UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title Fight UFC 157: February 23, 2012 Honda Center in Anaheim, California UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey (-1100) Profile: “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (6-0) is an MMA sensation thanks to the unbeaten and thrilling start to her career in the sport. While she may lack experience after making her pro debut less than two years ago, she has quickly become one of the most dominant fighters ever. The 26-year-old from Venice was a bronze medalist in judo in the 2008 Olympic Games and made her MMA debut as an amateur on August 6, 2010. Rousey turned pro after her first three fights, each of which ended with armbar submissions within the first minute. All six of her pro bouts have also ended the same way in the first round, with five of them decided in less than a minute, including her most recent fight against Sarah Kaufman six months ago. The exception was her battle with Miesha Tate last March for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship, which ended at 4:27 of the first round and earned her the title. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Contender Liz Carmouche (+700) Profile: Liz Carmouche (8-2) will be the first of two women to walk into the Octagon in UFC history, which is a big deal in itself. But her opponent also just happens to be Rousey, adding even more pressure to her fight. “Girl-Rilla” is as game as a fighter can be, and she has been in the title picture before, coming only minutes away from taking the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title from Marloes Coenen. Carmouche has a strong overall game. The 28-year-old Louisiana native has shown solid stand-up, but as proven in her fight against Coenen, she does her best when threatening takedowns, allowing herself to catch her opponents with her heavy hands. She is solid on the ground as well, but not spectacular off her back. Carmouche does have an X-factor, as her gutsiness and perseverance against quitting has won her fights in the past. Now MMA fans will find out if that finally leads her to glory and a championship belt when she faces Rousey at UFC 157. Opening UFC 157 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made the champion Rousey a massive -1100 favorite (bet $1100 to win $100) while Carmouche opened as a +700 underdog (bet $100 to win $700) at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. Whether or not you actually believe Carmouche was the lone opponent willing to fight Rousey in this spot like UFC president Dana White said, one can certainly make a case that she is a worthy foe regardless of the odds and definitely deserves a shot at the title as much as anyone right now. That being said, this is complete mismatch on paper if based solely on past performances. Rousey has yet to be tested by anyone, and she has never seen the second round of an MMA fight. Nobody knows how she would react to seeing more than five minutes in a bout or what may happen if she could not pull off another armbar. Carmouche has been submitted once in her career, and that also came in a title fight against Coenen via triangle choke. However, that submission came in the fourth round of a fight she was winning up until that point. The fact of the matter is that Rousey is the face of women’s MMA, and a shocking loss here could be devastating for everything she has tried to accomplish for the sport and for everyone following her lead. While Carmouche is also a role model for many aspiring young female fighters, her heart and determination will need to pave the way if she is to pull off the upset.
