On Saturday February 23rd, at UFC 157 Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche will meet inside the Octagon at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The two will be the first women fighting in the UFC, and they will be battling for the women’s bantamweight title which was awarded to Rousey by default during a “UFC on Fox 5″ pre-fight press conference. Liz Carmouche (8-2, 5 KOs) has more experience in the MMA world than Rousey (6-0,). However, Rousey is recognized around the world as the face of women’s MMA, previously held by Gina Carano. With only six professional fights, and 6 first round submissions via armbar, Rousey has thrust herself into the limelight. Nonetheless, we have yet to see Rousey’s jaw get tested, can she take a punch, can she weather a storm, nobody knows because none of her fights have gotten to that point.
Also on this stacked card is Machida vs. Henderson. The winner of this could end up meeting Jon Jones if and when he defeats Chael Sonnen. I find this fight very interesting because Dan Henderson has become more one dimensional during his recent success. He loads up that right nicknamed the H-Bomb, and he lets it rip, which has proved to be pretty damn effective. His opponent Lyoto Machida just might be the most elusive fighter in UFC history. Machida is crafty, unorthodox, a great striker, and this could prove to be very challenging for Dan Henderson who has the tendency to just come straight forward with that loaded right hand. Urijah Faber finds himself in a must win situation, a loss here could really hurt his clout, and raise the question where does he go from here. He will meet Ivan Menjivar who by no means is an easy fight.
Josh Koshcheck will meet slugger Robbie Lawler who is back in the UFC after a long absence. Robbie Lawler has struggled lately in the Octagon, and its usually when he gets caught in a submission. If Koshcheck wants to win this fight, he’ll play it smart and immediately take it to the ground. If he chooses to stand and bang with Lawler, he could quickly find himself snoring. Brendan Schaub meets Lavar Johnson, expect this fight to be over in the first round with one of these guys flat on their back, no need to say more. Other exciting bouts has Court McGee vs. Josh Neer, Michael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen, and Sam Stout vs Caros Fodor.
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