For the first time in her professional career, Ronda Rousey did not get a submission victory with her patented armbar. Instead, Ronda Rousey successfully defended her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title with a first round TKO of Sara McMann at UFC 170. However the stoppage was not without some controversy.
Rousey With Another Early Win At UFC 170
Rousey dropped McMann with a knee to the kidney/liver area at 1:06 of the first round Saturday night. McMann felt that referee Herb Dean called for an early stoppage, and the fans at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas showed their displeasure with boos. McMann also felt the stoppage was early.
“Looking back, it did seem kind of quick on the screen,” she said after the event. “Things are kind of slowed down in my head in the cage. I felt it connect, and my body just flew to protect itself. I heard [Dean’s] voice, and I immediately tried to get back up.
“I’m not going to blame a referee for something I feel like I should be able to control. I should get up quicker. If you want to win fights, you just have to do it, regardless of what’s going on.”
However, UFC President Dana White, who has never been shy about calling out a referee’s or judge’s decision did not think that Dean’s decision was incorrect.
“Listen, guys,” he said. “I’ve been in this business a long time. I’ve seen that happen to Oscar de la Hoya and many other great fighters. You get hit to the body like that, and regular people who have never been hit to the body have no f—ing clue what that feels like. Believe me when I tell you that.
“[McMann] went down to her knees, and she turned her head the other way. Could Herb have let her take some shots to the face? Definitely. But when the fight happened and I saw it, I said, ‘Oh man.’ And then I watched the replay. When I watched the replay, I thought it was a good stoppage.”
Rousey, who moves to 9-0, with nine stoppages (eight in the first round) in her professional career, also felt that the stoppage was warranted.
“I didn’t think it was too soon,” she said. “I’d have kept going if someone didn’t stop me. But it’s not my decision. That’s why they have a referee in there to make sure no one gets hurt more than they need to.
“I promised my coach this time that I was going to drop her with a body shot. We called it. We trained it a lot. That was a goal I had in this fight. I don’t like calling it and saying it to the media. But to my coach, I promised him I was really going to try. I’m happy I did that.”
In the co-main event Daniel Cormier won his first fight at light heavyweight to improve his record to 14-0. In the ninth stoppage of his career, he knocked out Patrick Cummins at 1:19 of the first round. Cormier hit Cummins with a right uppercut and knocked him to the mat. Cummins never recovered.
“It feels good because it was my first finish in UFC,” Cormier said. “Training camp was long and hard and I prepared for a long fight, but I have no complaints. I’ve been talking about this move (to light heavyweight) and when you do it the right way, you don’t feel any effects. At heavyweight, I could feel these guys out. I think these guys (at light heavyweight) are a little faster.”
In Welterweight action Canadian Rory MacDonald won a Unanimous Decision over Damien Maia with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. While Stephen Thompson knocked out Robert Whittaker at 3:43 of the first round of the main card’s first match.
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