Monday 19 March 2012

Sheila Gaff Knocks Out Jennifer Maia - Controversial?

On Saturday night, Sheila "The German Tank" Gaff ran over Jennifer Maia at Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 in Dubai in just ten seconds.  With the win, she advances  to the final of a four woman 125lb tournament and faces the winner of Aisling Daly and Rosi Sexton later this year.

For Gaff, that was her sixth knockout and tenth career finish out of ten career wins.  The knock out has been surrounded by controversy though as people worry that she took advantage of Maia's lowered guard, when she was looking to touch gloves and knocked her out with a sucker punch.


Women's Bantamweight (135lb) Division - Who's Who?

I am going to sort you all out with a veritable who's who of women's MMA.  I will take Fightmatrix's rankings and give you a run down of who these women are.  This will lead up to a piece about the depth, potential and future of women's MMA.

1 - Ronda Rousey (5-0)


Even if  you are not a fan of women's MMA, you should probably have heard of Ronda Rousey by now.  She is an elite judo player, having won a bronze Olympic medal and has used that base to run through her first five professional opponents, winning every fight by armbar in the first round.  Coming into her most recent fight against Miesha Tate, there was some discussion about whether she could win as easily as she had previously against a much lower level of opposition.  In the end she dispatched Tate towardsn the end of the first round.

Although Rousey dealt with some striking aggression from Tate in that fight, she has yet to face an opponent who attacks from the outside, refusing to clinch.  With only one and a half years as an MMA fighter, it remains to be seen where Ronda's stand up game is as yet.  That being said, she has not needed it so far.  Rousey's next test comes against Sarah Kaufman (#2), although no date has been set for that bout yet.


Sunday 18 March 2012

Tear Up 8 - In photos

On Saturday 18th March, Tear Up 8 went down at the City Academy in Bristol.  In a massive hall, a 24ft caged platform was erected, surrounded by 50 VIP tables and hundreds of standard seats.  The roominess of the venue, with waited tables, martial arts demonstrations, food and bar lent the event a special air of comfort rarely seen at an MMA event.  Modern MMA events are certainly rarely bloody slugfests held in pub car parks, but Tear Up 8 was a perfect example of how the production of a live show can highlight all the best things about MMA and its community.

I reviewed the event over at MMAplus, but here are some of the photos that my friend Philip Aldridge shot throughout the evening.  I'd be grateful if anyone can put names to some of these faces, then I can caption a few more of the photos, just hit the comment section.

Wes "The Immortal" Murch Celebrates Submission Victory



Wednesday 7 March 2012

Bellator is Back!

Bellator is back with season 6, including tournaments in five weight classes.  Most MMA promotions, big and small, are lovable for their own reasons.  I love the UFC because it has most of the best fighters and I love the over top American-ness of it.  I love to watch any event that HDnet covers so I can hear some Schiavello commentary and local promotions all have charms of their own.  Bellator sets itself aside though because its tournament format works for so many reasons.  I have previewed Bellator 60 over at MMAplus,  but below are some of the reasons this promotion is great.

via mmavalor

Sunday 4 March 2012

What's Next for Ronda Rousey?

Ronda Rousey is the new Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion, having broken Miesha Tate's arm in the fifth minute of the first round of their title fight.  Having won her first four professional bouts by armbar within the first minute, there was some debate over whether Rousey would be able to do the same to the accomplished and experienced Tate.

I was very surprised that Ronda Rousey was able to do to Miesha Tate what she was able to do all her other opponents so far.  The only sign that Miesha Tate was the highest caliber opponent she had faced so far was that it took four and a half minutes rather than one and two attempts to lock in a devestating armbar.  Strikeforce now have a star for their 135lb champion and the opportunity to really drive forward the division.


Friday 2 March 2012

Kaufman vs Davis Preview

As Ronda Rousey finds herself fighting for a title in a weight class she has never fought in, the number two fighter in the division finds herself buried on the preliminary card.  This might well be the fight that determines who challenger for the title next and exposure on the main card would certainly have helped build the next title fight in the division.

Kaufman must put her disappointment to one side though as she faces an opponent in Alexis Davis, who is well capable of upsetting the apple cart.

via womentalksports

Rousey vs Tate Preview


Since Zuffa, the UFC's parent company, bought Strikforce last year, there has been a lot of speculation over what will happen to the female divisions. In the past, UFC President Dana White has been adamant that women will never fight in the UFC. White has been known to change his mind and this Saturday Tate and Rousey have the chance to give him food for thought in one of the most high profile and eagerly awaited female fights for years.  I broke down the card over at MMAplus, but here is the slightly more opinionated jiMMA version.


I may not have enjoyed the manner of the fights promotion, but there is no doubt that this fight has garnered more interest than any female MMA bout in a long time.  On Saturday night, women's mixed martial arts may well take a giant leap towards the spotlight.

via 5thround