Strikeforce bantamweight champ Miesha Tate isn’t sure of how much heart “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey has. Rousey, an upcoming opponent of Tate’s, who has competed in the Olympics in Judo, has overall power and a love for latching onto arms.

Tate, who has been through some wars in her career, questioned Rousey’s desire in a recent blog entry. In the blog, Tate pointed to the outspoken grappler’s inexperience as a potential key to their headlining fight.

“My March 3 challenger and opponent, Ronda Rousey, has never faced this type of make or break moment during her 4-0 mixed martial arts career,” began Tate. “Yes, she was very accomplished as a judo player, winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics, but she has yet to taste her own blood in a grueling MMA bout.”

She’s yet to prove she can battle back from any adversity at all. Questions have never been asked of her.”

“All four of her MMA wins so far have arrived inside the first minute, and she has yet to face anybody that has so much as tested her, let alone come close to disfiguring her face and beating her,” Tate viciously continued. “She’s been carefully matched, she’s been pampered, and she’s been protected. The truth is, going into this world title fight with me, Ronda is still (looking) to discover whether she is even a real fighter.” 

25-year old Tate plans on testing the theory in a few short weeks. She plans on doing this by grinding Rousey down.

“(She) will learn just how hard and horrible the sport of mixed martial arts can be. I will take great pleasure in dragging her into deep waters for the first time in her life and then drowning her there.”

Tate and Rousey will meet in a bantamweight title fight as the main event of a card on Showtime.

 

Hey guys! So this isn’t fight related at all, but Restless sponsored band Royal Bliss frontman and friend of Restless Neal Middleton appeared on NBC’s The Voice last night, where he proceeded blow the roof off the house with a rock-ified take of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” His performance is definitely worth watching. Check it via the link below.

http://youtu.be/UZaEC7fYf5M

We couldn’t be more proud of him and are lucky to have been associated with him (and the rest of the band) for all these years!

If you haven’t already, check out Neal’s band Royal Bliss’s new album “Waiting out the Storm” on iTunes now, or in stores this week. Link Below:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/waiting-out-the-storm/id493674614

Happy new year one and all, and allow us to usher in 2012 in style! Fresh off our winter hiatus we are back in the captains chair and ready to blow the roof off the MMA scene this year. So stay tuned to Restless Fights for all the latest in local and national MMA, wherever you might be!

Don’t forget we are always on the hunt for contributors to help us feed the latest breaking news from YOUR town, so got a story? Share it. Have an event? Tell us!

Looking forward to a happy and prosperous 2012!

Pleasanton, CA was home of Impact MMA’s first fight card on December 10^th.  The night was one full of submissions and odd stoppages that were considered a bit controversial.

The main event between Roy Boughton and Jeremy Freitag was primarily a grappling match that was dominated by Boughton.  The tables turned when Freitag attempted an armbar in the 2^nd round, but his attempt was quickly squelched by Boughton who spent most of the fight on top.

Late in the 2^nd round, Boughton took Freitag’s back and was throwing only grazing punches when referee John Schorle stepped in and called the fight off.  Freitag protested briefly, but took the loss in stride.

Other notable fights of the night were Hector Sandoval taking a unanimous decision over Taylor McCorriston in their three round bout.  Sandoval exhibited a bit of cockiness throughout the fight by taunting McCorriston, but was able to walk-the-walk with his victory.

The fight between Jeremiah Labiano and Derrick Easterling was another that ended in questionable stoppage.  Throughout the fight Labiano showed great a great takedown defense along with good striking both standing and on the ground.  Ref Ray Balowitz stopped the fight at 2:04 into the second round as Easterling was retreating from a barrage of knees from Labiano.  It was quite clear that Easterling wasn’t done and the some may believe the ref stepped in too early.

Other Results:

• Noad Lahat defeated Rodney Rhoden by stoppage due to strikes at 2:31 of the 2^nd round
• Ron Keslar defeated James Chaney by stoppage from cage-side physician at the end of the 1^st round
• Omar Kasdi defeated Andres Salas by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:07 in the 1^st round
• Marcel Fortuna defeated Sean Pierre by decision
• Carl Seumanutafa defeated C.J. Leveque by stoppage due to strikes at 2:20 of the 1^st round
• Davin Clark defeated Rich Rigmaden by submission (arm-triangle) at 2:59 of the 1^st round
• Jared Hess defeated Tallis Lymuel by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:55 of the 1^st round

 

UFC 140 on December 10^th was one of epic proportions.  With several big names on the card, viewers were given some great fights.  However, did UFC 140 mark the end for the MMA career of one of UFC’s most infamous fighters?

Tito the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz has been one of UFC’s biggest names for over a century.  He currently holds the record for most UFC fights and has had his fair share of notable rivalries with Chuck Liddell as well as UFC co-owner Dana White.

Ortiz squared off against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Jr. at UFC 140 and came out firing as he usually does.  However, 3:15 into the first round Tito caught a knee to the body that collapsed his body and caused a stoppage.  Ortiz writhed in pain for several minutes before being taken out of the arena.

Ortiz was taken to a Toronto-area hospital after the fight where there is speculation he was being treated for broken ribs.

The 36-year old Ortiz has hit a bit of a rough streak as of lately in his UFC appearances.  With a record of 1-6-1 in his last 8 fights, as well as his long-time rival with UFC owner Dana White, Ortiz has been skating on thin ice for some time.  Dana White commented that he will need to talk with Ortiz regarding his future with UFC.

Whether you love him or hate him, you have to acknowledge the fact that Ortiz is a showman.  He’s packed arenas and has been a major contributor in building UFC’s popularity and main-stream status it is today.  Even if this does mark the end for Tito, he had a great run and provided MMA fans with a lot of great fights, rivalries, and hype.

 

If you’ve been a fan of UFC for any length of time, you know there have been some great fights throughout history.  From drawn-out bloody matches to the quick one-hit knockout, the UFC and MMA in general have developed a someone negative or violent reputation that they’ve had an extremely hard time getting past.

However, maybe the story of Dan Miller and the UFC’s gracious contribution to his sick toddler may turn a few people’s opinions of the UFC around.

Dan Miller is a middleweight fighter in the UFC who recently discovered his 1-year old son suffered from a rare kidney disease known as PKD (polycystic kidney disease).  His son, in dire need of a kidney transplant, was fortunate to find a donor in the form of his aunt.  However, the medical bills of surgeries of this caliber stack up quickly (in Miller’s case, in excess of $100,000).

Miller’s training camp helped establish the Daniel James Miller Foundation to help raise money to assist the family in their time of need.  2 of the largest contributors are UFC owners Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, who both made undisclosed personal donations.

While the UFC declined to comment on said donations, it’s press like this that can help people realize the UFC truly cares about their fighters and isn’t just in it for rating and dollar bills.  The UFC family is and always has been willing to help it’s fighters through tough times.

Miller’s son is scheduled for the kidney transplant in January and is home with his family.  The Daniel James Miller Foundation is still accepting donations to help the family pay for ongoing medical bills associated with the surgery, recovery, and other medical bills not covered by medical insurance.