So I've heard all kinds of amusing theories about what Zuffa would do with Ronda Rousey defending her Strikeforce 135lb Championship against Sarah Kaufman. Today Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported that the fight will be Aug. 18 at the San Diego Sports Arena. What took so long to set a date? I'll go the traditional route and blame Showtime. They do have to approve it. So there was a movement a few weeks ago to get Zuffa to move Ronda to help the UFC On FOX ratings. Though I like the theory, as long as Showtime has the Strikeforce deal, it won't happen. That deal ends in 2014 and part of the deal is Zuffa can't poach Strikeforce. Showtime would have to agree to any moves and they would be morons to allow Strikeforce's number one attraction to move to FOX. They're not that dumb. And I would like to think that even if Ronda was to migrate to the UFC in a couple of years, she would use her stroke to ensure that it's not a one shot deal and that women's MMA would be a regular part of UFC. I expect Ronda to be a heavy favourite to win over Sarah and until someone can neutralize her quickness, she will continue to collect arms. As her coach Leo Frincu says, this talk of defending an armbar is fear based and doesn't work. It's the wrong approach. And punching Ronda in the face doesn't help as long as she is quick enough to go for the clinch. I've been asked about Cris Cyborg as a possible opponent for Ronda. Of course Cris is under suspension until the end of the year. The two big questions are what will she be like without the juice and can she make 135lb. She doesn't think she will have to make 135. I suspect Zuffa has a different idea. She also claimed on Twitter that she is contracted to fight only at 145lb. I can assure you that there is nothing like that in any fighter contract. The promotion sets the contracted weight for each fight individually. I know what she is trying to do. It's questionable strategy and unlikely to work. So who would be the next opponent for the winner of this fight? One would think that the winner of Sara McMann vs Shayna Baszler at the next Invicta show would be in line. We shall see.
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