UFC 157: Ronda Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche Predictions

On Saturday we will all be witnesses to history. On Saturday we will see three firsts in the UFC. The first women in the UFC, the first UFC women's championship bout AND the first women headlining a UFC card. That is a lot of firsts. Unofficially this fight is being called "Ronda at the Honda" but I think this is an apt description. Although this card is stacked from head to toe, all the attention will be on the blonde judoka specialist with the unstoppable armbar that's taken the MMA world by storm in the last two years. Whether they love Ronda or think women have no place in fighting, all eyes will be trained on these two women when they make history this weekend.

Undisputed Women's Bantamweight Championship

Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Liz Carmouche

Image via mmaworldwide.com

Lavender Gooms: While all the attention is on Ronda, it should be noted that Liz is a trailblazer as well, being one of the few openly gay and active professional athlete. Although the Primetime special tended to focus more on Ronda, it did a great job highlighting the struggles for a typical women fighter who isn't the UFC Bantamweight Champion. While the main event is historic for the UFC, it won't last very long. I've been burned in the past when I have predicted that a fighter will just dominate (Rashad and Reem from our last post comes to mind), Carmouche isn't in the same stratosphere as Rousey and should be handled accordingly. A justified critique of Ronda is she hasn't faced top notch competition in her first six fights and that won't change in fight number seven. Rousey by decision.......I'm playing I mean 1st round armbar.

DJ Mark with a "K": When they first announced this fight it seemed like a bit of a mismatch, but then again there’s not a lot of girls at 135 who aren’t a mismatch for Ronda. Carmouche is a very tough girl and I don’t think she’ll be afraid of Ronda. This however won’t be enough to win the fight. I think Carmouche might be able to stop the first and maybe second attempts Ronda uses to take Carmouche down but I think it’s only a matter of positioning and time till Ronda can throw Liz down to the mat. Once the fight is on the mat I think it’s pretty much over. Again Carmouche might be able to fight off the first arm bar attempts but it’s just a matter of time. Ronda via armbar 2:47 in the first round.

Picking Ronda: All of us
Picking Carmouche:

Dan Henderson vs. Lyoto Machida

Lavender Gooms: Any other weekend this would be the main event and a good one. But this weekend it's ladies first. Machida's takedown defense will be good enough to turn this fight into a stand up match. If that is so, Machida with his dynamic Karate style will hold a decided advantage. Rampage, a fighter with a similar skill set to Hendo demonstrated an effective game plan of cutting off the ring in his victory over Machida. Even so, I think Machida's superior quickness striking will propel him to a decision victory. Machida by decision.

DJ Mark with a "K": Lyoto has proven to be a very difficult opponent. His quick foot work makes it extremely difficult for his opponents to gauge their range and allows Lyoto to spring in and out of striking range. People have found some success coming forward and attempting to control the fight against the fence. I think this is Henderson’s best chance of getting the win here. He needs to cut off Lyoto’s side to side movement and get him against the cage where he can try to use some dirty boxing to cause some damage and win the fight. It’s a tough strategy and given Dan’s age and wear I think it might be a little too much. Lyoto by decision.

Picking Machida: All of us
Picking Henderson:

Urijah Faber vs. Ivan Menjivar

It's MMazing crew hanging with the California Kid. It's how we do

Lavender Gooms: If Bobby had written a prediction he likely would have told you that he has a gigantic man crush on his fellow UC Davis alum. Personally I've always thought he sounds like Jeff Spicoli's smarter brother. In their first fight back in 2006 (which I had to find in the dark depths of the internet to watch), Faber was in control for most of the fight. While older, Faber is a much better fighter now. Add in the fact this is NOT a title match, the victory is in the bag for the "California Kid". Faber by Decision.

DJ Mark with a "K": Ivan has been on a bit of a come back as of late. He’s looked better in his last couple of fights then he has in recent years. However Faber is still one of the best in the sport regardless of his bare waist. I think Faber is still too much for Ivan and I think Faber will be able to do more then enough to get the nod here. Faber by decision.

Picking Faber: All of us
Picking Menjivar:

Court Mcgee vs. Josh Neer

Lavender Gooms: With a new women's division, flyweights and the influx of fighters from Strikeforce, the UFC roster is huge at the moment. What this means for two fighters currently on losing streaks is the one who loses is more than likely going to be cut. With that in mind, Court Mcgee will fight conservatively and utilize his better wrestling to obtain a victory. Mcgee by decision.

DJ Mark with a "K": Hhhhmmm, seems like there’s always at least one of these types of matches on the main card of the PPV. I feel this fight makes a little more sense in the prelims but never the less it could turn out to be a fairly exciting fight. Both guys come straight forward and don’t mind getting their hands dirty. I think it could make for a pretty entertaining fight, one in which I see Neer getting the better of McGee in. Neer by TKO 2nd round 3:12.

Picking Mcgee: Gooms, Dr. Law
Picking Neer: DJ Mark

Josh Koscheck vs. Robbie Lawler

Image via cagepotato.com

Lavender Gooms: I feel a little bad for Lawler. In his first fight back in the UFC after 8 years (in addition to his first fight cutting to 170), they certainly aren't doing him any favors by throwing him to Koscheck. The only avenue of victory for Lawler is if he catches Koscheck with a left. Koscheck holds an edge in facets of the game but will rely on his wrestling to grind out a win. The Strikeforce import has struggled in three of his last four fights and his troubles don't seem to be changing this weekend. Koscheck by Decision.

DJ Mark with a "K": Man, its been a really long time since we saw Robbie Lawler in the UFC. It makes sense since StrikeForce is little more then a faint memory now but it’s still a little odd to see. Personally I don’t know where Robbie’s head is at anymore. He had been floating around SF for a while and it was easy to question mental if he still wanted to fight. Hopefully getting another shot in the big leagues with a big name like Koscheck is just the kick in the pants Robbie needs to put forth is maximum effort. However, I feel with Jon Fitch being released Koscheck might play it a little safe to secure his job in the UFC. Kos by decision.

Picking Koscheck: All of us
Picking Lawler: