Ronda Rousey is on the verge of making history.

The Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion has fought her final fight for the promotion and is set to make her UFC debut in the near future, TMZ reported Thursday night. The Web site also reported that the recently announced Jan. 12 Strikeforce card in Oklahoma City will be the promotion's last.

MMAFighting.com confirmed with sources close to the promotion that both news items are in fact true and more information is expected to be released early next week.

It is unknown at this time when Rousey (6-0) and the rest of the Strikeforce women will make their debuts in the UFC, but it will most certainly happen at some point next year. Women have never fought inside the Octagon during the UFC's 19-year history.

As recently as earlier this year, UFC president Dana White was very hesitant to even consider forming a women's division in the UFC, but the emergence of Rousey has apparently changed his mind.

"She's a (expletive) unique individual. She's like a Diaz brother," White said in September. "She really is. Inside like a (expletive) dude trapped in this beautiful body. The reason I got interested in women's MMA is because of her … everyone is like it's cause she's good-looking and 'Dana blah-blah.' Gina Carano is good-looking too. She's very pretty. There's (expletive) something different about Ronda Rousey."

Strikeforce and Showtime officials refused to comment on the story when contacted by MMAFighting.com. Rousey's manager Darin Harvey would also not confirm the story when asked for a comment.


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Just hours after the news broke that Ronda Rousey had become the first female fighter in UFC history, and the organization’s first female 135lbs champion, Miesha Tate took to Twitter to announce that she too would be joining Rousey in her move from a nearly defunct Strikeforce.



Expect the additions of Rousey and Tate to be only the tip of the iceberg, as Dana White looks to import enough talent to fill female divisions he was previously hesitant to introduce due to a perceived lack of depth among the female ranks.

The confirmation that this event will be Strikeforce’s last clears the way for a litany of intriguing talents to be transferred to the UFC roster early next year. Here’s a quick division-by-division list of fighters you can expect to see making their way into the Octagon in 2013 (C denotes divisional champions):

Light Heavyweight: Gegard Mousasi, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, Ovince St. Preux, Gian Villante

Middleweight: Luke Rockhold (C), Lorenz Larkin, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Tim Kennedy, Adlan Amagov, Robbie Lawler, Derek Brunson, Roger Gracie

Welterweight: Nate Marquardt (C), Tyron Woodley, Jordan Mein, Tarec Saffiedine

Lightweight: Gilbert Melendez (C), Josh Thomson, K.J. Noons, Jorge Masvidal, Ryan Couture, Caros Fodor

Source: http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/11/09 ... inal-show/

DANA WHITE: RONDA ROUSEY OFFICIALLY UFC BOUND

Ronda Rousey is now officially the first woman to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

After news broke of Rousey’s signing one week ago, UFC President Dana White today confirmed the development during an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show.” Additionally, Rousey verified the news on Twitter, urging her followers to tell White whom she should first face in the Octagon.

Rousey, 25, made her pro debut in March 2011 and has since become one of mixed martial arts’ biggest stars. A 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist, “Rowdy” has seen her stock rise with each impressive in-cage performance.

After stringing together four-straight featherweight finishes -- all of which ended via straight armbar in under 60 seconds -- Rousey made the drop to 135 pounds this past March to challenge Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce bantamweight title. Though it took the Californian a little longer than usual, Rousey nonetheless finished Tate in 4:27 with her patented arm lock, badly hyperextending the former champion’s elbow in the process.

Rousey then successfully defended her new title on Aug. 18 against Sarah Kaufman, quickly jabbing her way into the clinch before once again applying the straight armbar. Though Kaufman tried gamely to resist the submission hold, eventually Rousey managed to extend her appendage and force the tap at 54 seconds of the opening frame.

Strikeforce is rumored to be holding its final show on Jan. 12, though promotion officials have made no official announcement concerning the promotion’s future beyond that date. The event, which airs on Showtime, will see three titles put up for grabs, as Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold and Nate Marquardt defend their belts against Pat Healy, Lorenz Larkin and Tarec Saffiedine, respectively.


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