped at UFC 170

SINGAPORE – “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (9-0) came into the contest riding an eight fight win-streak which saw her winning each of her fights by armbar, the first seven of them in the very first round.

In her match against fellow Olympian Sara McMann (7-1), Saturday night, February 22, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rousey again claimed victory but this time, not as how many expected.

At around the 1 minute mark of Round 1, Rousey threw a vicious left knee up at McMann’s liver that sent the wrestler down to the mat. Rousey immediately threw a barrage of hammer fists and pounding right hands at her defenseless opponent. Herb Dean stepped in at 1:06 to stop the fight and award Ronda Rousey her first ever victory by knockout.

Record setting

Rousey’s armbar streak may finally be over, but tonight she proved she can win the fight standing up as much as she can on the ground. It was an overall good performance from Rousey, who caught her opponent with a crushing liver shot that would have sent virtually anyone to the ground regardless of weight or gender. Rousey shocked a lot of fans with her improved stand-up game, proof of her rounding out into a more complete fighter.

Sara McMann had the world-class wrestling credentials but was unable to make use of any of it.

Rousey’s stoppage of McMann was the fastest knockout recorded in UFC Women’s history, but it came at the expense of Rousey’s record setting seven straight armbar finishes.

Rousey also took the fight with McMann just 56 days after her fight against Miesha Tate at UFC 168 in 2013, tying a UFC record for fastest turnaround for a title defense. Rousey has successfully defended her UFC Women’s Bantamweight crown three times.

Quick stoppage

It was easier than a lot expected for Rousey, but the win certainly did not come without a healthy dose of controversy.

Referee Herb Dean may have stopped the fight a bit prematurely as McMann was on her way to her feet but there’s no denying that she was in a lot of trouble and that Rousey was on her way to dishing out more damage.

“I had hoped to get back up, but it was my fault,” said McMann, in her post fight interview. “He [Herb Dean] sees us drop, he’s got to protect us. I should have gotten up quicker.”

The match was interesting from the get-go, with two former Olympic medal finishers going at it for the first time inside the Octagon. Rousey was a bronze medallist winner in Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing while McMann was a silver medallist in Freestyle Wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

At the sound of first round horn, both fighters immediately took to the center of the cage to trade punches with Rousey pressing the action, forcing McMann to retreat against the fence. After some dirty boxing in the clinch, Rousey rocked McMann with an elbow and showed the judges who was in control.

More scrambling ensued, but in a flash McMann’s mental lapse exposed the right side of her body to Rousey’s knee and the rest was history.

“No matter how hard you train, you’re not going to get your liver any stronger,” said McMann.

Props to Rousey for an improved stand-up game, being able to see the opening and capitalize on it. And though Herb Dean did stop the fight just a shade early, it wasn’t totally out of proportion and the win was well deserved for Rousey.

Controversy or not, a win is a win and Rousey can now look forward to bigger fights later this year.In the meantime, Rousey heads off to Hollywood to film “Entourage”, a movie based on the HBO series which is slated for release in March. In MMA, she’ll either go up against Cat Zingano next or Alexis Davis, depending on the timing of her next match.

But the fight people are really clamouring for is the one against Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the monster of a female fighter who is currently the Invicta FC Women’s Featherweight champion. “Cyborg” has recently expressed her willingness to drop down to 135 lbs. and challenge Rousey in the Octagon. If the fight does indeed push through, it could be the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view event this year. – Rappler.com