Just as it was in the week leading up Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman” event, Strikforce female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is at the center of all discussion on Sunday morning.
The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com’s weekly reader-feedback feature, was overwhelmed with entries exploring all things Rousey, from her apparent greatness to why she may be a bad thing for MMA.
But this week’s winner, California’s “Slampage,” believes Rousey is the real deal and a fight with Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos needs to happen – and it needs to headline a UFC event.
For his winning entry, “Slampage” wins a free one-year subscription to “Fighters Only” magazine, the world’s leading MMA and lifestyle magazine.
Want to submit to next week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie? Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions.
Also, as a reminder, please be sure to include your hometown and stick within the 150-word limit (and include your submission in the body of an email, not in an attachment). Many quality submissions this week didn’t meet those minimum guidelines and couldn’t be considered for publication.
(Pictured: Ronda Rousey)
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RONDA ROUSEY VS. CRIS “CYBORG” SUPERFIGHT DESERVES UFC TREATMENT
After yet another stunning first-round victory via armbar submission, Strikeforce champ Ronda Rousey issued an epic call-out to former champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos that made my eyes tear with excitement. Shouting that it would be “the first fair fight” of Santos’ life, Rousey even offered to throw down in the parking lot. A fight with this much hype between arguably the two best women fighters in the world deserves to make history by being the first UFC pay-per-view headliner to feature women. UFC President Dana White has stated that if he could envision one woman in the UFC within the next 10 years, it would be budding superstar Rousey. Hopefully his stance against women in the octagon softens further by the time “Cyborg’s” suspension is up in December.
“Slampage”
Long Beach, Calif.
RONDA ROUSEY: PROVING THAT “ONE-TRICK PONIES” CAN STILL HANG
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey did it again. Now 6-0 professionally, all of her wins have come by first-round armbar, and she successfully defended her Strikeforce title for the first time. In the ever-evolving sport of MMA, so much stress has been placed lately on fighters becoming complete, well-rounded individuals who mix a variety of techniques including tae kwon do, jiu-jitsu and capoeira, to name a few. Rousey defies all logic and dares her opponents to train against one style and one submission. And beyond rational thought, she manages to overcome every time and prove that if you’re the best at one facet of martial arts, you don’t need to “mix” it.
Bill Meggison
Oswego, N.Y.
ROUSEY’S DOMINANCE BUYING HER TIME TO EVOLVE
Ronda Rousey’s armbars have made her unbeatable. She has six pro fights, and she’s won all of them by armbar. It has made her a star, but eventually someone will find a way to defend against it. What the wins by armbar are doing is buying her time – time to become a well-rounded fighter. The race is on to figure a way to counter Rousey’s armbar, but by the time they do, it might be too late. Rousey might just be too good in all aspects of MMA. She reminds me of Jon Jones in their fast rise and huge potential. I hope she doesn’t become distracted like Jones became earlier this year. That is the only thing that can derail Rousey in the foreseeable future. Time and skill are on her side.
“JR”
San Diego, Calif.
ROUSEY’S GENDER PREVENTING PROPER RECOGNITION OF HER TRUE TALENT LEVEL
A fighter who is an amazing judo practitioner combined with amazing jiu-jitsu skill makes a lethal force. Add into that a fighter who brings the fight to their opponent and is athletically gifted, and you have Ronda Rousey. She is an amazingly gifted fighter who is not only a world champion in the ring but on the mic. So what is holding her back? Her gender. If she was a male fighter, she would be a main attraction with the finishing power to warrant constant “Submission of the Night” honors. The UFC could build fight cards on a fighter like this. But in a world of female jobbers, Rousey will end up being a fighter who never garnished the praise she truly deserved and will never truly be tested in the cage.
Joe Sep
Houston, Texas
RONDA ROUSEY RISKS CAUSING MORE HARM THAN GOOD
Ronda Rousey’s arrogance, unsportsmanlike attitude, and disgusting comments could, in the long run, do more harm for women’s MMA than good. After a recent death in MMA, she states she will break her opponent’s arm off or choke her until she is dead. Wow! What poor timing. Rousey is conducting herself like a prepubescent undisciplined child when she speaks with such gutter-trash mentalities. She is no Gina Carano. Learn how to promote yourself properly. Rousey is not the face of women’s MMA. She is the over-promoted, over-hyped, soon-to-be embarrassment of it.
Johnathan “Vader” Williams
Modesto, Calif.
RONDA ROUSEY BIGGER THAN JON JONES
Ronda Rousey has gone from zero MMA experience to the apex of her sport in just a few short years. Between her amateur and pro fights, She has nine first-round stoppages, and opponents who know what is coming still have no answer for it. She has single-handedly sparked interest in women’s MMA for many people who would otherwise write it off. In my opinion, she is bigger than any other MMA figure. She went from no experience to champion to the “face of women’s MMA” in the blink of an eye. She is an amazing fighter but an even better role model. She has one more fan.
“Bobby L.”
Valdosta, Ga.
FOR JON JONES, THE ONLY SOLUTION IS A MOVE TO HEAVYWEIGHT
When Jon Jones recently said he did not want to fight Lyoto Machida a second time, he listed among his reasons for not being interested in the fight that it was his lowest pay-per-view drawing fight of this past year. High-risk, low-reward fight, he also stated. That second point is definitely tough to argue. However, if one is going to state low pay-per-view numbers as a reason to not be interested in a fight, then an obvious solution is right in front of him if he manages to get past Dan Henderson on Sept. 1: move up a weight class to heavyweight. A fresh set of possible matchups with fighters like Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier, champion Junior Dos Santos and others should provide more money for Jones in the form of the aforementioned PPV buys, and, very importantly, keep Jones interested in fighting going forward.
Ryan Woolley
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
WHAT DEFINES AN ILLEGAL TECHNIQUE?
In Saturday night’s Adlan Amagov vs. Keith Berry fight, we saw a dubious finish and heard the conjecture of two commentators (and accomplished ex-fighters) pertaining to the legality of a kick to the knee. I find myself wondering what distinguishes legal and illegal techniques? A knee to the head of an opponent whose single hand desperately grazes the mat is illegal, yet a kick designed to hyper-extend one’s knee is fair game? A slam with a forearm planted precariously under the recipient’s chin is fine, but damned be the fighter that throws a 12-to-6 elbow? Fighter safety is the stated primary factor for what is deemed legal, but currently the distinction between fair and otherwise seems arbitrary at best. Perhaps as the sport evolves, new consideration could be given to what criteria really defines a technique as illegal, and maybe we can put to rest the rampant head-scratching and pseudo-science. Maybe.
Joseph Burrell
Louisville, Ky.
STRIKEFORCE FIGHTERS’ KILLER INSTINCT PAYING DIVIDENDS
After Saturday’s Strikeforce event, one thing is becoming more and more clear: Strikeforce is a viable promotion. After the Zuffa takeover, many MMA fans and analysts condemned Strikeforce to failure and irrelevancy. Meanwhile, we have seen fights such as Miesha Tate vs. Julie Kedzie, Ovince St. Preux vs. T.J. Cook, and Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson III. These fights have rivaled some of the UFC’s best during 2012 because many Strikeforce fighters are fighting like their lives depend on it and not fighting like they’ve already made it to the big time or are just waiting in line for a title shot. Despite the critics, Strikeforce has been nearly as entertaining as the UFC so far this year, and the crossover of Frank Mir will only help it improve.
Dan Bolarinho
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
UFC FINALLY USING FOX CARDS IN THE PROPER MANNER
I’m very happy to see the UFC using FOX for the promotion of lesser weight classes and future contenders. Benson Henderson could be champion for a long time as he is tough to finish and a very smart fighter. Nate Diaz in a title fight guarantees excitement, and his presence could make this a “Fight of the Year” candidate. Rory MacDonald seems like he is being groomed as a future welterweight title contender and putting him in against a game, fired-up and – more importantly – well-known B.J. Penn will only see his star rise further. All this card needs now is the No. 1 contender fight between Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis and casual fans will gain some continuity on the lightweight title picture and likely follow whether the next fight is on FX, FUEL TV, FOX or pay-per-view.
Stephen Manuel
Hoylake, Wirral, England
OLYMPICS PROVIDE POTENTIAL ANSWERS TO MMA’S SCORING ISSUES
Watching the variety of combat sports that are incorporated in MMA from this year’s Olympics was a great experience. As someone who knows a lot about scoring in MMA, I know nothing about the scoring in karate, judo, etc. However, I was completely tuned into these sports during the Olympics. Why? Because scoring was quantified and transparent. MMA, take note. Certain actions deserve quantifiable points to minimize, or potentially eliminate, the bias that comes from judge to judge. The rules need to quantify how important a takedown is versus a significant strike or a jab versus a leg kick. Also, tell fighters, and subsequently fans, how many points they are down after each round. As sports grow, so do their rules – see NBA adding 3-point shots in 1979. Even boxing rules are trying to switch to a computer based scoring system.
Jon “The Answer” Crawford
Lake Zurich, Ill.
JAKE SHIELDS VS. YUSHIN OKAMI MUST BE BOOKED NOW
Before you laugh and quit reading, hear me out. This fight makes all the sense in the world. Jake Shields is coming off a very lackluster win, and Yushin Okami didn’t gain much from his recent win over Buddy Roberts, either. Both of these men are talented enough to be top contenders again, but one of them must have an impressive win soon. Okami is a judo black belt, and Shields is one of the best grapplers in the UFC. I’m not saying to put this as a main event or anything. But possibly as a co-main event on FOX or somewhere on the main card in a pay-per-view event. Their names alone will draw some attention of fight fans. If the UFC markets it right, then this fight makes all the sense in the world to me.
Cameron Lintz
Flushing, Mich.
TAREC SAFFIEDINE DEMONSTRATES THE VIRTUE OF TAKEDOWN DEFENSE
For years both fighters and fans alike have bemoaned cases of competitors using wrestling to bring a fight to a near halt or to eke out the advantage at the end of a round. The inclination is to blame the “lay-and-prayer,” but the same can be levied against the fighter who allows himself to fall prey to these tactics due to lack of takedown defense. This Saturday during Strikeforce, Tarec Saffiedine displayed just how much of a boon counter-wrestling can be. In his fight with Roger Bowling, he was able to fight his way to reverses and escapes from clinches and kept the fight in his favored realm of striking. In the third, Saffiedine even managed to evade a late shot and achieve back mount. Perhaps this a sign that fighters are taking heed of the “Askren epidemic” and are finally going to make grapplers work for their wins – no offense, Ben.
Joseph Burrell
Louisville, Ky.
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