Move over fellas, because the already scorching waters of the Women’s Bantamweight division have reached a rapid boil.
By now I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumor that ESPY winning, Best Female Athlete Ronda Rousey has a date for UFC 181 on December 6th, 2014 and her name is Gina “Conviction” Carano.
Known to many as the original face of women’s MMA, Gina burst onto the scene in 2007 with a unanimous decision win in a thrilling bout against another WMMA pioneer, Julie Kedzie. The bout, which took place in the now defunct Elite XC promotion, was the first televised bout in WMMA history. By all accounts, on a show appropriately titled Destiny, Carano vs Kedzie stole the show.
Now, though, the tide has shifted. A merciless new matriarch proudly holds the title of The Face of Women’s MMA, and the belt to back it up. Gina Carano hasn’t competed since 2009, when she was battered for full five minutes by Chris Cyborg Santos (now Justino), before succumbing to a TKO with only a second left in the first round. It should also be pointed out that save for her professional debut, Carano spent the majority of her career at 145lbs. However, Carano, much like Ronda Rousey, is, and always has been, a fighter. Never one to back down from a fight, the allure of becoming the first woman to stop Rousey may be just too powerful for Carano to resist. Can you blame her? While it may not seem likely to anyone who saw Ronda’s 16 second destruction of Alexis Davis, this fight does, in fact, have the makings to become the sport’s ultimate comeback story.
Some might say that Carano’s prior contributions to WMMA alone make her worthy of a title shot. Others suggest that there are women in the division who are more deserving of a title shot.
Even before the UFC signed boxing powerhouse Holly Holm on July 10th, Rousey has stated on several occasions that she would like to fight Holm. 33-2-3 as a professional boxer and 7-0 as a mixed martial artist, Holly’s striking prowess could easily be compared with that of Ronda’s grappling ability. Earlier this week Holm, still nursing a broken arm, did say she would rather take a fight or two before throwing down with the champ. However, she’s not opposed to stepping up and taking on Rousey whenever the UFC feels it’s necessary. Being as she is currently the only suitable challenger without a scheduled opponent, and if things happen to fall apart with Carano, Holm may indeed need to step up sooner than expected.
Let us not forget #1 ranked Cat Zingano, the only woman in the top 5 who hasn’t already fought, and lost to Rousey. Zingano, earned herself a shot at Ronda after stopping Miesha Tate in April of last year, but was forced to give up her spot coaching opposite Rousey on TUF 18 after suffering a knee injury that required surgery to repair, followed by the tragic death of her husband in January. It has been a hard road for Zingano as of late, yet she continues to battle back. Currently “Alpha” is set to collide with hard-hitting Brazilian Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 in September, looking to cement her spot at the top of the contenders list.
One young lady I personally believe may turn out to be the dark horse of the division is the newly acquired Queen of Pancrase, Rin Nakai. Relatively unknown to most American fight fans, the 16-0-1 Nakai defeated tenacious veterans Sarah D’Alelio, and Tera LaRosa in her last two bouts. Nakai favors a wrestling heavy attack, mixing solid striking with powerful submissions. Once Nakai finishes dragging her opponents to the mat, they seem to have a terrible time shaking her off. Did I mention that this female 135er has thighs that rival the size of Benson Henderson’s? If Nakai is able to defeat #2 ranked Miesha Tate at UFC Fight Night in September, then she too could quickly become part of the title conversation.
Also of note, is the recent news of Cristiane Justino, better know to the world as Cyborg, dropping to 135lbs for her bout at Invicta FC 10 in December. Long has the debate raged over the thought of Cyborg hitting the bantamweight mark and being granted a fight against Rousey. In the past lingering steroid allegations and health issues related to weight cutting were the most significant obstructions on the road to a fight against Rousey. With the weight seemly no longer an issue, the only thing left seems to be a matter of integrity. Though most fight fans, myself included, have been salivating over this match up for quite some time, Dana White still isn’t convinced.
During the pre-fight scrum for UFN 46, Dana White was asked about the potential of signing Cyborg along with the influx of women being brought into the bantamweight division.
“I’m not ready for Cyborg.” stated White. “I’m not ready for the sh*t I’m going to hear from you f****n guys with Cyborg. I told you, this whole script will flip when I sign her. The day I f****n sign Cyborg, all you’re going to be talking to me about is drug testing. Drug, drug, drugs, drugs, drugs, it’s a funny game you guys [media] play with me.”
It’s extremely satisfying to see a once shallow division, becoming deeper and deeper with each passing month. The possibilities for combinations of different matchups between the aforementioned names is nearly limitless. Not to mention the potential for the UFC to pull in more PPV buys, as well as placing butts in the seats, all while expanding their viewership.
Oh, and did anyone else notice Dana White say “when” I sign Cyborg, not “if”?
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @DBlacker217. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For more great MMA interviews with the biggest fight stars on the planet, remember to check out Hammer MMA Radio on 93.3 CFMU or find their latest episodes on our main page’s sidebar. Hammer Radio features interviews from some of the industry’s biggest stars. You can find the latest on the Hammer @SteveJeffery.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Main Photo:
