Sherdog.com’s 2013 Fighter of the Year

---

4. Ronda Rousey

Rousey carried the weight of a movement on her shoulders in 2013, and she did so unflinchingly and unapologetically.

The 26-year-old Olympic bronze medalist blazed a trail to the Octagon for women’s MMA, forcing UFC President Dana White to alter his stance regarding females and their place inside the cage. Rousey shouldered the marquee in her Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, as she put her women’s bantamweight title on the line against Liz Carmouche.

Carmouche had Rousey in serious danger for the first time in her career before succumbing to what most viewed as inescapable: a first-round armbar in the historic UFC 157 headliner on Feb. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Rousey elicited the tapout 4:49 into round one, bringing a decisive close to the first women’s bout in UFC history.

A heavy underdog, Carmouche capitalized on the judoka’s trademark aggression, moved to her back a little more than a minute into the fight and went to work on a submission of her own, first a standing rear-naked choke and then a neck crank. Rousey was in visible distress but fought through the pain and panic to free herself from Carmouche’s clutches.

The “Rowdy” one powered into top position and methodically softened Carmouche for her patented maneuver. The challenger tried desperately to escape, but Rousey was relentless in her pursuit of the finish and finally isolated the arm after an extended struggle.

“I knew she would be very, very tough. I was expecting to go five rounds,” Rousey said. “With 10 seconds’ difference, it could have gone to the next round and been very different. She’s extremely tough. Much respect to her.”

Not long after she dismissed Carmouche, Rousey was assigned to coach Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Miesha Tate, whom Rousey had submitted during a March 2012 bout in Strikeforce, served as her counterpart in place of an injured Cat Zingano, setting the stage for a rematch between the two archrivals.

Though far more competitive than their first encounter, the result was the same. Rousey retained her women’s bantamweight crown in an emotionally charged co-main event, as she submitted Tate with a third-round armbar at UFC 168 on Dec. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The first woman to escape the opening round with the champion, Tate conceded defeat 58 seconds into the third.

Rousey scored with throws in all three rounds and assaulted her rival with punches and elbows on the mat. She mounted Tate in round two, where she made her first pass at an armbar. Tate dodged the bullet and also escaped the inverted triangle that followed. However, her efforts only seemed to prolong the inevitable. In the third round, Tate countered a takedown and settled into top position. Rousey wasted no time, went to work from the bottom, zeroed in on the challenger’s left arm and forced the tapout.

Afterward, Tate extended her hand in the direction of the victorious champion, but the gesture went unanswered. Rousey was booed lustily by those in attendance.

“I need to commend and congratulate Miesha,” she said. “She’s an amazing fighter. She really is. It’s just that once you insult my family, I can’t shake your hand; but I really respect her, and I think she did an amazing job tonight. For me, family comes before anything, even the cheers or boos from the crowd. I feel like it would disrespect what she did to my family if I shook her hand. I said she did an amazing job, but I can’t shake the hand of someone who spits on my back.”

Finish Reading » Number 5: Cain Velasquez