Ronda Rousey shows her face again! | Long Island MMA

Ronda Rousey shows her face again!

Since Ronda Rousey lost her UFC Woman’s Bantamweight Championship to Holly Holm at UFC 193 this past November it seems she has been in hiding, leaving everyone guessing when and if she will come back and what her next move will be.  It seems she thought it was a good idea to make her first appearance just a few days ago on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, but many fans of Ronda and SNL do not share her enthusiasm over it. First, this was an important show because it was the first time we got to hear from the former champ since her loss to the current champion Holly Holm.  Ronda congratulated Holly Holm on her victory and said it “was a fight Holly deserved to win.”  It did take a few months for Rousey to show Holm the respect she deserves, but it is refreshing to hear that a humbled Ronda Rousey is growing past her loss. Now that she accepts and respects what happened in that fight with Holm she can move forward and potentially work her way back to the top. Not only was Ronda’s appearance on SNL important for her and her fans, but it was important for MMA as a sport because this was the first time an MMA athlete hosted SNL.  It’s great to see that the sport has become more widespread throughout the country and the world, UFC moves the world of MMA forward in a great way.  The only problem was that people were not impressed by the episode at all. Most opinions were very critical of Rousey’s performance; the harshest ones were comparing it to her performance in the Octagon against Holly Holm.  The nicer reviews complemented Ronda on her acting ability, but criticized the SNL writers for not being able to write a good script as of late. Say what you will of Ronda Rousey’s acting abilities, or the SNL writer’s creative abilities, Ronda needed to make a move back into the public’s eye.  Losing a big fight and then disappearing off the face of the earth raises question to a champion’s character, the best thing she can do is show the perseverance to push through and learn from the experience.  A strong character is what separates the good from the great, and solidifies the true champions as legends.

Watch her opening monologue here:
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/ronda-rousey-monologue/2973576

“The Fight of the Century” | Long Island MMA

     “The Fight of the Century”, or so it was labeled as the combat sports world crept closer and closer to the long awaited bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. A fight that took an approximate five to seven years to come to fruition; and it did not seem to be quite what most fans were expecting to see. But one must ask, what exactly did fans expect? Did they expect a slug fest, or a story book comeback, perhaps a flash knockout? Realistically the fight went the way that it probably should have gone according to the fighters styles.

     Floyd Mayweather is an expert defensive/counter striker while Manny Pacquiao is an extremely aggressive fighter that throws a massive volume of strikes. When the two were put together, Pacquiao attempted to fight his fight by initiating several exchanges using combinations however most of those exchanges were stifled by a well thought out game plan. If Pacquiao was to initiate the exchange all Floyd had to do was simply maintain his stance and clinch with him stifling his offense. There were certain instances in which Manny was able to unleash large combinations on Mayweather as he had his back to the ropes but they were few and not damaging enough to turn the tide of the battle.

     The fight was a strategic victory for Mayweather by his use of the clinch as well as cutting angles and countering with single accurate strikes on the aggressive Pacquiao. Now there have been certain extenuating circumstances that have surfaced since their fight has taken place involving a shoulder injury that Manny entered the fight with that may be a possible explanation for his lack of volume in his offense. . Due to the length of time it took to make the fight a reality it is possible fans had built up an unrealistic set of expectations for the bout. Had he been healthy the fight may have been different; perhaps he would have been able to maintain significant offensive volume and avoid the clinch but unless we are blessed with a rematch and a healthy Manny Pacquiao the result we received should have come as no surprise. Expert strategy wins fights and Floyd Mayweather seemed to have absolutely implemented an expert strategy.