Rousey crowned as queen of UFC
ANAHEIM, Calif. — It took longer than usual and there were a few anxious moments, but Ronda Rousey’s historic moment in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ended the same way as all of her previous bouts.
Rousey won the UFC women’s belt that already had been bestowed upon her, submitting Liz Carmouche with an armbar at 4:49 of the first round in the first women’s fight in the organization’s history in the UFC 157 main event at Honda Center on Saturday night.
“I thought it was a great fight, and I feel it really did live up to all the hype of the last few months,” Rousey said. “It was an honor to be a part of something so special, but it might be a little while before it really sinks in.”
Rousey had won all six of her previous pro fights — and all three amateur matches — by armbar in the first round. Saturday’s win marked the longest any of her fights had lasted. It also marked the first time she appeared to be in any trouble.
Carmouche climbed on Rousey’s back and was close to locking in a choke and putting an abrupt stop to one of the most-hyped debuts in mixed martial arts history.
“I thought I had her for a minute there, but she’s the champion for a reason,” Carmouche said. “I had that neck crank very tight, but I had the choke across her mouth and couldn’t get it to her neck. I actually have her teeth marks all over my arm. Sorry, Ronda, I didn’t mean to do that.”
Rousey survived and took control after shrugging Carmouche off her back.
“That was the most vulnerable a position I’ve been in so far in my career,” Rousey said. “That was pretty tight, that neck crank, and I was very happy to get out of it. She had the choke across my mouth, and the angle pushed my mouth-guard out of my mouth.”
In a brief reminder that it was the first women’s fight in the UFC, Rousey took a moment to adjust her top before regaining her composure and quickly taking side control.
“I was trying to worry about her on my back and my bra falling down at the same time,” Rousey said with a laugh.
Rousey landed several punches as she held Carmouche’s head in place. Once she transitioned to the mount, it was only a matter of time until she locked in her preferred submission.
Carmouche gamely fought it off for a while, but once Rousey fully extended the challenger’s arm, it was all over.
The victory validated Rousey’s status as one of the UFC’s leading attractions.
“I don’t know how many adjectives I have. It’s kinda odd. I’m very happy, but it’s all starting to feel normal sitting up here and doing all these things,” she said.
Also on the card, Lyoto Machida won a tight split decision over Dan Henderson in a battle of top light heavyweight contenders.
The judges’ scorecards, as well as the opinions of fans and social media, were all over the map. Machida won the first and third rounds on one card and the first and second on another.
Henderson won rounds one and three on the third card.
“Sorry if the fight wasn’t great for you, but thank you for coming,” Machida said to a sold-out crowd that was drowning out his interview with boos.
There was little action through two rounds, making it difficult to score and just as hard for some to watch.
Machida constantly moved out of Henderson’s range in an effort to avoid his power and takedowns. Henderson threw several haymakers from way outside that Machida dodged, often answering with a counter jab or knee to the body before jumping away.
The Review-Journal scored the bout 29-28 for Machida.
Bantamweight contender Urijah Faber scored an early submission over Ivan Menjivar. Faber jumped on Menjivar’s back and forced him to tap out after securing a standing rear-naked choke at 4:34 of the opening round.
Faber is 6-5 in his past 11 fights but 6-0 in nontitle fights.
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 winner Court McGee battered welterweight Josh Neer for three rounds on his way to a unanimous-decision victory after Robbie Lawler began the main card with a first-round knockout of veteran welterweight Josh Koscheck in his UFC return.
Brendan Schaub earned a one-sided decision over Lavar Johnson in a heavyweight fight that fell fall short of expectations atop the undercard. Johnson could not stop takedowns and repeatedly was driven to the mat by Schaub, who was content to lay on top and win on points.
Dennis Bermudez and Sam Stout won split decisions, and another former “TUF” winner, Season 15 champion Michael Chiesa, remained undefeated with a second-round submission of lightweight Anton Kuivanen.
Neil Magny and Nah-Shon Burrell won unanimous decisions in their UFC debuts on the nontelevised portion of the undercard. Kenny Robertson scored a bizarre submission over Brock Jardine in a welterweight bout when he injured Jardine’s upper leg by applying a unique leglock.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.