Sara McMann Plans On Avoiding Bad Positions Against Ronda Rousey
Sara McMann stands on the edge of greatness at UFC 170, but in her way is undefeated bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey and her infamous armbar. The two will headline Saturday’s festivities, and trash talk hasn’t really been on the menu for this scrap.
Usually outspoken in the lead up to her fights, ‘Rowdy’ instead said that she is willing to ‘die in the cage’ against McMann; a sentiment that is not mutually felt, according to today’s media scrum with McMann:
“I feel one of the objects of the sport is to not get into one of those positions,” said McMann. “That’s where you win. But if you get there, if somebody catches you and they get the better of you, I don’t feel that there’s any need to be an idiot.”
“ There’s no use losing and being injured and that would be if it was any other submission also. Like I don’t look at it as ‘oh somebody so brave and tough’ that they now have to get a surgery and they lost. Like that’s kind of foolish to me.”
McMann obviously views these situations from a logical standpoint, whereas Rousey uses emotional energy as motivation. Not being submitted has proved impossible for all opponents on her eight fight record, but McMann does have serious wrestling credentials in play.
“There’s toughness and then there’s foolishness. My whole, everything that I’ve been training for is to not get caught in that position just as much as when I was wrestling it’s not like I’m, you know, not going to acknowledge if somebody pins me or something like that and let my arm get broken or whatever in a wrestling move. The object is not to get there, that’s how you win. I don’t want to just not lose.”
We’ll see where the fight ends up on Saturday night, but something tells me it’s going to be a lively fight. Rousey’s stand up is improved, her Judo is always slick, and there is a challenge presented by McMann’s wrestling. The odds are stacked against her, but will McMann prove us wrong and avoid the submission skills of Rousey?
Photo: Brad Penner for USA TODAY Sports
