So now we know that losing makes “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey cry, even if the defeat doesn’t count against her mixed martial arts record, which currently stands at 7-0 and has seen her polish off all her opponents in less than one round.
As indomitable and tough as Rousey is as a competitor, she is winless as a coach, suffering a shocking defeat with her first fighter on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. She watched helplessly as Shayna (The Queen of Spades) Baszler suffered a surprising loss to unheralded Julianna Pena in the second episode of TUF 18 Wednesday.
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Pena took almost as much pleasure in breaking Rousey’s spirit as she did submitting Baszler by a rear-naked choke in the second – and final – round of their fight.
“I made Ronda Rousey cry and I love it,” Pena said.
On paper, the odds appeared heavily stacked in Baszler’s favour because she is ranked in the top-10 in the world in the women’s bantamweight division, but inside the cage anything can happen otherwise there would be no point in fighting.
Pena came out swinging at the start of the first round and Baszler responded by tying her up by the fence and beginning the first of several takedowns but couldn’t force her scrappy opponent to tap out. Before the start of the second round, Baszler was breathing heavily and once again Pena applied the same strategy and Baszler failed to force a submission while absorbing some elbows and fist that bloodied her. The turning point came when Pena scrambled to gain Baszler’s back and used the choke to force the submission.
This is not what Rousey, the women’s bantamweight champion in the UFC and one of most marketable stars in the promotion, expected. She came into the fight with what seemed like brilliant strategy to counter Pena’s coach, Miesha Tate.
Rousey defeated Tate in March, 2012 for the Strikeforce bantamweight title and they will renew hostilities on Dec. 28 in the co-main event of UFC 168.
Tate used the first selection in this season’s series to pick Pena, whom she had trained with in the past and knew her strengths. She also knew the skill level of Baszler, a veteran with considerably more experience than Pena.
So Rousey, ever the psychologist, pounced on the opportunity to pick Baszler. It looked like Tate, who was psychologically beaten before her fight against Rousey because she allowed her opponent to mess with her mind, had made a mistake. Rousey had the choice for first fight and knew winning the first bout would set the tone for the rest of the tournament, so she literally took her best shot to send a clear message to Tate, who seems bent on smiling throughout this series to counter Rousey’s scowl.
So much was built up leading into this series because it represented the first time women would compete. They have become quite popular since the UFC created a division for them and anointed Rousey the champion based on her reign in Strikeforce. So there needs to be a greater pool of women’s talent, hence the decision to include the ladies in TUF, while also keeping the men involved in a separate tournament that runs concurrently.
Rousey’s opposing coach was supposed to be Cat Zingano, who raised her record to 8-0 after beating Tate in April. Zingano suffered a knee injury in training and was replaced by Tate. You couldn’t have scripted a better scenario. When Rousey saw Tate for the first time when she walked into the arena where the series is taking place, she couldn’t believe it.
“Nice to see you again,” Tate said to Rousey while shaking hands with a smirk.
Rousey walked out, but returned and was told by UFC president Dana White that Zingano had blown out her knee and was undergoing surgery at that exact moment.
So the rivalry that seemed to have been extinguished because Rousey had continued her mastery of the division while Tate had seemingly gone backward suddenly found a way to be linked together again. The Battle of The Beauties, as it had been promoted for their first fight, now had a rematch, as unlikely as it seemed.
And in the absence of Zingano, TUF 18 had a Cat fight of a different kind – perhaps even better from a story line perspective.
“For some reason we were meant to be rivals,” Tate said.
“I was meant to retain this belt and I’m going to retire undefeated,” Rousey replied.
Their fight created a dramatic shift in women’s MMA because Rousey refused to take the traditional route to the top, preferring to talk her way into a title without any regard for tradition or protocol. It pissed off Tate – and many of her ilk – and Rousey did everything to psychologically destroy her, utilizing some of the mental toughness taught to her by her mother, who had a doctorate in educational psychology.
Rousey, a bronze medallist for the U.S. in the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, says she learned her signature armbar submission from her mother, who used the arm manoeuvre to rouse her out of bed in the morning to get to school.
Rousey’s self promotion has filtered throughout the MMA world. Some are trying to use it to advance their careers, but few can do it like Rousey (notwithstanding Chael Sonnen). But it seems that whether or not Tate even matches up to Rousey in talent, she is bent on breaking her with Cheshire disposition. She was angry throughout the time leading up to her match against Rousey, but now seems to have decided to smile as a tactic.
When they meet, it will have considerably more fanfare than the first time because now they have a history and the TUF series will expand that. The UFC with its mighty marketing machine will make full use of the opportunity.
In the midst of all of this, the Queen of Spades has been dealt out of the picture. Baszler, incredulous that she had been passed over for a UFC contract despite her ranking, gave Pena little respect.
“She doesn’t deserve to be in the ring with me,” Baszler said. “There’s a part of me that says I shouldn’t have to dance this dance.”
Pena’s teammates were hoping she could lay a beating on Baszler to make it easier for the rest of them.
That’s no longer a concern. Tate scored round one of TUF Season 18 and walked out of the arena with a spring in her step and a huge grin. Rousey’s “best friend,” as White sarcastically referenced Tate in the opening segment of the series, won a minor battle and quickly put together an interesting strategy for the next segment, pitting one of her male fighters against one of Rousey’s who has strong punching power but is battling a hand injury.
No wonder Tate is laughing. Through the crazy machinations of the MMA world, she is back in the limelight, poised to hopefully reclaim her belt against the person who took it away from her and sticking it to her ever so slightly with a sinister plan that can’t be defended with an armbar.
Rousey has gone from sad to mad. The war has heated up again between her and Tate, and it’s more interesting than the first time.