Ronda Rousey seems to have an infatuation with submissions ... arm bars, to be exact.
The former Olympic Judo medalist began her amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) career with three straight wins via arm bar, all in less than one minute. She then continued her professional MMA career with four consecutive victories, again in less than one minute, again via arm bar.
Stepping into the Strikeforce Hexagon this past weekend (Mar. 3, 2012) at the Strikeforce: "Tate vs. Rousey" event, she undoubtedly faced her toughest opponent to date in Miesha Tate. However, it was apparently business as usual as she defeated "Takedown" to capture the Strikeforce women's 135-pound title. This time, it took longer than one minute, but it ended the same way her other fights did, which is via first round arm bar.
Tate was able to hang on from an attempted submission from the former Olympian early on, however, the second attempt was latched on tight, and this time, "Rowdy" did not let up until "Takedown" eventually tapped.
Taking a page from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion Frank Mir, the newly crowned Strikeforce Bantamweight champion says she will hold on to a submission until she feels a tap, even if she hears a snap.
At least that's what she said today as she appeared on "The MMA Hour."
Check out her comments about the gruesome arm bar and what she thinks about facing Miesha Tate's boyfriend, UFC fighter, Bryan Caraway, after the jump.
"The rules that I'm used to, that I grew up with in Judo is that if you don't tap, it doesn't count, even if it's broken, even if it's really broken. If the person doesn't tap you keep going. If she had a free hand, then she could have tapped at anytime. I think the referee made the right call, it's up to (her). He was trying to respect her and her choice, she could have given up at anytime. If he would have stopped it sooner, then other people would have been upset that he stopped it before the tap. Anything they do in that situation, people are just going to find a way to criticize."
Tate has since confirmed that she did not suffer any broken bones during the fight.
Over the weekend, Rousey and Miesha Tate's boyfriend, UFC Lightweight, Bryan Caraway, were involved in a back-and-forth Twitter war after Rousey said she could beat him in a fight. Caraway, regrettably, responded via his official Twitter account:
" that was just a publicity stunt. Guys and girls arent = I would knock her head off w 1 arm or choke her, not a real question"
He has since then spent much time on his account explaining his comments to people who obviously took offense to him saying that about a female, stating that he clearly does not advocate hitting women, but rather, was replying to a comment that he took offense to by Rousey.
Rousey reiterated on the "The MMA Hour" that she still is confident she can beat him:
"Of course I can. Who is he? You would have never heard of him if it wasn't for Miesha. He's just some dude, he's not even a legit fighter, he is just some random guy that likes fighting, but it wont be approved by any athletic commission out there. People don't want to see a guy and girl beating each other on TV."
For now, Rousey will keep on fighting women and will more than likely defend her 135-pound title against number once contender Sarah Kaufman down the road.
Rousey gave a huge breath of air to women's MMA with her outstanding performance on Saturday night, backing up all the trash talk leading up to it. But with the depth of talent, or lack thereof, in the women's 135-pound division, how much longer can we expect to see the "Rowdy" one dazzle us with her slick submission moves?