LIFESTYLE BY LARRY URISH

SPORTS

Ronda Rousey wants to break your arm She’ll do just that, and almost anything else, if you try to take her UFC belt.

Anyone who’s ever met Ultimate Fighting opponents until they quit – usually before dried in the Strikeforce sale. (Got a problem Championship president will they’re seriously injured. In all six of her pro with that? You tell her.) tell you that, in addition to being a dynamic, bouts, she has submitted every foe with an Rousey’s upcoming opponent, Liz abrasive and vulgar quote machine, once “arm bar” (see above) – in the first round. If Carmouche, isn’t exactly the proverbial he’s made up his mind about something, she has dislocated an opponent’s elbow in lamb being sent to slaughter. The former getting him to change his point of view is the process, well, it’s really not her problem. U.S. Marine, who did three tours of duty like asking a tiger shark to kindly let go Fighting isn’t new to Rousey. At just in the Middle East, is the world’s No. 7- of your throat. So when he insisted that 17, the SoCal native qualified for the 2004 ranked . Four of her seven women would never fight in a UFC event, Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the wins were by technical knockout; two were everyone in the MMA world knew that his youngest judo practitioner in the entire by submission (a neck choke and the afore- decision was set in stone. competition. In Beijing four years later, mentioned arm bar, in case you’re keeping Why, then, did White do the unthink- she became the first American to win an score); and only one was by judges’ deci- able and change his mind? Olympic medal (bronze) in women’s judo sion. Nevertheless, despite Carmouche’s The real question is not why – it’s who. since its inception as an Olympic sport in impressive credentials, she is considered a And that who is , a hard- 1992. Her competitive nature is never far heavy underdog. nosed, supremely skilled bantamweight below the surface. Six other bouts will be on the Honda who will give the UFC a long-overdue dose “Fighting is about finishing your op- Center fight card. Two of the most highly of female empowerment when she battles ponent,” Rousey says. “I think that fighters anticipated fights (translated: blood may Liz Carmouche in UFC 157’s Main Event at who just try to win by points and come away be involved) pit light-heavyweights Dan Honda Center on Feb. 23. with a win are actually bad for the sport.” Henderson against Lyoto Machida, and “My thing with the female fighting is Before White and his staff created the bantamweights Urijah Faber against Ivan that I love Ronda Rousey, man. She’s as UFC Women’s Bantamweight Division, Menjivar. tough and as nasty as it comes,” White says. Rousey ruled that weight class in Strike- But make no mistake: The Rousey/ The trash-talking Rousey, who probably force, a popular pro MMA league that was Carmouche bout will be the main attraction. has a soft, girly side, has developed a little later purchased by UFC. White named her Dana White demanded this – and it’s not habit of hyper-extending the arms of her UFC’s undisputed champ soon after the ink open to discussion. hondacenter.com

76 // FEBRUARY 2013 // OCMETRO.COM HEADLINES IN YOUR HAND | OCMETRO.COM/APPS

02-2013 Lifestyle SO.indd 76 1/24/13 2:41 PM