Cagewriter Q and A with Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey

Cagewriter spoke with two of women's MMA's biggest names: Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. Rousey will try to take the Strikeforce bantamweight belt from Tate on Mar. 3 in the main event in Columbus, Ohio. The two addressed the tension that led to their fight and women's role in MMA.

Cagewriter: There has been heat between you two, in tweets and articles. Did that make it an easy decision to take the fight?

Rousey: It was a no-brainer for me. She never wanted this fight. Originally she said she'd be down to fight me, but as soon as I called her out, she changed her tune real quick.

Tate: No. Someone asked me on Twitter, "Would you ever fight Ronda?" And I said, sure, if she ever makes the drop to 135 and works her way up, then of course.

Rousey: No, you did not say it like that. You said, "Sure! Why not?" and then you sent me a direct tweet saying, "Do you think you could make 135?" I took that as directly, "Do you want to come fight me at 135?" Not saying abstractly that at some time in the future that you might want to fight me under certain circumstances that you deem reasonable.

Tate: That's how I remember saying it. Basically, yeah. If she makes 135 then I'm not afraid to fight anyone. At that time, you were in my division and I was in mine. Like, if anyone asks if I'm going to fight Cyborg, if she makes 135. If you're in my division, then yes. I'll fight you. I'm not going to go to 145, but if you come down to 135, and the opportunity presents itself, then yeah. I'll fight you.

Rousey: I presented with my own opportunity to fight you. Sorry it wasn't on your time.

Tate: That's fine. I don't have any problems with that, and I don't have any problems fighting you.

Rousey: Really? Because I see a lot of articles that say the contrary.

Tate: Let me finish. Do I feel you're the No. 1 contender in our division? No. I feel that Sarah Kaufman had the rug pulled right out from under her feet. Not necessarily your fault, but she was promised the spot that you have right now. It was on national television, I had beat Marloes and they brought her in and said, "Hey you're the No. 1 contender. You're coming off two solid wins." And then you come in, 4-0 and never having fought in our division, and you run your mouth, you say, "I'm marketable," and this fight makes sense because I'm marketable, and you get it. That's fine. I'm going to fight you because that's my job. If they tell me to fight you, I'm going to shut up and do that. I don't care who I fight. But morally? Who do I think deserved it? Sarah Kaufman. We're going to fight.

Cagewriter: Women don't often headline cards. What does being the main event mean to you?

Miesha Tate: It's a huge opportunity. I think we're going to draw a lot of attention from people who haven't been paying attention to women's MMA, or MMA period. I think it's going to broaden our fanbase, and I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm glad that Strikeforce is confident enough to give us the main event.

Ronda Rousey: She said it pretty well. We're being given a good opportunity to be able to prove that women can draw a lot of eyes to the sport. The last time women headlined a show, it was Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg, and I think it was the second-most drawing show for Strikeforce. Being given another chance to show what the women can do and how they can appeal to the audience, it's a huge opportunity. Of course, we're going to put on the best show possible so that we can get these chances a little more often than every two years.

Cagewriter: Can women sell tickets the way men can?

Rousey: Of course they can. It's 2012, for crying out loud. To say that women shouldn't be able to go to war and be honored for serving in the military, or somehow say that it's inappropriate for them to fight, or people don't want to watch them fight, it's totally wrong. It's unfair, and it's sexist. I'm glad that Strikeforce is one of those organizations that takes a stand on this, and puts themselves behind women. We get equal rights.

Cagewriter: How do you respond to people who don't think women should fight?

Tate: I tell them not to be so sensitive! I think that it's silly. There are so many people that do support women's fighting that if someone is adamantly against it, I don't want to waste my time on that person. I'd rather spend my energy giving back to the people who support us than wasting my time arguing with someone on why we should get to do exactly what the men do. I mean, we have two arms, two legs, and we're capable. It's silly to say, with any sport, that a woman shouldn't be able to do it. MMA is no different than soccer or softball or volleyball. If the men can do it, the women sure as hell can do it, too.

We'll be able to sell tickets and draw people because women bring something different to the fights in that, we have that wow factor. People stereotype what we should do. A lot of people are shocked that we can get dressed up and wear make-up and high heels, and then get in the cage and mix it up. When it comes to entertainment, women always deliver.

Cagewriter: Is that a responsibility for female fighters? Do they need to be entertaining, no matter what?

Rousey: It's kind of unfair to the women. If someone's watching a women's fight, and it's a boring fight, then it's common for them to say, "Women's fights are boring." But, if I was watching a UFC fight and it was boring it, would be, "These two individuals are boring." People have a tendency to categorize women, so there is an added pressure to perform.

Tate: We get judged a lot more because we only get one shot on the card. If you notice with the men's fights, there are exciting fights and there are boring fights on every card. Usually, there are some that are exciting and end in a knockout, and others that get grinded out to a decision. For women, when we get our opportunity to showcase on television, it's usually just one fight. That's a lot of pressure on those individuals to represent the entire women's division. People will judge it based on one fight. That's a little bit harder, too, because we don't get the opportunities for mass exposure.

Cagewriter: Ronda, you had strong words for Cris Cyborg after she criticized Gina Carano. What prompted you to say that?

Rousey: If she had just said, "My next victim is Ronda, and that's it," I probably would have ignored it entirely. It was the fact that she really had disrespected Gina by taking a picture, after Cyborg had beaten her, and photoshopped it to make it look like she had beat her up more than she had, and then referred to Gina as her victim. I thought that was entirely insulting, and Cris Cyborg owes her entire career to Gina. No one would know who she was if it wasn't for her. That's what pissed me off the most. I thought, if you're going to stoop that low, then I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine. I did not expect it to be favorited and retweeted hundreds of times, but it was one of my good ones!

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/cagewriter-q-miesha-tate-ronda-rousey-192050774.html

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Alcantara, Pyle and Arantes early winners at UFC 142

The UFC returned to Brazil on Saturday night for UFC 142. Two decisions and a quick knockout started off the card in Rio de Janeiro.

Pyle's quick win

Mike Pyle made quick work of Ricardo Funch with a right hand, a nasty knee and ground and pound to end their bout at 1:22 in the first round.

After the bouts, Pyle put out a warning to other welterweights.

"That's how I'm going to look every single time I step in the Octagon!"

Yuri Alcantara made the hometown crowd happy with a 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 decision over Michihiro Omigawa.

Alcantara started with a knee from the bell, and stung Omigawa with several strikes after. Late in the first, Alcantara swarmed with big strikes, including a spinning back elbow that knocked Omigawa to his knees. Omigawa remained calm and used his judo skills to reverse position and end up on top. Alcantara turned stretched out Omigawa in an armbar, but Omigawa was saved by the bell. A bit of controversy ensued as there was a question on if Omigawa tapped, but he didn't and the bout continued.

In the second round, Alcantara started with great striking and then got full mount. He took Omigawa's back, but wasn't able sink in a choke. Alcantara had the edge in the second round, but Omigawa came back looking fresh in the third round.

Though Omigawa still had movement, he ate a ton of punches in the third round. With 1:45 left in the fight, Omigawa easily got a takedown and was able to land punches from the guard. They were stood up with 15 seconds left in the bout, and Alcantara managed a takedown in the final seconds.

Arantes starts card off with a win

Felipe Arantes earned his first UFC victory with a decision over Antonio Carvalho. It was a close match until Arantes took Carvalho down late in the third and used elbows to beat up Carvalho and seal the fight in his favor. The judges saw it 29-28 on all three cards for Arantes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/alcantara-pyle-arantes-early-winners-ufc-142-015312053.html

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida 

Alcantara, Pyle and Arantes early winners at UFC 142

The UFC returned to Brazil on Saturday night for UFC 142. Two decisions and a quick knockout started off the card in Rio de Janeiro.

Pyle's quick win

Mike Pyle made quick work of Ricardo Funch with a right hand, a nasty knee and ground and pound to end their bout at 1:22 in the first round.

After the bouts, Pyle put out a warning to other welterweights.

"That's how I'm going to look every single time I step in the Octagon!"

Yuri Alcantara made the hometown crowd happy with a 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 decision over Michihiro Omigawa.

Alcantara started with a knee from the bell, and stung Omigawa with several strikes after. Late in the first, Alcantara swarmed with big strikes, including a spinning back elbow that knocked Omigawa to his knees. Omigawa remained calm and used his judo skills to reverse position and end up on top. Alcantara turned stretched out Omigawa in an armbar, but Omigawa was saved by the bell. A bit of controversy ensued as there was a question on if Omigawa tapped, but he didn't and the bout continued.

In the second round, Alcantara started with great striking and then got full mount. He took Omigawa's back, but wasn't able sink in a choke. Alcantara had the edge in the second round, but Omigawa came back looking fresh in the third round.

Though Omigawa still had movement, he ate a ton of punches in the third round. With 1:45 left in the fight, Omigawa easily got a takedown and was able to land punches from the guard. They were stood up with 15 seconds left in the bout, and Alcantara managed a takedown in the final seconds.

Arantes starts card off with a win

Felipe Arantes earned his first UFC victory with a decision over Antonio Carvalho. It was a close match until Arantes took Carvalho down late in the third and used elbows to beat up Carvalho and seal the fight in his favor. The judges saw it 29-28 on all three cards for Arantes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/alcantara-pyle-arantes-early-winners-ufc-142-015312053.html

Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague

Guillard knows he can?t slip again tomorrow night on FX

Melvin Guillard doesn't want to go the way of George Sotiropoulos, Anthony Pettis and Evan Dunham.

Last year was a horror show for those guys. On the verge of getting a title shot, all three suffered a loss or two that sent that sent them tumbling down the lightweight ladder.

Guillard faces Jim Miller tomorrow night on FX (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), with both fighters facing the same fate if they lose - at least another year before they sniff a title shot.

Guillard (29-9-2, 10-5 UFC) was hot as a pistol before UFC 136 in October, but lost his shot at Frank Edgar with a 47 second submission loss at the hands of Joe Lauzon. He knows this Miller fight is make or break time.

"It was kinda dumb, but I am young enough to learn as long as realize the mistake. I made the mistake, it didn't just happen," Guilard said referencing the loss to Lauzon. "I know that but I also know I'm still one of the best fighters in the division. But I am ready for this fight with Miller. He's a top guy, maybe the No. 3 or No. 4 in the division, and if I perform like I can do, I think it will be hard for people to say that I didn't deserve a UFC title shot."

Guillard is managing the delicate balance between fighter under control, but not losing his explosiveness

"It's not going to affect my style of fight, just so you guys know. I'm still going to go in and be the fast, explosive kid that I am. But right now, I just want to stay focused and grounded," said Guillard.

Miller is no easy prey and he enters the fight with the same motivation. He's coming off a rough loss to Ben Henderson. Miller (20-3, 9-2 UFC) fought with a flawed strategy and got lit up by Henderson, who locked up a title shot with the victory.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/guillard-knows-t-slip-again-tomorrow-night-fx-183311796.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

UFC 142: Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present Fight Day live

UFC 142 pre-show Fight Day Live is back on Saturday, January 14, at 6pm ET/ 3pm PT. Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will guide you through the full fight card and all of the biggest news in the UFC.

HeavyMMA Editor Matt Brown will host an expert roundtable that will analyze and break down the entire night's fighting action. UFC heavyweight Frank Mir will be live on set for a one-on-one interview as well as an inside look into Anthony Johnson's training camp.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-142-yahoo-sports-heavy-present-fight-day-035210472.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Erick Silva ?s DQ will stand, but UFC implementing replay

Remember Erick Silva's bizarre disqualification at UFC 142? The one that caused the Brazilian prospect to go from jubilant to despondent in about .15 seconds? The one that made UFC commentator Joe Rogan call out referee Mario Yamasaki's judgment while in the Octagon? The one that made us all wonder why there's no instant replay in MMA?

Yeah, that one? It won't be overturned. Since the fight was in Brazil, with no regulatory commission, the UFC served as the regulator of the fight. They announced that they have no plans to change the fight to a no-contest.

From Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president of government and regulatory affairs:

"Based on the referee's verbal warnings and his determination that the blows were intentional and a disqualifying foul, this is not the type of decision that can be reviewed," Ratner stated. "Therefore, the decision stands."

However, Ratner did share some good news. The UFC will start using instant replay at their self-regulated, international events, and will encourage state commissions to come into the 90s and use replay.

While it may not be the exact outcome that MMA fans -- or Erick Silva -- wants, it's still a good sign that the UFC is willing to make a change to improve the sport overall.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/erick-silva-dq-stand-ufc-implementing-replay-154335851.html

Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio 

Poler Napsack Contest: What's In The Bag, Dad?

Our good friends at Poler came to us with a simple idea ? let?s give some stuff away.

We were like, ?Hell yeah, good friends at Poler. Let?s!?

So, once a week for a month, we?re going to give you a chance to win one of Poler?s hooded Napsacks, perfect for sleeping wherever you might find yourself sleeping ? a friend?s couch, the back of a pickup, side of the road, or inside a tent.

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/kevin-wilkins/2011/12/16/poler-napsack-contest-whats-in-the-bag-dad/

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida