UFC 168 will be the final stamp on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s aggressive year in 2013, but it could also mark the end of two important pieces of mixed martial arts history.
The evening’s main event will feature Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman, in his first title defence, as he takes on challenger, Anderson Silva, the man Weidman knocked out in July to earn the title, and the fighter who is still regarded as the greatest of all time.
I was lucky enough to be there on that memorable evening and vividly recall the whirlwind of emotions when Weidman finished “The Spider.” The shock on people’s faces will forever be etched in my mind. The blank stares followed by the conspiracy theories fueled weeks, and now months of unanswered questions that will finally be answered on Saturday night.
PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the UFC 168 preliminary card Saturday on Sportsnet 360 starting at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST and catch two bonus prelims on sportsnet.ca at 7 p.m. EST / 4 p.m. PST
For many, it was as if they were forced into MMA’s version of “The Twilight Zone.” Anderson Silva losing? Someone else tagged as UFC middleweight champion? The denial is still strong to this very day.
Heading into this rematch, many questions will finally be answered.
Will Silva regain the throne as the king of not just the 185-pound division, but of all MMA? Will Weidman officially retire “The Spider” and set forth on a journey that could see him as not just a dominant champion, but the UFC’s next big pay per view star?
Stylistically speaking, will Silva dare to play with his hands low, chin up with Weidman again? Will he have the courage (or some say stupidity) to use that fluid, baiting style again against the only man to make him pay for doing so? Will order be restored in MMA or will chaos ensue yet again?
Then there’s the two women who will share the co-main event at UFC 168, bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and arch nemesis, Miesha Tate.
I’ve been lucky enough to witness, in person, the evolution of this intense rivalry. I harken back to the time the two were made available to the media, in the bowels of the MGM, weeks before their epic Strikeforce encounter.
Rousey was candid, as was Tate, and if you’ve ever seen both interviews, you will recall Tate looking to her right, and Rousey to her left. There was approximately twenty feet of distance between them, but it felt as if they wanted to get a little closer, just to hear what the other one was saying.
Throughout my questioning of both ladies, their focus was split in two ways. The first, to address my concerns, while the second, was to stare one another down. While it never seemed awkward, I was lucky enough to get an initial sense of the disdain they had for one another.
Rousey went on to defeat Tate and has become the face of women’s MMA. She is a polarizing figure, whose personality was on full display during the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter. It matters not what you think of her, or of Tate, this is who they are, and based on the pulse heading into their bout, a line has been drawn in the sand — a separation not just by the two athletes, but by the mixed martial arts fan base. From what I gather, and by eliminating the small amount of fence sitters, this is as black and white as it gets, folks are either Team Rousey or Team Tate…and it’s on!
Will Rousey prove yet again that as a former Olympic athlete Tate is simply no match with her high school credentials? Or will Tate do what so many others have done in the past and prove that MMA is the equalizer that shreds the theory that greatness outside of it, doesn’t mean greatness inside of it? The VHS Tape guy in me will always think back to Frank Shamrock defeating Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling Kevin Jackson in sixteen seconds, strangley enough, via arm bar, at Ultimate Japan (UFC 15.5).
We all know the stats – Rousey is 7-0, with all victories coming by way of first round arm bar. On the surface, it seems painfully obvious. For Tate to emerge victorious, she must check her ego at the cage door and take Rousey to places where she has never been before. For starters, the second round. Perhaps the third as well. Heck, it’s a championship fight, so there is no rush. There are five rounds available to her disposal.
What is Rousey’s chin made of? Her team knows it’s damn good. What are her striking skills truly like? To these eyes, they look to be technically sound, fast, crisp, fluid with great extension on her punches, with elbows tight and chin protected but I was taught a long time ago that technique is irrelevant without timing and distance. That can only come in sparring and in a prize fight. According to her team, Rousey’s sparring is fantastic, but we have yet to see it in a sanctioned bout. This is where Tate should focus on.
Footwork ahead of the panic button – and that panic button should be pressed all night the moment Rousey gets too close. If she angles in to clinch, or methodically maneuvers Tate close to the cage, in hopes to close the distance, Tate needs to get out of dodge. This is MMA, and it doesn’t mean she has to accept all things MMA. She should make this a bout predominately about boxing and muay thai. Now, if Rousey beats her in the stand up as well, kudos to the world champ (and we’ll be hearing from Cyborg Santos on Sunday).
Rousey flourishes on emotions and is a master of channeling that inner energy (be it positive and negative) into a killing machine. It’s magical to see her unleash that well-oiled machine into dominance over a fellow skilled opponent. It amazes me to see how she does what she wants, gets what she wants and attacks with such ferocity. It’s mesmerizing.
If she gets her way, along with Chris Weidman, 2013 will come to an end, putting a final statement on two of the greatest stories in MMA’s history. The end of the rivalry that is Rousey and Tate, and perhaps the curtain call for the sport’s greatest of all time.