...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-chief
The long road to bring women's MMA to the UFC may finally be coming to an end in 2013, as TMZ.com reports that Ronda Rousey will be coming to the UFC. The Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion has emerged as a breakout star in 2012, changing the viewpoint of UFC President Dana White, and it has led to this.
Additionally, TMZ reports that Strikeforce's stacked January card will be its final event, which in turn opens the door for Rousey's entrance into the UFC.
Candidates to face Rousey in her UFC debut are Olympian Sara McMann, Cris Cyborg, and Miesha Tate. Rousey took the title from Tate this March, and she's expected to enter the UFC as its first official Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Penick's Analysis: This is huge, if not expected, news, and though it means the sad fizzle of an end to Strikeforce, it also means Rousey and the other stars from Strikeforce are on their way to the Octagon. I still agree with our own Jason Amadi, who argued the UFC doesn't have the structure in place to support another weight class right now, but Rousey's a star who can still sell, and as long as she's the one winning fights, she's going to draw eyeballs to the UFC. This is a big deal, and a groundbreaking move for the UFC, and I'm very much excited to see it happen.
UPDATE: Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com, who also serves as an interviewer and analyst for Fuel TV, has backed up the TMZ report. Strikeforce's January card is indeed their last, and Rousey will make her UFC debut at an as-of-yet unknown time and event in 2013.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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