By D.Simon - Dana White has been called many things. It amuses this writer that people want to group him in with the likes of Bob Arum when in fact White has already shown the capacity to change his mind, admit error and benefit from changing horses midstream……something one can hardly attribute to Arum, a man who would allegedly rather publicly exploit the loyalty of his star fighter Manny Pacquiao, than agree to step aside and let Pacquiao try to make a fight with Floyd Mayweather. Case in point is White’s decision to let female competitors into the UFC.
Read on after the break, or discuss in our MMA forum
We all work on the principle of self interest but White was willing to put aside the possibility of a risk to his demographic constituent to give someone, in this case Rousey, an opportunity to put up, or shut
up.
That insurance policy paid off big this weekend….When The Rousey vs Tate fight electrified the fans even as the main event was cut short due to an injury. What transpired this weekend was something very special: a female fight not only took center stage, but was exceptional enough to stand on its own and carry the show.
The skill, tactics, ebb & flow of emotion, will and strength, particularly displayed by Meisha Tate, was exceptional. While Rousey won the match on a submission and was also exceptional, Tate showed a level of skill and resolve that was frankly, mind boggling.
Analyzing the fight from Tate’s perspective the level of skill will become apparent, but may go over the heads of many who view combat exclusively as a male enterprise. Call this writer a male chauvinist but he sees a difference and a subsequent brilliance regarding Tate's choices and execution in this fight. When Tate punched Ronda in the face successfully, as she did,
From a so called logical, right brain perspective, Tate would have tried to keep the fight stand up and avoided going to the ground. Instead, Tate challenged Ronda and her own demons and not only fought most of the match on the ground, but actually initiated the grappling…. time after time getting out of positions that Ronda put her in, escaping arm bars, nullifying the superior strength and skill of Ronda’s Judo with grit, and striking out at the right moments to frustrate Ronda (Ronda’s face said it all).
Tate’s performance was a testament to why Judo and Jiu Jiutsu players have always hated to fight wrestlers. Tate showed expert skill in picking the correct times to use force on the ground against a physically stronger opponent and defending vis a vis “unlocking” submissions that most would not escape.Tate, in exorcising her demons and handling Ronda’s ground attack for most of the fight, while also successfully striking Ronda, laid down the blueprint to beating Ronda for future opponents.
I believe that while Tate sacrificed the sporting, short term victory, she gained a moral victory and showed that Ronda can be dealt with on the ground and “punched in the face” (to quote Tate)….something Ronda obviously does not enjoy! I enjoy following both these women and have a deep respect for both of them.
This fight was fantastic and is a study in tactics involving technical precision, the use of submissions, how to fight submissions, the timing, i.e. when to fight versus when to wait and how to make a point in the ring….Broner take note!
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fightblr reblogged this from fightbeat and added: This is an interesting perspective… I wonder if we were watching the same fight…
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