It sounded like a good idea at the time.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight titleholder, Ronda Rousey, was charged with coaching a team of up-and-coming fighters on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 back in late 2013. Under her wing were a pair of budding bantamweights from both ends of the spectrum.
Raw but athletic newcomer in Jessamyn Duke, and seasoned but inconsistent veteran in the form of Shayna Baszler.
While neither Duke nor Baszler would make it out of the elimination rounds, they left the combat sports reality show with something more valuable than a glass trophy, and that was the friendship of Rousey and her assistant coach (and amateur fighter) Marina Shafir.
That friendship would extend beyond the television cameras and back to Glendale, Calif., where all four ladies came together as one. Friendship first, teammates second. Rousey was already familiar with the world of professional wrestling, borrowing her "Rowdy" moniker from WWE legend Roddy Piper, but Baszler took it to the next level.
She dubbed her newly-formed crew "The Four Horsewomen."
For mixed martial arts (MMA) fans unfamiliar with the land of make believe, it's an homage to the old NWA/WCW "Four Horsemen" faction comprised of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ole Anderson, who were a quartet of wrestling tough guys.
But their female counterparts have struggled to live up to their namesakes.
After capturing a unanimous decision win in her Octagon debut, Duke has now dropped two straight, including a brutal first-round technical knockout loss at UFC Fight Night 45 last month in New Jersey. Shafir, who was expected to run the table on the regional circuit, was recently put out to pasture by Amanda Bell.
Baszler has yet to step foot inside the Octagon (partly due to this), which means the memory of her tapping to Julianna Pena on TUF 18 has not been erased.
That can all change this Saturday night (August 30, 2014) when "The Queen of Spades" goes to war against Bethe Correia on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card of UFC 177, which takes place inside the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California.
"Pitbull" is one of the two women to send Duke into the loss column.
Triumph in "Sactown" is about more than just vengeance for her fallen teammate. It's about putting her money where her mouth is. Baszler has been vocal on social media about her stable, and the bond they share, but has yet to back up any of the talk as it pertains to doing work.
And that's really what this is all about.
Losing to the Brazilian this weekend would make a "Horsewoman" designation difficult to digest. After all, they don't have the luxury that Flair and Co. did in a scripted environment, where wins were afforded -- even if unwarranted -- to maintain forward momentum.
In the world of legitimate fighting, there are no concessions for competitors who talk all that jazz, but can't play any of the instruments.
To date, Rousey -- and her undefeated record -- have kept this ship afloat.
And the only thing keeping Baszler from becoming a barnacle on the bottom of S.S. Rowdy is a win against Correia. Victory serves as the rallying point for the fallen and resurrects the "Horsewomen" brand. Defeat further proves, just like IFL did, that MMA is not a team sport.