<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11531193" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="liz-carmouche">Liz Carmouche</keyword> threw a seemingly neverending supply of fists at her opponent's face.</li><li>The flyweight fight ended after 35 seconds as the ref thought Kana Watanabe had had enough.</li><li>Watch the entirety of the fight right here.</li></ul><p>Liz Carmouche, an <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> flyweight nicknamed "Girl-rilla," could be thrust into a <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bellator-mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellator</a> title shot after she won via an impressive 35-second knockout Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"I wanted that finish," Carmouche said in a statement sent to Insider, after her win over Kana Watanabe.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Carmouche has been fighting for a decade, tallying wins over a young Valentina Shevchenko, Lauren Murphy, and Katlyn Chookagian.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">In 2019 she left the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> and joined <keyword id="6150626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bellator-mma">Bellator MMA</keyword>, scoring back-to-back victories ahead of her co-main event date against Watanabe on June 25.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Having fought for a championship on three separate occasions - once in Strikeforce, and twice in the UFC - Carmouche is determined to get a fourth shot, this time in Bellator.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">That burning motivation showed against Watanabe. Carmouche forced the referee to step in and stop the fight in the opening round, after she threw a seemingly neverending supply of punches at her opponent's face.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Watch it go down here:</strong></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-BellatorMMA  (@BellatorMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1409188312108060676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote><p>"I want that belt," Carmouche said. "I knew tonight I had to have a strong finish to show that I mean it. I also wanted her to make sure she looks back at that fight on her record, and remembers me with the strong finish.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm feeling good. I did everything that I wanted to. I said I'd finish her in the first round by 3:23 and I did it faster than expected."</p><p>According to <a href="https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/06/bellator-261-liz-carmouche-video-ko-title-shot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA Junkie</a>, Bellator boss Scott Coker said Carmouche has likely earned that title shot she so desperately covets.</p><p>"I feel like she's definitely earned it. I thought that was a spectacular knockout," he said.</p><p>"Watanabe is no joke. If she had a little bit of time and got Liz to the ground, it'd be a very interesting battle. But [Carmouche] did what she had to do.</p><p>"I thought it was spectacular. To me, she should be in that spot. But I want to wait to see what the rankings come in at and then we'll decide what to do from there."</p><p>With victory, Carmouche advanced her pro MMA record to 16 wins (seven knockouts, three submissions, and six decisions) against seven losses.</p>

Flyweight Liz Carmouche scored a fierce, fast 35-second knockout, and could now be thrust into a Bellator MMA title shot

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dana White recently waxed lyrical over Erin Blanchfield to Insider.</li><li>The UFC boss said there were numerous reasons why she impressed him in her win over Jessica Andrade.</li></ul><p>LAS VEGAS — <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/dana-white" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana White</a> got really animated talking about how good American <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> fighter <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/erin-blanchfield" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Erin Blanchfield</a> has become, her accomplishments to date, and her sky-high potential.</p><p>Blanchfield scored what is arguably the most significant win of the combat sports year so far when she finished the former <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> champion Jessica Andrade with ease on February 18.</p><p>Andrade is one of the UFC's most respected fighters and has competed against a who's who of tough women.</p><p>Yet Blanchfield, who is 23 years old and only joined the UFC in 2021, submitted Andrade with a second-round rear-naked choke, earned a $50,000 performance-related bonus, and is on a lightning-quick trajectory to the top that is reminiscent of only a handful of athletes like Israel Adesanya and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/conor-mcgregor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor</a>.</p><p>"I was blown away," UFC boss White told Insider at the Apex in Las Vegas. "She looked incredible."</p><h2>Blanchfield strutted into the UFC cage 'like a gangster,' according to White</h2><div type="image" title="Erin Blanchfield beat Jessica Andrade." height="1414" width="2000" msid="98287120" hostid="261" sizebytes="132436"></div><p>There were numerous reasons Blanchfield impressed White, he said.</p><p>These reasons combined things like performance, mindset, and the fact that she defeated Andrade on late notice, as the Brazilian replaced Talia Santos, who withdrew as a member of her coaching team was unable to obtain a visa.</p><p>"Let me start with this," White told us. "Jessica Andrade taking that fight on short notice, she's an absolute stud — number one. And not to take anything from Erin, she came out and did exactly what she needed to do.</p><p>"She went right after her, she wasn't afraid of her, and she wasn't afraid of her power. She stood in the pocket and mixed it up with her.</p><p>"You couldn't ask for a bigger stud than Andrade to come out and do what she did, and you couldn't ask for a better badass performance than Erin."</p><p><strong>Watch the moment Blanchfield beat Andrade right here:</strong></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—ESPN MMA (@espnmma) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1627135861367390208">February 19, 2023</a></blockquote><p>Blanchfield put possible stresses and pressures involved with headlining a Fight Night in Las Vegas to the side, and rarely seemed perturbed by Andrade's stand-up game, according to White.</p><p>"You got to put yourself in Erin's mindset," White told Insider.</p><p>"We've seen it in the past with big-time fighters and not just people on the undercard, and Erin's coming into her first main event, right? And her opponent falls out. That's a total mind-fuck to begin with.</p><p>"Then, you tell her it's Jessica Andrade, right? So you think about how mentally tough and mentally stable somebody has to be, the week leading up to a fight, and that all happens to her.</p><p>"Then she walks into this place like a gangster, and goes right after Andrade. It's just … the storyline doesn't get better than that, and it shows you who Erin really is, and what she's made of, and what she's capable of."</p><h2>It may not be long before Blanchfield is thrust into a UFC title shot</h2><div type="image" title="Erin Blanchfield." height="1319" width="2000" msid="98287121" hostid="261" sizebytes="128268"></div><p>Victory not only advanced Blanchfield's pro MMA record to 11 wins (two knockouts, four submissions, and five decisions) against just one loss, it also elevated her seven places in the women's flyweight rankings.</p><p>Blanchfield is now the No. 3 fighter behind only Manon Fiorot, Talia Santos, and the UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko, who defends her belt Saturday against Alexa Grasso at the big, UFC 285 show inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.</p><p>Insider asked White if Blanchfield is now close to a title shot herself, despite only being in the UFC for little more than a year.</p><p>"If you go in and beat somebody like Andrade, lot of questions about people, and the way you answer those questions and who you fight and how you handle yourself … you call them tests," said White.</p><p>"Could she have scored any higher than she did? No. She showed the world where she's at, and yeah … she's probably really close" to a shot at Shevchenko's belt, he said.</p><h2>White may have been animated because Blanchfield could be a new Ronda Rousey</h2><div type="image" title="Dana White and UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey." height="1465" width="2000" msid="98287122" hostid="261" sizebytes="89736"></div><p>Hall of Fame fighter <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ronda-rousey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ronda Rousey</a> has few equals and is heralded as one of the sport's trailblazers, helping to usher a generation of female stars into the UFC.</p><p>Since her back-to-back defeats, and her 2018 retirement, however, women's MMA has been dominated by Brazilian superstar Amanda Nunes, Russia queen Valentina Shevchenko, and China's wildly popular <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/weili-zhang" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weili Zhang</a>.</p><p>But, in Blanchfield, American MMA may have a new force — one, perhaps, not seen since Rousey left the game.</p><p>Blanchfield, though, appears more well-rounded than Rousey, who struck fear in opponents because of her vaunted judo throws and armbar submissions.</p><p>The youngster, meanwhile, appears as confident in her striking as her grappling.</p><p>Rousey's prime years in the UFC even helped inspire a younger and impressionable Blanchfield, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=givvJyZ8baE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a recent interview she gave with the Morning Kombat show on CBS / Showtime</a>.</p><p>"My Dad was always super into UFC, so I always watched it," Blanchfield said.</p><p>"I remember watching Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate for the first time and I was like, 'That's so cool, I know I can do that.'</p><p>"And then when Rousey got into the UFC, and I saw [Liz] Carmouche, I remember sitting there in my living room telling myself that I could do that too if I wanted to."</p>

Dana White got excited talking about rising UFC star Erin Blanchfield. Meet the fighter who could be the next Ronda Rousey for American MMA.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11922276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma" source="Orion">MMA</keyword> star <keyword id="12633597" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="miesha-tate" source="Orion">Miesha Tate</keyword> pulled her own stitches from a wound below her eye in new footage.</li><li>The former <keyword id="11922275" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ufc" source="Orion">UFC</keyword> champ lost a fight earlier this month in which she was bloodied by the final round.</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> star <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/miesha-tate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miesha Tate</a> asked "Who needs a doctor?" as she pulled out stitches from her own eye one week after a unanimous decision loss to Ketlen Vieira at a <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> Fight Night event on November 20 in Las Vegas.</p><p>Speaking on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpsRjYWM-ss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">her official YouTube channel</a>, Tate said she's "healing up pretty well" since the defeat.</p><p>Tate retired from ultimate fighting in 2016 having forged an extraordinary legacy as an elite combatant thanks to her toughness, and victories over Holly Holm, Liz Carmouche, and Julie Kedzie.</p><p>The former UFC bantamweight champion returned to competitive sport this year, beating Marlon Reneau by third-round stoppage in July.</p><p>Vieira toppled Tate earlier this month, though, scuppering any prospect of a comeback run in the UFC.</p><p>Vieira's counterpunch strategy, together with her physical advantages, caused significant damage on Tate, who was bloodied and bruised by the end.</p><p>In video footage last week, there was still a lingering effect of those damaging blows as Tate can be seen with a reddened eye and facial bruising.</p><p>She told viewers she had already pulled one stitch out, but thought her followers would want to watch her take out another.</p><p>"I thought, you know what, maybe you all would like to see this," she said.</p><p>Tate used a fingernail clipper to cut the material that was keeping the suture tight.</p><p>"I think there's no point in going to a doctor to remove these," she said. "But I'm also kind of crazy."</p><p><strong>Watch it here:</strong></p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KpsRjYWM-ss" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>"Who needs a doctor!? Healing up quick and ready to get back at it but first these stitches have to come out!" — Tate wrote in the caption of her video.</p><p>In the five years Tate spent away from the Octagon, she announced a relationship with fellow MMA fighter Johnny Nunez in 2018, gave birth to a daughter, Amaia Nevaeh Nunez, in the same year, and gave birth to a son, Daxton Wylder Nunez in 2020.</p><p>She also worked at Singapore-based combat <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> promotion One Championship as vice president.</p><p>It is currently unclear when she will fight next.</p>

UFC fighter Miesha Tate pulled stitches out from her own eye, and asked, 'Who needs a doctor?'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9060270" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="valentina-shevchenko">Valentina Shevchenko</keyword> dominated <keyword id="9560078" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jessica-andrade">Jessica Andrade</keyword> at a <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> 261 match Saturday in Florida.</li><li>Shevchenko finished the fight in the second round after bloodying Andrade.</li><li>The UFC boss Dana White said she fought like a demon.</li></ul><p style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> boss <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/dana-white" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana White</a> called one of his champions a "f------ demon" after she left her opponent Jessica Andrade motionless on the canvas with an ice-cold head kick.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">It was yet another dominant win for UFC flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko, who retained her title at Saturday's UFC 261 in front of a capacity crowd of 15,269 people at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Florida.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Since dropping a split decision loss to pound-for-pound star Amanda Nunes in 2017, Shevchenko has been on an unstoppable run, tallying victories over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Liz Carmouche, and now Andrade.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">The win over Andrade may be the best of the lot. Before the bout, the Brazilian was regarded as a tough challenge for Shevchenko.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">But the reality of the match was one of dominance. Shevchenko took Andrade down with ease five times in the opening round, and twice in the second.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">In the crucifix position, Shevchenko was able to pound Andrade easily with fists and elbow strikes until the inevitable finish arrived.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"It's almost like she was pissed, she was mad," said White at the post-event press conference.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"She was like a f------ demon tonight, pissed off that anyone could imagine that was possible [that Andrade would be competitive]. She looked incredible - one of the best performances of her career."</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">In a statement after the fight, Shevchenko said: "I don't have fear to go and fight, to go and wrestle, to go and grapple."</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"I saw and hear a lot from Jessica that she is so secure that she can be stronger than me, than she can dominate me on the ground, I knew it, but I didn't want to say nothing because I know my power and what I can do."</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">On the finish, she said: "Once I was in the crucifix, I secure my position first, then I start to land hits, I start to land elbow, I saw the blood and I heard the referee, and then I knew, this is my moment, I need to finish it, I don't want to fight five rounds."</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">With victory, Shevchenko advanced her pro <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> record to 21 wins (seven knockouts, seven submissions, and seven decisions) against three losses.</p>

UFC boss Dana White called one of his champions a 'f------ demon' after she won with an ice-cold head kick

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9060270" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="valentina-shevchenko">Valentina Shevchenko</keyword> returned to the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> Octagon after an injury-enforced absence and still kicked ass.</li><li>The UFC flyweight champion defended her title Saturday with a five-round decision over Jennifer Maia at the behind-closed-doors UFC 255 show in the UFC Apex, Las Vegas.</li><li>It was the second win on the night for a Shevchenko, as Antonina Shevchenko — Valentina's sister, defeated Ariane Lipski earlier on the card.</li><li>After Valentina's win, she hailed the "woman power" in her family. "We are very strong girls."</li></ul><p>Valentina Shevchenko defended her UFC flyweight title with ease and then hailed "woman power" in her victory speech.</p><p>The 32-year-old Muay Thai specialist has been a champion of the 125-pound weight class since she beat Joanna Jedrzejczyk in 2018, and has since gone on a wrecking spree, beating Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, and Katlyn Chookagian.</p><p>During Saturday's UFC 255 show, which took place inside the behind-closed-doors UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Shevchenko added another name to her winning ledger as she out-pointed Jennifer Maia.</p><p>Her fight against Maia was her first since she injured her medial collateral ligament vs. Chookagian in February, something which required surgery the following month.</p><p>Few would have noticed Shevchenko's nine-month absence as the only round the Octagonside judges scored in Maia's favor was the second, when she was out-punched and out-landed but enjoyed a considerable amount of time in control — four minutes and 33 seconds.</p><p>In all the other rounds, Shevchenko had done enough to win, regardless of whether that was strike accuracy, takedowns scored, or sheer striking activity in what was otherwise a grapple-heavy victory.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—UFC  (@ufc) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1330383639633403904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2020</a></blockquote><p>After the 25-minute fight was over, Shevchenko's win was confirmed with three scores of 49-46.</p><p>Victory advanced her pro MMA record to 20 wins (six knockouts, seven submissions, and seven decisions) against three losses.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—UFC  (@ufc) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1330558410325176320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2020</a></blockquote><p style="font-weight: 400;">"[Winning] is something that brings so much happiness. It's an amazing feeling," Shevchenko said.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">She then lauded her sister, Antonina Shevchenko, who finished Ariane Lipski in the second round in a flyweight match on the preliminary card.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"Today we have double amazing feeling because my sister won, I won, and it's a huge celebration for us. Woman power is about our family … we are very strong girls."</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Valentina Shevchenko finished by saying she'd "fight anyone."</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm ready for whoever they will put in front of me."</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-joaquin-buckley-seal-his-reputation-as-ufc-knockout-artist-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joaquin Buckley scored another highlight-reel finish, and seals his reputation as one of UFC's most artistic knockout strikers</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-deiveson-figueiredo-punctuate-career-best-year-with-submission-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A fighter nicknamed God of War scored a 1st-round guillotine choke from bottom guard, punctuating the finest year of his pro career</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-kayla-harrison-cut-her-opponent-so-stained-the-canvas-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fast-rising American fighter Kayla Harrison hit her opponent with an elbow strike which cut her so bad she bled all over the canvas</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-ufc-debutants-throw-236-strikes-in-1-round-earn-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 UFC debutants were given $50,000 bonuses for fighting at an extraordinary pace, throwing 236 strikes in the 1st round alone</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-aj-mckee-win-with-a-submission-which-confounded-experts-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unbeaten American AJ McKee marched into a $1 million final using a dangerous finishing move few experts had ever seen before</a></p>

Valentina Shevchenko defended her UFC flyweight title with ease and then hailed 'woman power' in her victory speech

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two fights on Friday's behind-closed-doors Bellator 245 show were ruled No Contests after low blows prevented the male participants from continuing.</li><li>The heavyweight fighter Tyrell Fortune appeared to grimace after throwing a knee strike at Jack May, as he likely knew it landed low.</li><li>And in a welterweight fight on the main card, Raymond Daniels hit Peter Stanonik with two spinning back kicks to the groin.</li><li>The second kick was so hard Stanonik could be heard crying for minutes, in pain, on the floor. Later, in the hospital, he was seen in a wheelchair.</li><li>Watch the low blows right here, along with highlights of the entire event.</li></ul><p>A <keyword id="6150626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bellator-mma">Bellator MMA</keyword> fighter was kicked so hard in the groin he spent minutes on the canvas in agony and was later seen in a wheelchair.</p><p>It all went down at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut — a behind-closed-doors Bellator 245 show on Friday, September 11.</p><p>Raymond Daniels and Peter Stanonik fought a welterweight match on the main card, but it was not long before the bout was waved off and ruled a No Contest in the second round because of an "accidental groin kick."</p><p>It was not the only low blow of the fight, as Daniels had hit Stanonik with two spinning back kicks below the belt-line.<br />Stanonik can then be heard crying in agony, making sounds no man would ever want to make.</p><p><strong>Watch the foul right here:</strong></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Jed I. Goodman  (@jedigoodman) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1304605888003538944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2020</a></blockquote><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—MMAFighting.com  (@MMAFighting) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1304606217277374464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2020</a></blockquote><p>"Raymond Daniels just landed two straight very hard spinning back kicks to Peter Stanonik's groin," <a href="https://twitter.com/marc_raimondi/status/1304605662555467776" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the ESPN MMA reporter Marc Raimondi tweeted</a>.</p><p>"Stanonik is laying on the ground crying, in an incredible amount of pain. The fight is over. Never seen anything quite like that."</p><p>Raimondi added that Stanonik said after the event that "he's mostly okay with just a contusion to his groin area … he was being pushed in a wheelchair at the hospital."</p><h2>Incredibly, this was not the only groin shot of the night</h2><p>In one of the four matches on the preliminary card, a first-round No Contest was ruled because of an "accidental groin strike."</p><p>A low blow also caused an early finish in Tyrell Fortune and Jack May's heavyweight bout.</p><p>The fight had only been going for two minutes and 42 seconds before May appeared unable to continue after a knee strike, which landed below his belt-line.</p><p>Fortune, who threw the knee, can even be seen grimacing as if he knew the shot had landed somewhere May would rather it hadn't.</p><p><strong>Watch it here:</strong></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—MMA Junkie  (@MMAjunkie) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1304590425982992385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Six of the eight bouts at Bellator 245 were fought clean, without infringement.</p><p>They included an inverted heel hook finish in Taylor Johnson's win over Ed Ruth, a unanimous decision win in favor of Cat Zingano in her catchweight fight against Gabby Holloway, and a split decision verdict for Phil Davis in his light heavyweight fight versus Lyoto Machida.</p><p><strong>Watch highlights of the show here:</strong></p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w7EJlFQ4pXo" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>Bellator returns Saturday for the second of its back-to-back shows this weekend, with Bellator 246 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.</p><p><strong>Select fights include: </strong></p><ul><li>Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix — bantamweight</li><li>Jon Fitch vs. Neiman Gracie — welterweight</li><li>Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett — catchweight (131.7-pounds)</li></ul><p><strong>Read more:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-got-drug-tested-while-vacationing-on-his-yacht-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor got drug-tested while he was vacationing on his yacht, meaning he's not officially retired</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/dana-white-signed-mma-novice-he-was-like-mike-tyson-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana White signed a raw MMA novice because he reminded him of a young Mike Tyson and 'scared the s---' out of the UFC boss</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor-offers-nothing-as-a-competitor-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov says Conor McGregor offers nothing as a competitor, and is no longer interested in a rematch</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-mma-fighter-disqualified-for-a-soccer-kick-to-head-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An MMA fighter was disqualified from a match when he hit his opponent with an illegal soccer kick to the head</a></p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/watch-alistair-overeem-score-bloody-ground-and-pound-knockout-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alistair Overeem split his heavyweight opponent's head open, scoring a bloody KO win with nasty ground-and-pound</a></p>

A Bellator MMA fighter was kicked so hard in the groin he spent minutes on the canvas in agony, and was later seen in a wheelchair

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6150626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bellator-mma">Bellator MMA</keyword> returns Friday with its second event of the year.</li><li>The company's president <keyword id="3395273" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Scott-Coker">Scott Coker</keyword> recently told Insider about its April shows.</li><li>He told us that his firm is in the healthiest position its ever been in.</li></ul><p>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bellator-mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellator MMA</a> roster is in the healthiest state it has ever been in, company boss Scott Coker said, as he marveled over recent signings including <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/khabib-nurmagomedov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov</a>'s cousin Usman.</p><p>The Hollywood-headquartered combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> promotion restarted its live events business April 2 with <a href="https://www.insider.com/bellator-mma-patricio-pitbull-chokes-emmanuel-sanchez-unconscious-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a thumping performance</a> from its <a href="https://www.insider.com/pitbull-freire-is-the-bellator-goat-according-to-scott-coker-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GOAT fighter Patricio "Pitbull" Freire</a>.</p><p>Pitbull advanced to the fight firm's featherweight final and will meet A.J. McKee in the coming months for a $1 million fight likely to be one of the biggest in the company's history.</p><p>Bellator, meanwhile, has another event Friday as a light heavyweight grand prix gets underway.</p><p>Ahead of this, Coker told Insider about the four-month pause in its live event schedule, the ever-growing roster of athletes, and scoring premium broadcaster partners like Showtime in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK.</p><p>Regarding the reasoning behind the hiatus, Coker said: "It was really scheduling with TV on the Bellator side."</p><p>"We needed time to get our companies [Bellator and Showtime] in the same alignment and the same page. We were on Fite TV, CBS, Paramount, and having Viacom as the ownership group is a great thing because they have many different platforms they can offer you."</p><p>Coker has been on Showtime before with his previous firm Strikeforce, which was sold in 2011 to Zuffa - the parent company of the UFC. Strikeforce fighters then became UFC fighters.</p><p>"I felt really good about the conversation when they [Viacom] said: 'You're going to Showtime,' because that's where I built Strikeforce.</p><p>"The same people who were there in 2009, 2010, 2011, are still there today. Senior executive producer, the SVP of marketing, communications department … I don't think anybody's ever left Showtime.</p><p>"So this is the second opportunity for myself to be back with a company like Showtime that really know how to promote <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword>, and the quality fights they've put on in the past.</p><p>"In 1986, I was watching Mike Tyson on Showtime. Recently, Floyd Mayweather - that whole run. When it comes to television, marketing, story-telling, what an amazing network to be with."</p><h2>Bellator's roster has improved drastically since Coker took over in 2014</h2><div type="image" title="Usman Nurmagomedov Bellator MMA" height="1370" width="2000" msid="81968903" hostid="261"></div><p>Zuffa retained Coker for a contracted period of three years when it acquired Strikeforce in 2011.</p><p>Months after that period lapsed in 2014, Coker replaced Bjorn Rebney as the boss of Bellator and asked American Kickboxing Academy coach Bob Cook for his take on the quality of the roster at the time.</p><p>"When I came to Bellator, I'll never forget … I sat down with Bob Cook from AKA and I said: 'Here's our roster, what do you think?'</p><p>"And he said: 'You don't have much here. It's kind of thin.' So I said: 'Okay. Let's go sign some new guys. Who do we sign?'</p><p>"He recommended Aaron Pico and gave us a load of athletes to go after with development deals. As we're doing that and nurturing him, we signed Phil Davis, Ryan Bader, Fedor Emelianenko - people that are the free agents."</p><p>The strategy of building fighters like Pico and McKee, while signing free agents, built the quality of Bellator's roster year on year.</p><p>In 2020, Coker made further additions. Insider asked him who has gotten him most excited.</p><p>"I think Magomed Magomedov," he said. "That guy is a beast - a killer - and he'll give our guys a lot of headaches.</p><p>"I'm really excited about Usman [Nurmagomedov]. There's also Pico who is a guy we've invested in, backed for a long time.</p><p>"Joey Davis is another kid I'm confident about.</p><p>"Now, we've got the greatest roster in the history of this company. But this roster took six years to this point."</p><p>This was always the game plan, Coker told us.</p><p>"One thing I learned from Strikeforce - you have to build from the bottom up. And you have to buy free agents from the top down.</p><p>"But free agents alone aren't going to make your business. They'll come and go. The health of your company is about the fighters you build.</p><p>"I knew that at Strikeforce with Tyron Woodley, Ronda Rousey, Daniel Cormier, and Luke Rockhold - the list goes on and on." All four athletes Coker named were champions in the UFC after it absorbed Strikeforce.</p><p>"You have to have your base. And that's the part that stuck. Sometimes it takes five to six years to see fighters get to a world class level where they could fight anybody.</p><p>"This is the healthiest and greatest fight roster we've ever had in this company," he said.</p><h2>Bellator has big broadcast partners</h2><div type="image" title="Nemkov beats Bader, Bellator MMA" height="844" width="1500" msid="81968906" hostid="261"></div><p>As well as the partnership with Showtime in the US, Bellator events are being broadcast on the BBC iPlayer in the UK. This, Coker said, is a testament to the mainstreaming of MMA.</p><p>"Right now we're in the process of sealing a lot of international deals," Coker said. "But we're excited about the BBC iPlayer deal. To have the BBC put a stamp of approval on MMA is not only a victory for our company, but for the sport.</p><p>"It wasn't that long ago, 10 years ago, when there was no MMA on CBS, or Fox, or ESPN. It wasn't on major television like it is today.</p><p>"Now, you've seen mixed martial artists become accepted in mainstream America.</p><p>"The first show I did in 2006, a guy asked me if it was like human cockfighting. They have no idea what it is. So this is good for the industry as a whole, this BBC deal."</p><p>Bellator returns Friday with Bellator 256, an event broadcast on Showtime and BBC iPlayer from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.</p><p>The main event features Ryan Bader against Lyoto Machida in a light heavyweight tournament quarterfinal. Further down the card, Liz Carmouche fights Vanessa Porto.</p>

The Bellator MMA roster right now is the healthiest it has ever been, company president Scott Coker says

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cefc54f11e205457f3ba2b3-2000/jessica%20andrade%20ufc.jpg" border="0" alt="Jessica Andrade, UFC" data-mce-source="Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images" data-link="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/jessica-andrade-of-brazil-celebrates-after-her-knockout-news-photo/1143152314?adppopup=true"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/jessica-andrade-of-brazil-celebrates-after-her-knockout-news-photo/1143152314?adppopup=true">Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images</a></span></p><p class="caption">Jessica Andrade.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Jessica Andrade celebrated her recent UFC championship win by stripping naked for an Instagram photo.</li><li>It follows a trend amongst fighters who have bared all for photo shoots.</li><li>Andrade joins a famous list that includes Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor, who both featued in ESPN's "body issue" shoots in 2012 and 2016, respectively.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Jessica Andrade, a women's UFC champion, celebrated her title win by stripping naked and posing for an Instagram phoyo wearing nothing but her belt.</p><p>A 27-year-old with a base fighting style that blends boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Andrade is a veteran of 32 fights.</p><p>She has competed in the UFC since 2013, bouncing back from a debut loss against Liz Carmouche to win 11 times in six years, including her most recent triumph - a slam knockout win over Rose Namajunas at UFC 237 on May 11, a victory that saw her crowned strawweight champion of the world.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-devin-haney-knockout-win-on-dazn-debut-2019-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A 20-year-old American fighter delivered a knockout of the year candidate and is now being called a 'potential superstar'</a></em></p><p>The nature of the victory saw Andrade earn a "Performance of the Night" bonus, as well as a "Fight of the Night" credential.</p><p>She has celebrated her success by stripping off and posing naked with her belt, uploading the photo to her official Instagram account.</p><p>Andrade is not the first fighter to bare all, as she follows many other famous fighters who have gone nude.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/keith-thurman-boxing-not-about-killing-people-2019-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Manny Pacquiao's next opponent Keith Thurman has pushed back against Deontay Wilder's controversial comments, saying boxing is 'not about killing people'</a></em></p><p>The former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey famously stripped off for ESPN's body issue in 2012. This was at a time when Rousey had just beaten Miesha Tate for the first time, and was about to embark on a run of dominant and brutal victories over Tate for a second time, Cat Zingano, and Bethe Correia.</p><p>It's not just female fighters, either. Conor McGregor, a former two-weight world champion, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/750588970543841281/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E750588970543841281&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fpost%2Fpreview%3Fpost_id%3D5cefd44011e20535ef41bebe%26mode%3Ddesktop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also posed for ESPN, stripping to nothing but hand wraps for a 2016 issue.</a></p><div>    <iframe src="//instagram.com/p/Bx-U_W-g1To/embed/" width="540" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true">    </iframe></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-k2-harder-climb-mt-everest-2017-9">Mount Everest is not the hardest mountain to climb - here's what makes K2 so much worse</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/S7YhmOnB-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

A female UFC star celebrated her latest championship win by posing naked, and it turns out it's a growing trend amongst fighters

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6150626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bellator-mma">Bellator MMA</keyword> restarted its live event business on April 2 and continues with another show on April 9.</li><li>On Friday, the company's highly-anticipated light heavyweight tournament begins.</li><li>Bellator boss <keyword id="3395273" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Scott-Coker">Scott Coker</keyword> went through the bracket with Insider correspondent Alan Dawson.</li></ul><p><keyword id="9815973" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vadim-nemkov">Vadim Nemkov</keyword> is the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bellator-mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellator MMA</a> light heavyweight tournament favorite, according to the Hollywood-based <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword> firm's president Scott Coker.</p><p>After a four-month hiatus, Bellator restarted its live events business on April 2 with a headline bout between <a href="https://www.insider.com/pitbull-freire-is-the-bellator-goat-according-to-scott-coker-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricio "Pitbull" Freire</a> and Emmanuel Sanchez.</p><p>Pitbull won the fight with <a href="https://www.insider.com/bellator-mma-patricio-pitbull-chokes-emmanuel-sanchez-unconscious-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a smash-and-grab first-round submission</a> and advanced to the company's featherweight Grand Prix final against A.J. McKee, which <a href="https://www.insider.com/pitbull-freire-vs-aj-mckee-will-happen-scott-coker-says-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coker told Insider would take place in two to three months</a>.</p><p>On Friday, another Grand Prix tournament gets underway as Coker put together an eight-man competition for the company's 205-pound competitors.</p><p>Though Coker regards Nemkov as the king until he's dethroned, he highlighted a competitive field that showcases much of his firm's top talent in the division.</p><p><strong>These are the dates and matches for the four quarterfinals:</strong></p><ul><li>Bellator 256: <keyword id="9815974" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ryan-bader">Ryan Bader</keyword> vs. Lyoto Machida - April 9</li><li>Bellator 257: Vadim Nemkov vs. Phil Davis - April 16</li><li>Bellator 257: Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov - April 16</li><li>Bellator 258: Anthony Johnson vs. Yoel Romero - May 7</li></ul><h2>A Bellator MMA light heavyweight tournament was a no-brainer for company execs</h2><div type="image" title="Scott Coker, Bellator MMA boss" height="1000" width="2000" msid="81940294" hostid="261"></div><p>An influx of top-tier talent at the 205-pound weight class prompted decision-makers at Bellator to propose a change of plans to Showtime, its new broadcast partner in the US.</p><p>Originally, Bellator wanted to push a women's flyweight tournament. However, when they signed fighters like Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Yoel Romero from the UFC, a light heavyweight bracket became the priority.</p><p>"What happened was, we had Ryan Bader, who was a champion at 205," Coker told us. "We had Machida. Then we signed Corey Anderson. Then we signed Rumble Johnson and Yoel Romero.</p><p>"Really, the thought was to do the 125-pound female tournament with Liz Carmouche, Ilima-Lei MacFarlane, Juliana Velasquez - it would be our very first female tournament.</p><p>"But then we started signing all these killers at light heavyweight, and we thought that's it. We had Nemkov, a killer, and Phil Davis, a killer."</p><p>Coker then hailed his light heavyweight division as the best 205-pound weight class on the planet - superior even to the UFC's, which Jan Blachowicz currently dominates.</p><p>"So I said, 'This has to be our tournament, guys.' They all agreed, said it's a no-brainer. I called up Showtime because I knew we were making the jump to Showtime, and I said, 'There's been a change of plans. We want to head in this direction,' and they loved it.</p><p>"It's going to be an amazing light heavyweight tournament. It's got the old guard, the OG's, as I call them, and the young kid from Russia [Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov] who has had an intense record.</p><p>"I've seen him fight on film, but not in person, and I'm expecting him to be dangerous.</p><p>"And Nemkov, I'm telling you right now … until someone dethrones this kid, he's the best in the world."</p><h2>Many storylines are developing, and the tournament hasn't even started</h2><div type="image" title="Bellator MMA light heavyweight bracket" height="844" width="1500" msid="81940298" hostid="261"></div><p>All four quarterfinals will be contested within the next month, with the first match taking place Friday.</p><p>Though it features the Bellator heavyweight champion in Bader, and a former UFC star Lyoto Machida, it is the May 7 quarterfinal between Johnson and Romero that has captivated the attention of fight fans.</p><p>The matchup pairs two former UFC studs in a fight that never materialized for the Las Vegas-based promotion, despite fan demand.</p><p>Johnson vs. Romero could have headlined a tournament final by itself, which begs the question of why it's taking place in the first round, not the last.</p><p>"I learned a lot from my first big tournament - the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament [in 2012]," Coker told us.</p><p>"We had Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Silva, [and Dan Cormier]. We had a great, eight-man tournament.</p><p>"And the thought process was to put Alistair and Fedor on opposite sides [of the bracket] because that's the fight people wanted to see at the time - and they'll eventually fight [in the final].</p><p>"But the problem was they never got down there, and they never fought for various reasons."</p><p>Coker was reminded of his disappointment in not being able to book Overeem vs. Emelianenko in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix when he was creating the Bellator light heavyweight bracket.</p><p>"The thought process here was to do it backward. You take the fight that people want to see and make that first.</p><p>"If they got down to the finals, they'd have to fight each other anyway. You're going to have to fight him sooner or later. So why not do it first when it matters the most, and then you have tremendous interest, eyeballs, the launch with Showtime - a new genesis for Bellator MMA.</p><p>"If you put them on opposite ends of the bracket and somebody gets hurt, injured, somebody loses, you have to wait a year to put the fight together.</p><p>"People are really excited about that match-up, and I learned a lot from the first time around with the Strikeforce tournament."</p><h2>Bader's inclusion in the tournament is a personal one</h2><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-BellatorMMA  (@BellatorMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1379498776734273536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Coker told us Bader has "a personal vendetta" to settle after losing Bellator's light heavyweight title to Nemkov in August 2020.</p><p>He lauded the American fighter as "one of the best" he's ever seen, who possesses "a complete game."</p><p>Coker said: "We offered to move him up to heavyweight or stay at light heavyweight. But he said he wanted to get this guy because 'Nemkov is getting on my nerves. I need to fight this guy.'</p><p>"He wanted to stay there so he could fight Nemkov again and win this thing. He has a goal in mind: To beat Nemkov, knock him out or sub him, and win the tournament. He entered the tournament because he has a personal vendetta."</p><p>Standing in his way is Machida on April 9, and the winner of an April 16 match between Anderson and Yagshimuradov, before he can even get to Nemkov, who has his own gauntlet run of opponents to get through.</p><p>Coker, though, has high praise for Nemkov. "The way Nemkov dismantled Ryan … maybe Ryan had a bad night, I don't know. But any fighter who could do what he did to Ryan, the way he did it, it's a very big accomplishment.</p><p>"Ryan is no joke. But Nemkov was quicker, had good footwork, and when it came time to connect with the speed, he was there first. To me, that's where I see the difference.</p><p>"Ryan is a great wrestler. And he had a hard time taking him down and keeping him down. Nemkov has been training with Fedor Emelianenko - the greatest heavyweight of all time - that's Nemkov's mentor!"</p><p>Coker singled out Yagshimuradov as "the dark horse in the tournament" but said the favorite, on form, has to be Nemkov.</p><p>"He's young, fast, explosive, can kick, avoid takedowns, and can take you down. He's a complete fighter. He's the guy to beat, he's the guy, and he's our current champ. He's the king until he gets de-throned."</p>

Vadim Nemkov is the Bellator MMA light heavyweight tournament favorite, according to Scott Coker, but the most anticipated bout will be in the first round

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/512d0aae6bb3f7467c00000b-620-465/miesha-tate-ufc-fighter.jpg?maxX=400" border="0" alt="miesha tate ufc fighter" width="400" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=JLAotIP5Hi0">YouTube</a></p></div><keyword id="1005548" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ronda-Rousey">Ronda Rousey</keyword> won the first women's fight in <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> history on Saturday night.</p>
<p>It was a close call — her opponent Liz Carmouche was in a dominant position before Rousey turned it around and nearly broke her arm with an armbar — that <a href="http://www.cagepotato.com/wmma-news-roundup-miesha-tate-and-cat-zingano-are-not-impressed-by-ronda-rouseys-performance-ufc-adds-four-more-to-womens-bantamweight-division/">left her two potential future opponents unimpressed</a>.</p>
<p>In a post-fight interview Miesha Tate (who Rousey already beat once), said, "I got her on her back in the first fight, and a guarantee if I get her in the second one I'm gonna rip her face off."</p>
<p>Tate still has to win one more fight (against the other fighter in this video, Cat Zingano) before she has the chance to face Rousey.</p>
<p>Here's the full video <a href="http://www.cagepotato.com/wmma-news-roundup-miesha-tate-and-cat-zingano-are-not-impressed-by-ronda-rouseys-performance-ufc-adds-four-more-to-womens-bantamweight-division/">from Cage Potato</a>:</p>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JLAotIP5Hi0"></iframe></p>

Ronda Rousey's Potential Next Opponent Talks Trash: 'I'm Going To Rip Her Face Off'

<p>Mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey, 28, is most well known as <span>the first and current </span>UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53cfc80becad047e01da790a-1200-754/ronda-rousey-8.jpg" border="0" alt="ronda rousey"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Isaac Brekken</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 2012, she <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/8136693/image/19/ronda-rousey-2012-body-issue-bodies-want-espn-magazine" target="_blank">appeared on the </a></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/8136693/image/19/ronda-rousey-2012-body-issue-bodies-want-espn-magazine" target="_blank">cover</a> of </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ESPN The Magazi</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ne'</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">s annual </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Body Issue.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e514f56da8114e432d7d2f-747-833/screen shot 2015-02-18 at 5.40.10 pm.png" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey"><p class="source"><span>ESPN Magazine</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">And just last week Rousey made her debut in the pages of the </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-inappropriate-cover-causing-controversy-2015-2" target="_blank">Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e4d778ecad040f4b3d768f-1200-820/x158908_tk1_00426-rawmasterwmsm.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Sports Illustrated" style="color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>Walter Looss Jr./Sports Illustrated</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e4d7786bb3f7056d5edc0d-1200-820/x158908_tk1_00545-rawmasterwmsm.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Sports Illustrated" style="line-height: 1.5em;"><p class="source"><span>Walter Looss Jr./Sports Illustrated</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e4d7796bb3f750695edc11-1200-820/x158908_tk1_01616-rawmasterwmsm.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Sports Illustrated" style="color: #000000; line-height: 1.5em;"><p class="source"><span>Walter Looss Jr./Sports Illustrated</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>But getting into shape for the ESPN magazine and Sports Illustrated were very different processes. R<span>ousey explains to </span><a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/02/ronda-rousey-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue?hootPostID=9eb00e3a4d997e72c82393debeda50f2" target="_blank">USA Today</a>:<span><br /></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The ESPN Body Issue is about celebrating the peak of human potential and the kind of form the human body, when specialized, can really look lik. The Swimsuit Issue has a lot more [of a] sexual side to it, while I don't think the Body Issue is overtly sexual whereas </span>Sports Illustrated<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> is. </span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The difference in how I approached it is when I posed for ESPN Body, I really tried to be a lot more cut and a lot more close to my prime fighting shape because I was being photographed as a fighter and trying to look more like a fighter.</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">I purposely tried to get a little bit heavier for the SI issue so I was a little bit curvier and not in top fight shape look but the look at which I feel I'm the most attractive. It's very natural for a person's body to go through seasons.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e4d7786da811860cbfaec3-820-1200/x158908_tk1_01448-rawmasterwmsm.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Sports Illustrated" style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>Walter Looss Jr./Sports Illustrated</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Rousey is no stranger to gaining and losing weight quickly.</p><p>In order to maintain<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> 135 pounds, the weight limit for the women's bantamweight division, Rousey must make sure she's not a pound over when it's time to fight.</span></p><p>To ensure she'll make weight, Rousey <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ronda-rousey-fight-diet-2014-7" target="_blank">explained to the New Yorker</a> that she goes on an incredibly salty diet for a week so that her body bloats. Then when the fight is close, she removes all salt from her diet so her body lets go of all of that fluid with the help of a steam room.</p><p>Before a fight in February 2014, a typical breakfast for Rousey was eggs, turkey bacon, and spinach with a lot of pink Himalayan salt.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e50d0fecad04b830cfe5e1-1200-2400/ronda rousey.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes</span></p><p class="caption">Ronda Rousey is seen during a weight in at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., in 2013.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Before Rousey </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/things-to-know-about-ronda-rousey-2013-12#" target="_blank">became the first female UFC fighter</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, she went to the Beijing Olympics</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in 2008</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> for judo.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e50d956da8115e232d7d2e-1200-858/ronda rousey judo.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Judo"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo</span></p><p class="caption">US' Ronda Rousey, top, fights Brazil's Mayra Silva in the Judo Women's middle competition.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>She <span>won a bronze medal.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e50ebaeab8ea7518f8ab60-1200-800/ronda rosey olympics.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rosey olympics"><p class="source"><span>Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">When Rousey returned home, she had no job to fall back on. "There's nothing put in place for Olympians after they're done. They give you a couple grand, a handshake and they kick your ass out the door," she </span><a href="http://guycodeblog.mtv.com/2012/03/01/strikeforce-ronda-rousey-interview/" target="_blank">told MTV</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p><p>Rousey was forced to take a graveyard shift at a 24 Hour Fitness in California while trying to figure out what she wanted to do.</p><p>In 2010, she returned to fighting at an MMA gym in Los Angeles. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In just seven months, she went from an out-of-work ex-Olympian to a professional MMA fighter, winning her first fight in 25 seconds.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52bdd6ea6da8112749ce32ee-800-600/ronda-rousey-arms-raised.jpg" border="0" alt="ronda rousey arms raised"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/loretta_hunt/03/01/ronda-rousey/index.html">SI</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">When the league she worked for, Strikeforce, announced it would shut down in 2013, t</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he UFC scooped her up immediately, making her its first female fighter ever. CEO Dana White, who previously vowed to never employ a female fighter,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/things-to-know-about-ronda-rousey-2013-12#" target="_blank"> said,</a> "I think she's going to be a big superstar."</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e50b32eab8eaa008f8ab63-1200-600/ronda-rousey-dana-white-3.jpg" border="0" alt="ronda rousey dana white"><p class="source"><span>Theo Wargo/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">UFC CEO Dana White hired Rousey.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Since then, Rousey has </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">made the sport mainstream in a way it had never been before and opened the door for more female fighters to join UFC.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e50c00ecad04f427cfe5e1-1200-858/ronda rousey ufc 2.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey UFC"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes</span></p><p class="caption">UFC bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, left, and opponent Liz Carmouche pose before a match in 2013.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>She has over a million <a href="http://instagram.com/rondarousey/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> followers.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e515b269bedd51507dac46-1035-726/screen shot 2015-02-18 at 5.42.32 pm.png" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Instagram"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://instagram.com/rondarousey/">instagram.com/rondarousey</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">And has dabbled in modeling, appearing in a current campaign for Buffalo jeans.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e504a3ecad048601cfe5e1-1200-572/ronda-rousey-buffalo-sponsored-athlete.jpg" border="0" alt="ronda rousey buffalo "><p class="source"><span>Buffalo</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">But now, she also has her sights set on acting.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In 2014, Rousey made her <span>major motion picture debut in "Expendables 3."</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e504686da811766f2d7d2e-1200-800/ronda rousey expendables 3.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey Expendables 3"><p class="source"><span>Andreas Rentz/Getty Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This year, she will appear in "Furious 7" and play herself in the upcoming "Entourage" movie.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I'll keep fighting and filming together. Having them both allows me to do each one longer," she tells <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/02/ronda-rousey-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue?hootPostID=9eb00e3a4d997e72c82393debeda50f2" target="_blank">USA Today</a>. "I'm able to step away from one and allow myself to miss the other. I've found an amazing balance. I'm always happy and engaged and motivated."</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e5112169beddae387dac44-1200-858/ronda rousey expendables.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey expendables"><p class="source"><span>Joel Ryan/Invision/AP</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rousey adds that creating new goals for herself  keeps her motivated.</span></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">I love fighting and it's my passion and it's the reason Hollywood took an interest in me at all, but I'm no dummy. I know there's a short shelf life in the sport and I don't want to be left out like I was after the Olympics [she won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Games in Beijing] with no options. I need to have a new grand goal to go after because when I have no goal is when I get depressed and I'm not letting that happen again.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I set extremely high goals for myself. The first day I stepped onto a judo mat I was like 'I'm winning the Olympics,'" she said. "The first day I did MMA, 'I'm winning the UFC.' The first time I had an acting gig, I said 'I want to be the highest-grossing actor in the world.' That's what my goal is.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54e51199ecad04f243cfe5df-1200-858/ronda rousey ufc winner.jpg" border="0" alt="Ronda Rousey UFC winner"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Neil Davidson</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sports-illustrated-hailey-clauson-swimsuit-model-kate-upton-2015-2">This Sports Illustrated swimsuit rookie could become the next Kate Upton</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="1pbHM4czpLGxuF2Zidg0VzskU7IrQlcR" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '1pbHM4czpLGxuF2Zidg0VzskU7IrQlcR',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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