UFC 168: Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate Fight Breakdown
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey will defend her strap against arch nemesis Miesha Tate on the main card of UFC 168. The fight will mark an end to a year of feuding between the two, culminating in a very dramatic series of The Ultimate Fighter. The two were opposing coaches in the TUF house, and the beef only grew bigger and more dramatic during their stint.
As we look ahead to (arguably) the biggest WMMA scrap, on the (potentially) biggest card of all time; it’s time to check out the breakdown of Rousey vs. Tate II:
Wrestling
Believe it or not, I’m giving Tate the nod in the wrestling department. Submission grappling is a different story, but Tate certainly has the experience advantage as high school wrestling comes in to play and she is known for solid takedowns.
It may not prove a wise idea to go the mat with Rousey, for obvious reasons, but if Tate needs to she could probably dump Rousey to the mat (although ‘Rowdy’ has good defence) I’m calling it 60-40 Tate
Grappling
Rousey is the obvious call in this department, for so many reasons. First and foremost, she has competed in over 30 Judo tournaments and that includes her bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics. Secondly, she has finished all seven of her opponents, including a win over Tate in 2012, by submission in the first round; that is the sign of a master grappler if you ask me.
Don’t get me wrong, Tate is a good grappler, but she is nowhere near the level of Rousey. ‘Cupcake’ scored a silver medal in the 2008 FILA no gi tournament and holds six career subs, but I will honestly eat my hat if she submits Rousey. It’s a clear 90-10 for ‘Rowdy’
Striking
I have to say that I think Tate is at an advantage in the striking department, mainly because we haven’t really seen much of Rousey’s stand up, but also because Tate has scored some standing knockouts. Most notable would be her head kick win over Sarah Oriza (??) at Cagesport MMA (????) in 2009.
I don’t think Rousey has a weak chin, and she is probably going to want this fight on the mat, so I don’t know if striking will play a huge part. That being said, I think it is Miesha Tate’s one and only key to victory. She should use her 17-fight experience to try and catch ‘Rowdy’ early on. 60-40 Tate
