Here is another chance for everyone to see Cat Zingano’s winning performance against Miesha Tate, which earned her the spot as number one contender to face Ronda Rousey over a year ago.
Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6LonrrLRJo
Video Credit: UFC
On episode No. 3 of UFC 184 Embedded, women’s bantamweights wrestle with both destiny and population density.
Days before her Octagon debut, Albuquerque’s Holly Holm ventures from her hometown to Tinseltown.
Already in LA, divisional champion Ronda Rousey and title challenger Cat Zingano put on their game faces for photo shoots and promo interviews building up to their championship bout.
UFC Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano Pay-Per-View event, taking place this Saturday, February 28th.
Video Credit: UFC
On episode No. 2 of UFC 184 Embedded, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey loads up on cardio and inspiration at Glendale Fighting Club.
Welterweight Jake Ellenberger also trains there alongside Hollywood’s own boxing star, Mickey Rourke, while his opponent Josh Koscheck prepares in Fresno for his Octagon return.
Outside California, the other stars of UFC 184 — including Rousey’s opponent Cat Zingano, women’s bantamweight Raquel Pennington and former boxing champ-turned-mixed martial artist Holly Holm — get pumped up and polished for their trips to LA.
UFC Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano title fight, taking place this Saturday, February 28th.
Video Credit: UFC
On episode No.1 of UFC 184 Embedded, fight week begins and the women’s bantamweights prepare to take centre stage.
Reigning champion Ronda Rousey counters the pressure of a looming title fight with a day of video games; title challenger Cat Zingano trains in Colorado alongside recent UFC headliner Brandon Thatch.
The stars of the co-main event also get in the gaming mindset, with Raquel Pennington braving the snow for a pre-fight sports massage while former boxing champion Holly Holm hits the gym in Albuquerque.
UFC Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano title fight, taking place Saturday, February 28th.
Video Credit: UFC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRVNn3RM8O8
“Countdown” to UFC 184 aired on FOX Sports 1 last night featuring UFC women’s bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey and number 1 contender Cat Zingano, who will face each other on February 28th inside Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.
Video Credit: UFC
Ffion Eira Davies is a name that should firmly be on everyone’s lips in the world of MMA. If you have not heard of this bright, talented,upcoming, future star, then please let me introduce you to her.
Making her second amateur MMA appearance on Saturday, February 21st at UIC14, GL1, Gloucester. The 20-year-old from Wales, who trains out of Chris Rees Academy in Swansea is no stranger when it comes to competition, having been competing in Judo since age 9 and BJJ for the last 18 months.
I managed to speak with Ffion to find out more about her, her achievements in the world of Judo and BJJ, MMA and Ronda Rousey.
You maybe ‘new’ on the MMA scene but you’re not on the BJJ scene. Can you talk me through all your achievements please.
I started BJJ about a year and a half ago now, originally just as a hobby. It’s quite funny because I always hated groundwork in judo and avoided it at all costs! But I ended up falling in love with it, and since then I’ve won the British gi and no gi, Paris gi and no gi, the Welsh gi and no gi, NAGA at my own weight and the absolute (blue and purple belt) and most recently the European championships in Portugal all at blue belt. So far I’ve not lost a BJJ match.
Not only contempt in BJJ, you started out in Judo; at what age did you start training in Judo, then competing? What achievements have you achieved in the world of Judo?
I started judo when I was about 9 years old, and started competing 3 months later. I won the Welsh a few times and the British twice as a Cadet/Junior. I trained full-time for a year in Sophia Gardens with the Welsh National Coach Craig Ewers, but I noticed my passion for judo was dwindling after so many years of competing and decided I wanted something fresh. That’s when I found BJJ which led me to MMA.
You train out of Chris Rees Academy who trains many up and coming champion MMA athletes, along with arguably one of the best Bantamweights Wales have seen in a long time, Brett Johns, who also comes from a judo background and who also was the Cage Warriors World Bantamweight Champion. How does it feel to train with another high level Judoka who has made the transition into MMA?
It’s quite funny because one of the main reasons I started MMA was because of Brett! We were in the same comprehensive school, he was in my brothers year, and we also did judo together growing up! I saw his posts on Facebook about MMA and I was amazed by it, at the same time Ronda Rousey had become big on the scene and I saw that the transition from a judo background would be pretty ideal for me! It’s amazing to have such a high level fighter as a teammate and friend, it’s very motivating. I’m looking forward to him claiming another world title!
Was it always the ‘plan’ to make the transition to MMA, having had the Judo and BJJ background, or was it something that just progressed organically?
No not really, BJJ and MMA were supposed to be fitness hobbies. But I’m hugely competitive and couldn’t resist competing in the end!
Are there any other disciplines you are quite well versed in? Was you already doing Kickboxing, K1, Muay Thai, Karate etc whilst you were competing at Judo/BJJ?
Nope, I started learning striking in the MMA class, and have taken so many punches to the face it’s hilarious. Chris (my coach) then arranged for me to start doing pad work with Sam Thomas who’s one of the Thai boxing coaches at the academy. He’s really helped me a lot with my striking the past few weeks and invested a lot of time in helping me. I’m extremely grateful to him and all my teammates.
You finally had you’re first amateur MMA fight at SnA for which you won via Kimura Keylock in the first round. How did that finally feel to get that first MMA fight out the way with all the false starts you’ve had previously due to scheduled fights being cancelled through opponents being injured?
It’s been very frustrating the past few months because of pull outs. If you don’t want to fight don’t sign up to it, amateur is all about gaining experience whether you win or lose. When I finally did get to fight on SnA I was ecstatic; especially against a good opponent who I knew wouldn’t pull out due to ‘injury’. Jade was a decorated fighter who I knew wouldn’t pull out as she was confident in her abilities so it made it all the more nerve-racking. There’s no other feeling like fighting in the cage and I want as many fights as I can get!
Can you talk me through the experience you finally felt achieving your first amateur MMA fight? Was it any different to what you had ‘thought’ it would be like? Once at the venue knowing the crowds are there, walking out to the cage and into the cage and of course the fight itself.
I loved every minute of fighting, but the nerves are like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I spewed the day before and a few times on the day of the fight due to nerves, I’ve never been that bad before! Then in the last half hour before the fight everything changed and I became this aggressive psycho who just couldn’t wait to get in the cage! And then after the win I felt on top of the world, there’s really nothing else like it.
You’re competing on UIC 14 at GL1, Gloucester, this Saturday, February 21st in your 2nd amateur MMA fight. How are you feeling this time?
I feel just as nervous, but also excited. I have more self belief this time round and I’ve been training hard.
You’re facing the UIC K1 Flyweight Champion Laura Handy, do you know anything about your opponent? do you watch your opponents fight video’s or do you leave that to your coach/team and you take their instruction in what you need to focus on?
Yeah I’ve had a look at a few of her fights, but it’s always down to what my coach Chris wants me to do. He has so much experience in coaching that I know he knows what’s best for me and so I put my trust in him to decide! At first that was hard as I’m stubborn, but after so many grappling comps where I’ve followed his instructions and won that stubbornness quickly went away!
This is a classic ‘striker vs grappler’ fight and it’s fair to say with Laura being a K1 Champion and yourself a BJJ champion, for the fan watching this is a great match-up made by Paul Sutherland. Where do you see the fight going yourself?
Naturally were both going to want to go where we feel our strongest. I’ve been putting in a lot of effort to round-up my game. Obviously we are both going to imagine ourselves winning, nobody steps into the cage expecting to lose. I’ll do my best, and she will do her best, and whoever is the better fighter will win.
Has anybody ever referenced you to ‘Ronda Rousey’ at all with your Judo background and your Arm bar submissions in BJJ along with your sleek ground game?
Chris says I have a moody face like her! I get where it could come from but not really.. We both did judo but she was Olympic standard whereas I was very very far away from that standard!
Is there any sponsors or anyone you would like to thank for this fight?
Tatami Fightwear for providing me with free BJJ kit! And although obviously they aren’t sponsors but they buy me snacks and give me lifts, I’d like to thank my teammates, coaches and family!
Thank you for your time today Ffion it is much appreciated.
You can keep up to date with Ffion on her Twitter page here.
Ffion’s Facebook page here.
If you still require tickets for Saturday’s event click here.
Photo Credit 2 and 3: Marc Moggridge
Photo Credit 1: BJJStyle.com
Fight Card:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxF8ZD3S1UA
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey [10-0] defends her crown for the fifth time against No. 1 contender Cat Zingano [9-0] at UFC 184 in Los Angeles. The unbeaten Rousey has torn through all contenders at 135 pounds, needing just a combined 82 seconds to defeat her opponents in her two most recent title defenses. Colorado’s Zingano is also undefeated as a pro, after back-to-back knockouts she has plenty of momentum on her side.
Also in the Co-main event is Holly Holm [7-0] making her long awaited UFC debut against Raquel Pennington [5-4].
Video Credit: UFC
Hitting back on Twitter – Jessica Eye!
As I was checking my twitter account, the above two, tweets appeared from UFC Bantamweight athlete Jessica Eye. It goes back to when Chris Cyborg said she was ‘dropping down from 145 lbs to 135 lbs’ this was for three times once to beat Ronda Rousey, second time to beat Ronda Rousey again and the third time to prove she is serious about the new weight division. Although ‘Cyborg’ gave a good speech, she has never [to date] delivered, hence Jessica Eye tweeting what she did.
Positive
Mental
Attitude
♡ ♡ ♡
Tonight we will get to see UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman defend his title against former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will try to retain her title against Alexis Davis in the co-main event.
Before any of this can, happen last night it was time for the all important weigh-in’s for UFC 175 in Las Vegas. Check out the results below and how to watch.
MAIN CARD BT SPORTS 2AM UK/PPV 7PM P.T/10PM E.T
MW Chris Weidman [C] 185lb
![Chris Weidman [C]](https://fiveroundswithemma.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/weidman.jpg)
BW Ronda Rousey [C] 135lb
![Ronda Rousey [C]](https://fiveroundswithemma.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ronda-rousey.jpg)
HW Stefan Struve 251.5lb
HW Matt Mitrione 254lb
MW Uriah Hall 185lb v Thiago Santos 185lb
BW Marcus Brimage 135.5lb
BW Russell Doane 136lb
PRELIM CARD 1AM BT SPORTS UK AND LIVE ON FOX SPORTS 5PM PT/8PM E.T
BW Urijah Faber 136lb
BW Alex Caceres 135lb
WW Kenny Robertson 171lb v Ildemar Alcantara 170lb
MW Chirs Camozzi 185lb v Bruno Santos 185lb
BW George Roop 135lb v Rob Font 135lb
FIGHT PASS PRELIMS 12 MIDNIGHT UK/ 4PM P.T/ 7PM E.T
MW Luke Zachrich 185lb v Guilherme Vasconcelos 185lb
MW Kevin Casey 185lb v Buba Bush 185lb
Before making history as the UFC’s first ever female fight to happen in Europe and UK. I caught up with UK MMA pioneer and Cambridge graduate Dr Rosi Sexton ahead of UFC® MANCHESTER back in September 2013.
EB. You’re a pioneer for women’s UKMMA, starting your professional career back in 2002.Was it ever in your own thoughts that one day women would be in the UFC and you would be here in the UFC representing the UK now?
RS. I always thought it would happen one day. I think early on I hoped it would happen in time for me, but as the time went on I kind of gave up hope it was going to happen to me a few years ago as it wasn’t looking very likely, then the first women’s fight came around very quick, it happened very fast with the Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche fight and a lot of opportunities opened up and took me by surprise it wasn’t something I anticipated, but embraced it.
EB. Having said that if the UFC were an option back in your earlier career, would you have also taken the opportunity back then?
RS. I’m in a better position now and the division is better on a whole as it’s a lot more competitive, to be honest it happened just at the right time.
EB. How close were you to throwing in the towel and hanging up this side of your career before being signed to UFC?
RS. You have to remember no Professional athlete goes on forever and I didn’t actually say I had retired from the sport; I had reached a stage where I had done most of what I wanted too, and also it was getting difficult to justify the financial terms that go hand in hand with the sport, along with being a single parent to my son, I guess you can say I was just waiting for a bigger opportunity whatever that may have been, and for me, thankfully it was the UFC.
EB. Can you talk me through your feelings, emotions and pressures of being the UK’s sole Female representative in the UFC; fighting in the UK on October 26th in Manchester which is also the UFC’s first ever female fight to happen in Europe and UK in your home town?
RS. Very excited as it is huge. It will be the first women’s UFC fight in Europe, and I will be fighting in my home town for the first time in my whole fighting career. There will be pressure, but I feel it will be a kind of good pressure and I will rise to the occasion.
EB. How easy has it been to get back into training on the back of your loss to Alexis Davis? Can you talk me through the fight and your own opinion of your performance?
RS. It was a good fight, very competitive, good performance. I could have done better and some things cost me the fight. A lot of people were expecting me to get beaten before I went into the fight, no one was talking about me before the fight, they were all talking about Ronda Rousey and how Alexis Davies would walk right through me, but she didn’t. I think she did win it, but it was really close, I was pleased with what I did, not satisfied, pleased. If I could do again I would.
EB. It is no secret this is not your usual fighting weight division, but when an opportunity such as the UFC comes knocking on your door (when you have been a UK MMA pioneer in the sport for just over 10 years, you’re not going to turn it down) – How are you finding the higher weight division?
RS. Good question, 125lb is my best weight class, 135lb I would say I am a bit on the small side but I will give any 135lber a good run for their money in this division , win or lose they will know they have been in a fight when faced against me. Jessica Andrade is a good fight and we have similar styles, I belong in this weight class, I am strong at this weight, I can hang with the other girls; other girls are bigger, that maybe a factor, it depends on the individual, I have upped my game slightly as I cannot rely solely to power through in this weight division.
There are some good fun fights for me in this division, having just recently fought and in my own opinion held my own against the worlds ranked #4 or #5, I belong in this weight class and of course on the flip side I am enjoying being able to eat more. (Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream).
EB. How is your training camp going for this fight? Are you implementing anything new into your training schedule or is it a case of drilling everything you know?
RS. Going real well, had a good week, feeling sharp, have great training partners in flyweights, bantamweights at Next Generation. I’m currently training with a World class Olympic Judo athlete Sophie Cox, who is very solid and has dangerous throws. I am very fortunate in that I also have Laura Howarth helping me out, who has a great striking background. Come October 26th you will see a better version of me.
EB. Now that the sport is evolving and there are more females, how has this helped you and is helping you in your current training as I’ve seen you’ve got the likes of Laura Howarth and Sophie Cox training with you? It must be nice to mix things up and have females involved in a training camp?
RS. It is important to have men, having always trained a lot with men, women are also important, they are different in a whole other way, which is also a whole other question as they really go at you, it is great to have a mix, you can judge where you are at with the females as in size and strength; both females are great to work with as previously mentioned, Sophie is a World class Olympian and Laura comes from a great striking background with a great future ahead of her.
EB. What are your thoughts on the current season of TUF18 with it being a mixed household?
RS. It’s interesting, I’m not up to date as I’ve been training but what I’ve heard is that it is going well, people are talking about it, the women are great and are serious athletes. The women’s fights are great and this is what needs to be showcased for people who are not familiar with women in the sport.
EB. What can the fans expect to see come October 26th at The Phones 4U Arena in Manchester?
RS. Exciting, fast paced fight, with fast paced rounds, combining powerful striking, good grappling; from what I see Jessica also has a strong background in Judo with some Jiu Jitsu skills; she is a dangerous fighter and if you’re not ready for her intensity she can catch you out, but I am ready.
EB. How did you get into MMA? I heard that you watched a TV documentary and was hooked from there?
RS. (Laughs) I was watching a TV documentary back in 1999 which had UK Pioneer Leigh Remedios in and now recently retired ex – UFC veteran Ian Freeman, I thought I wanted to do that, little did I know where it would lead to and that I would end up being the first UK female fighter in the UFC.
EB. Besides the fact that you are on the Manchester card, which fights in particular have caught your eye and you are looking forward to watching?
RS. Michael Bisping Vs Mark Munoz, Ross Pearson Vs Melvin Guillard and of course my fellow midget Phil Harris, all the fights have great UK talent on them.
EB. Anyone you would like to Thank?
RS. My team coaches Paul Williams, Danny Rimmer, Steve Campbell, Mike Leng my Nutrition coach, PhD Nutrition, Funky Gums, Ainsley Fry, Global Therapy for keeping me in one piece, Strength and Performance gym, Rev Gear and Next Generation Gym.
Rosi Sexton takes on Jessica Andrade at The Phones 4U Arena in Manchester on 26th October. Tickets for UFC® MANCHESTER 2013: BISPING vs. MUNOZ are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.phones4uarena.co.uk.
This interview went to print before it was announced Michael Bisping had to withdraw from the event, therefore Lyoto Machida replaced him to face Mark Munoz.
Five Rounds with Emma 
You must be logged in to post a comment.