Watch Ronda Rousey Defeat Miesha Tate Via Gruesome Armbar
If this fight didn’t prove that the women of mixed martial arts are some of the baddest people on the planet, then I don’t know what will.
For months, Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey engaged in a war of words as the hype built towards their March 3rd clash for Tate’s Strikeforce bantamweight championship. Rousey antagonized Tate from the outset. Aside from the fact that she held a 4-0 professional record with all of her wins coming by armbar in under 50 seconds, Rousey’s way with words helped her leapfrog Sarah Kaufman into the #1 contender’s spot. The champion Tate felt that Rousey didn’t deserve the fight and vowed to prove to the world why she wasn’t worthy. The two exchanged barbs and the tension could be cut with a knife by the time they stepped into the cage on Saturday night.
What took place next was an incredible first round that saw both women attempt to impose their will upon one another. Tate — who vowed not to fall victim to Rousey’s patented armbar — immediately found herself trapped in the hold and was on the verge of being yet another casualty to Rousey’s devastating maneuver. But Tate’s pride wouldn’t allow her to tapout. With her arm getting torqued beyond recognition, Tate refused to submit and somehow managed to escape the hold. Although her arm had been bent in ways that it most certainly should not have been, Tate pressed on and landed some punches and seemed to have Rousey in trouble. But Rousey’s Olympic Judo pedigree came into play as she hip tossed Tate onto her back and cinched in yet another armbar attempt, and this time she wouldn’t allow Tate to escape. For several gut wrenching seconds, Tate squirmed as Rousey applied the armbar and again bent the arm in nauseating angles. With virtually everyone watching in the arena and on TV pleading that Tate give up, the champion showcased her heart (or foolish pride) by refusing to allow Rousey to elicit a tapout from her. But with the pain too great, and the arm grotesquely bent, Tate finally submitted in the first round and relinquished her belt to the undefeated fighter.
It was one of those moments that will likely be etched into our memories for a long time. Not just because these were two women, but because they exhibited the skill, heart and determination of champions.
