Strikeforce
Former Champ Sarah Kaufman thinks Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey Strikeforce booking is "pretty ridiculous"
Jan 5, 2012 - 10:30:38 PM Former Champ Sarah Kaufman thinks Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey Strikeforce booking is "pretty ridiculous"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Wednesday's reports that Strikeforce is targeting a Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey have many women's MMA fans very excited. However, there's at least one person who is anything but thrilled to hear that news: Sarah Kaufman.

The former Strikeforce Women's 135 lb. Champion is one of two fighters to hold a win over current Champ Tate, and she has won two fights since losing her belt to Marloes Coenen - the woman from whom Tate took the belt herself. So the fact that she's being passed up for a shot at regaining the title for a 4-0 fighter who has never competed at 135 lbs. isn't really sitting well with her.

"I think it's terrible news," Kaufman said in an interview with MMAFighting.com. "I put in my time and, being the former champ and having had two fights since the only loss of my career, I've definitely earned the right to fight Miesha Tate and fight for the 135-pound title with Strikeforce. Then there's Ronda, who's only been fighting for a year. Granted, she has her judo experience, but she hasn't fought anyone of a high caliber. She's fought at 145 pounds - hasn't even competed at 135 pounds at all - and for her to be given the opportunity to fight for the title, it's pretty ridiculous."

Kaufman believes Rousey is trying to get away from a fight with Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion Cris "Cyborg" Santos by dropping down, and doesn't believe that should move Rousey ahead of her. She's also even more angered by the way Rousey managed to finagle her way in front, using her attractiveness to sell her deservedness for a shot over a small tenure in the sport.

"It's frustrating to see," Kaufman said. "Gina [Carano] is a prime example, but she didn't push her own looks. Everyone else pushed her looks, and she fought. She had good fights that she looked impressive in. Miesha's been a little bit the same. She's definitely pushed her looks and marketed herself in that manner, but she's also put her time in and worked her way up in the fighting game. Ronda's just the opposite. She's had a couple impressive wins, and really fast, and then just told people, 'I'm pretty so I deserve it.'"

Penick's Analysis: Kaufman's got valid frustrations with the entire situation, but unfortunately it is precisely the way the sport works at times. Whether its just or not, Strikeforce may believe they can get more viewers to tune in to see two attractive - as well as dangerous - fighters face one another. There's no evidence that a Tate-Rousey bout will do any better than a Tate-Kaufman rematch would, but there's also no reason to believe it would do worse, either. Kaufman's in the unfortunate spot of being a deserving challenger but not necessarily having the drawing power to command it. She's not the first fighter to have been in the situation, and she won't be the last, but that certainly doesn't make it any easier. Fair or not, what Kaufman now needs to do is win another fight, then be ready to take on the Tate-Rousey winner later in 2012.