Rousey vs. Tate III

This is the official discussion thread for Rousey vs. Tate III. Let's see what you've got.

Rumored co-main for UFC 195 on Dec. 5 from Dana White. Early in the works and could end up on January 2.

Same result as the last two fights.

Maybe they'll pretend that the first fight didn't happen because it was outside the UFC.

They're most likely going to overplay the fact that Miesha's the only one that's left the first round with Ronda and maybe show her knockdown of Jessica Eye 30,000,000 times to make us think that her striking's improved.

The fact remains that improved or not, neither Miesha nor Ronda have good striking. Ronda's got better power and hand speed but her ring craft is awful and all that nice technique she displays on pads shoots out the window once she's in a real fight and Meisha's striking, though a tad better, is still awful, meaning this fight will go to the ground and Ronda will submit her. My guess, no later than the second round this time.

* Edited at 08.03.2015, 7:28 AM ET *

When Ronda is finishing fighters in a matter of seconds and there has been only 1 woman up to now to not only get out of the 1st but get it to the 3rd round I think that's noteworthy. I don't think Miesha beats Ronda but I do believe Miesha is the 2nd best 135er on the planet and gives Ronda an actual challenge. And like Ronda said at the post fight presser there is no element of surprise advantage that she benefits from against Miesha. This will be a good fight that Ronda will win just not as easily as her others.

Liz Carmouche has been Ronda's toughest challenge to date. Go re-watch the fights if you don't believe me.

You're right, but Rousey would probably murder Carmouche now. She just rapidly gets better every fight it almost seems.

Liz was the closest to winning (although Miesha buckled Ronda's knees but couldn't follow up) but I don't think Liz is/was her toughest challenge. Even Ronda said that as much as she dislikes Miesha and hates to admit it she has been the toughest fight in her career. 

Ronda is just saying that to promote a 3rd fight between the two. She mistakenly toyed with Miesha for 2+rounds instead of putting her away in the 1st like she does every other time.

That second fight didn't look like she was toying with her but fair enough if that's your perception of it. Ronda actually made that comment before the 3rd fight was ever a thought. I'm just saying looking at the women's BW division Miesha is Ronda's biggest challenge. That doesn't mean Miesha wins, it just means she has a better chance of scoring the upset then any of the other women. 

Tate is as interesting a fight for Ronda as anyone outside of Cyborg, so I'm fine with this. If you're the top contender, you're the top contender. Tate keeps winning all non-Ronda bouts; she's the Faber of Women's Bantamweight.

When someone finally beats Ronda it will be the biggest upset in MMA history 

Which one has more numbers 

If Miesha has a better camp that tells her to not go for the take down, unlike the last time, I think she could ride into championship rounds. Really enjoyed their second fight, and I think she had the advantage on the feet in that one- then she would rush in and clinch, ultimately leading to her demise. It was so frustrating to watch because I really think she has the best chance at winning- slim though it may be.

* Edited at 08.04.2015, 8:09 AM ET *

yeah miesha has looked pretty good on the fight lately compared to then, if she could stay back and work a jab like she did against rin nakai she could do prett good. id have to say ronda wins though of course, im just not sure by what method

I think a nasty striker will be the hardest fight for ronda though more so than miesha or any of the others. even holly holm does a great job of staying back and using very technical striking. I could definitely see ronda running into a big front kick there. and of course cyborg, I think the same way ronda fought bethe with cyborg on the other side is a disaster... but I guess ronda gets my vote until she loses

I don't think that trying to one-punch Ronda is the answer. Holly may be the answer but more due to the fact that she has great footwork and knows how to use her striking to maintain distance, not because Ronda could "run into a kick".

Theoretically, if there is a ***** in Ronda's armor, it's peppering her from a distance and punishing and moving when she bull-rushes in. Miesha did that a bit in their second fight, but every time she had some sort of momentum she had to resort to grappling with Ronda because her striking just isn't good enough to keep Ronda off her, so she figured, if she's the one to initiate the grappling, she knows how to hold top position against any chick on the planet and she'll win. Ronda's just too good a grappler for that.

Holly, on the other hand, the thing that made her first UFC fights "boring" and unimpressive are exactly what I see can be the only gameplan against Ronda. Keep her off you with footwork, jabs, sidekicks, etc and see how she deals with it. She may have something else in her, she may go full Carla Esparza and not have anything else to offer. If they keep trying to catch her with something before she gets her down, we'll never know.

Of course, what Holly can do if/when Ronda does clinch with her remains a mystery. Holly's a great athlete and she's got belief and a winner's mentality and is also pretty strong, but Ronda is a freak.