It may be a bit difficult to make weight with that extra 12lbs of gold! 

...And the new Strikeforce Bantamweight champion of the world. Rowdy. Ronda. Rousey. I don't even know where to start with this fight. I loved every moment of it. Not just because Ronda wore very flattering shorts but because she put an absolute clinic on Miesha Tate which should silence any naysayers; it wont because haters gon' hate. But regardless Ronda added yet another limb to her already impressive collection of arms which she keeps adjacent to her chamber of broken dreams. Hell, even before the fight I was absolutely hyped up from the weigh-ins. Tate attempted to put her "mug" on Ronda's forehead and Ronda was having NONE of it and pushed Miesha back with her forehead. Onlookers claim that Miesha looked like she was going to cry after Ronda snatched Tate's proverbial balls; I can't confirm or deny if she did in fact look like she was going to cry. What I can confirm is that Ronda absolutely punked Tate and she looked absolutely ferocious doing so. I mean, I've seen plenty of guys mean mug one another but goddamn did Ronda look scary! Which, I'm not going to lie, I found very very attractive.

 
Didn't I just say, "No tongue!"

While Ronda's four previous fights had ended in a combined 138 seconds, Miesha Tate managed to escape Ronda's first arm bar attempted and extended the bout to four minutes and thirty six seconds. She even managed to take Ronda's back at one point of the bout and landed some strikes on Ronda's pretty face. Thankfully Ronda took Tate's advice and kept her pretty little chin tucked and persevered. After Ronda landed her second judo throw she latched onto Miesha's arm again and finished the job. Props must be given to Tate for trying to fight Ronda's trademark arm bar for as long as she did. Miesha Tate is definitely very tough and deserves respect for the tenacity that she displayed. When Tate inevitably tapped out, Ronda did as she threaten to do, and used her Judo wizardry to transform Miesha's elbow into a flamingo leg, popping her elbow and damaging some tendons at the very least.

 
Give me the respect that I deserve, or I'll take it by force

Trash talk leading up to fights is nothing new, but typically after the smoke clears and the final horn has sounded the two combatants shake hands, hug, and let bygones be bygones. Typically. Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate however, were having NONE of that. Ronda was unapologetic for breaking Tate's arm and Tate she said that while she respects Ronda as an athlete she still doesn't like her. While I'm sure they both gained respect for one another's fighting abilities and toughness; It doesn't look like they're going to become bffs anytime in this century.

Yeeeah, I don't see that happening again

Not long after the fight, Ronda flexed some of her business prowess and added some championship apparel to her "Rowdy Wear" line. Confidence in spades. But can you really blame her? She recognizes that the shelf life of an MMA fighter is only so long and she's trying to make the most of it while she's in the spotlight. She's worked incredibly hard in attaining her Olympic Medal and received $10,000 dollars and a handshake, to paraphrase. There's no reason why she shouldn't be able to cash in on her hard work. That said, I'm more than a little disappointed that her "championship shorts" weren't readily available for purchase.

Very Flattering...

Next in line to challenge Ronda Rousey for the Bantamweight strap, is none other than former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman, who was originally promised a title shot before Ronda Rousey arm barred her way into the title match. Kaufman, who was victorious in a bloody and grueling fight against Alexis Davis, is definitely an interesting style match-up for Ronda and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them lock horns.

Cross counter!

Not only is Sarah Kaufman very intriguing for Ronda to tangle with inside the cage, but Kaufman's got a certain charm to her outside the cage as well. At the post fight presser, Kaufman jokingly claimed that she just received her yellow belt in Judo and she's now ready to challenge Ronda Rousey for her Bantamweight title. The dynamic between these two fighters already looks like it's going to be a sharp departure from the dynamic that Tate and Rousey had. I'm very interested to see how things develop as the fight gets closer. I'm curious if Ronda will be able to get inside Kaufman's head the way she was able to get inside Tate's head. Maybe Ronda just needs to threaten to beat up Kaufman's boyfriend to get a rise out of her. Maybe.

 

It's interesting to note that this victory was very personal for Ronda Rousey, not because of the pre-fight trash talk with Miesha Tate but because she dedicated this fight and this victory to her late father who she cites as being the only person who believed in her when she was thought to be mentally handicapped; She couldn't speak until she was six years old and only her father, who passed away when she was 11 years old, believed in her 100%. This is normally where I'd made an insensitive joke about speech impediments or something like that but I really enjoy having the use of my arms and I do not wish to incur the wrath of Ronda Rousey.

 
Nope, I'm not pissing Ronda Rousey off.

Ronda Rousey arguably has the athleticism and the skill set to essentially hold the Bantamweight title for as long as she wants to. If Ronda's victory over Miesha Tate says anything it's that if she were to be defeated it's going to take one hell of a challenger. Quite possibly, a younger, hunger version of herself several years down the line. Many have cited Sarah McMann as a potential challenger, being an Olympic Silver medalist in wrestling. But even with her Olympic credentials, it's doubtful that her arms will be any safer from Ronda's armbar. Then there's Cris Cyborg. I'm more than certain that Ronda and Cyborg will eventually lock horns. Cyborg is definitely suspectable to being to being armbarred, than again who isn't? But she also poccesses the raw strength and power to really put Ronda in danger. But in the end I see Ronda not only defeating her verbally but snapped her arm to conclude their fight as well.

 
I DO not look like Julia Stiles!

Regardless of what the future holds for Ronda Rousey, it's clear that she's not only captured the Bantamweight title, but she's clearly claimed the title of the "face of Women's Mixed Martial Arts". A title that she's undoubtedly earned.

 
What a menacing bunch of folks

- The "Flamingo Armed" Prometheus

For more on Ronda Rousey, check out:

I <3 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey Victorious 
The Future of Women's Mixed Martial Arts
Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate: Breakdown