On Saturday night Shayna Baszler steps into enemy territory to face 9th ranked Bantamweight Amanda Nunes. A UFC Fight Night victory in Rio de Janeiro would give Baszler the chance to mount a run at the top end of the division. Defeat, considered by most to be the much more likely outcome in Brazil, would see her 135lb relevance disappear.
Being a member of the Ronda Rousey led Four Horsewomen can’t hurt her chances of avoiding the UFC pink slip. A second UFC loss – her first coming against Bethe Correia at UFC 177 – would more likely see her spend the remainder of her career fighting prospects in Fight Pass prelims.
The Queen of Spades will surely feel she deserves better. The Maracanazinho Gymnasium on Saturday will serve as the ground for her to prove it.
When Baszler debuted in 2003 women’s MMA was an afterthought. It would be ten years before the UFC started promoting Ronda Rousey and building a women’s division to accomodate her.
Even EliteXC’s push for Gina Carano did not begin until 2007, almost four long years after Shayna Baszler made her professional debut against Tina Johnson in South Dakota’s Reality Cage Fighting.
One of the most respected fighters in women’s MMA, Baszler’s record reads like a who’s who of the sport. She has traded punches with Tara Larosa, Alexis Davis, Sarah Kaufman, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, and Sara McMann.
Baszler’s defeat to McMann in July of 2012 – a fight many believed she won – was typical of her career. The two headlined Invicta FC’s second show and provided the fans with a three round war that helped put the all female organization on the map.
McMann paid testament to Baszler’s ability in her post-fight interview.
“to be honest that was by far the toughest and most skilled fighter I’ve ever fought, and I mean truthfully when I was standing there I was like, did I do it, did I do enough to win? That is how close it was, she bought all of her game, all of her experience. She’s tough, she’s slick, she is unbelievable”
McMann was quickly picked up by Strikeforce before being put on the UFC fast track to a Bantamweight title shot against Ronda Rousey.
Despite the plaudits given by her opponent, Baszler received no such reward, remaining with Invicta before eventually using the eighteenth season of the Ultimate Fighter as her way into the organization.
Four of the last five fighters to beat Baszler have gone on to fight for titles in their respective divisions. Bethe Correia, her most recent conqueror, is expected to complete the set and be given the next shot at Ronda Rousey’s 135lb title.
That is what happens when you beat Shayna Baszler. For years she has served as the true acid test for elite fighters in women’s mixed martial arts.
Against Amanda Nunes on Saturday night in Brazil, even that position as respected gatekeeper is under threat. Nunes took little more than six minutes combined to dispatch Sheila Gaff and Germaine de Randamie in her first two UFC outings. “Lioness” then gave Cat Zingano all she could handle for the first ten minutes of their September 2014 encounter before Zingano rallied to pick up the win.
All the evidence points towards a Nunes victory in what will likely be another competitive and exciting bout to add to Baszler’s resume. The irony is that such a defeat would be in keeping with her career to date.
Should that outcome turn into reality on Saturday night, watching the UFC play out Baszler’s descent from there will make for sad viewing. The rest of her days on the UFC roster spent in the prelims testing a new generation of developing women’s mixed martial artists.
It is an outcome that Shayna Baszler will be determined to avoid, but when you look back at the 12-year career of one of female MMA’s true pioneers, there is no more fitting way for it to end.
