(Photos via Paul Buceta, Sherdog)

By BG, cross-posted from Break.com

As the UFC’s first-ever female champion, Ronda Rousey is the biggest name in women’s MMA right now. In fact, Ronda’s popularity is growing so fast that former Strikeforce superstar Gina Carano — once known as “The Face of Women’s MMA” — is becoming a distant memory for many fans. But who really deserves to be called the Greatest Female MMA Fighter of All-Time? Let’s compare the ladies point-by-point and find out…

First and foremost, who’s hotter?
Blonde, fit, and attractive whether she’s smiling or scowling, Ronda Rousey is unquestionably one of the hottest female athletes on the planet. But Gina Carano isn’t just “hot for a fighter.” Her Hollywood-caliber looks have earned her mainstream movie roles, and some of her photo-shoots have been truly jaw-dropping. If you prefer your women to be curvy, Gina takes this one hands down.
Advantage: Gina

How did they get into fighting?
Ronda was born into it. Her mother was a judo world champion, training Ronda from an early age to follow in her footsteps. (“She would wake me up from sleep to do armbars,” Ronda explained.) At 17, Rousey qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games, and won a bronze medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing, becoming the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in women’s judo.

As for Gina? Her ex-boyfriend’s Muay Thai instructor told her she looked fat when he first met her, which inspired her to take up the sport herself and get in shape. She eventually started competing in Muay Thai, putting together a record of 12-1-1 — which is impressive, but not Olympic Medal impressive.
Advantage: Ronda

To see how Ronda and Gina stack up in five more categories — including MMA accomplishments and GIF-related awesomeness — click here to continue reading this post on Break.com…

This weekend, the UFC will be making its first ever trip to China, which totally explains why they decided to stack a garbage ass card with Japanese fighters and put a Vietnamese guy in the main event, because close enough, right kids?

All kidding and racially misguided motivations aside, we will be in for a hell of a fight when Rich Franklin and Cung Le throw down this Saturday. Both men are known for turning in crowd-pleasing performances each and every time they step into the octagon — thanks in part to Rich’s fearless demeanor and Cung’s Cirque du Soleil-esque kicking ability — and both have gone win-loss in their last four fights. It’s not exactly a must win for either of these company men, but with Franklin currently standing at around a -300 favorite heading into fight night, we figured we would take a look at just how well these two match up, Head to Head style. Enjoy.

(It’s pretty obvious who takes the “Cooler Hairstyle” category.)

It’s time for some real talk, Potato Nation. Stephan Bonnar is booking a one-way train ticket to Painsville Station on Saturday night and Anderson Silva is the conductor. I know it, you know it, the bookies know it, and your mom knows it (I asked her last night. Say hi to her for me, alright?). Matter of fact, if “The American Psycho” is simply able to come away from the fight in the same state of matter he began it in, everyone watching will unquestionably declare his performance a win for America, the UFC, and perhaps even the Caucasian race.

But this fight is about more than who’s accomplished what or who holds what title or who may or may not have lost to a decrepit Mark Coleman. There are several x-factors at play here, and when we decided to match up Stephan Bonnar and Anderson Silva for one of our infamous head to head sessions, the results might surprise you. Let’s get started.

AGE
Bonnar: 35
Silva: 37
Advantage: Bonnar

SIZE
Bonnar: 6’3″, walks around at roughly 235 lbs, 80 inch reach
Silva: 6’2″, walks around at roughly 215 lbs, 77.5 inch reach
Advantage: Bonnar

(Just bide your time, Chael, he’s gonna walk right into that kneebar any second now.) 

The current betting line on Forrest Griffin vs. Chael Sonnen is downright insane.

Say what you want about how Griffin has looked in the octagon as of late (Seriously, do it. Here are a few adjective suggestions: sluggish, apathetic, hairy, manic-depressive), but even we couldn’t have seen this coming. When it was announced a few days ago that Sonnen would making his return to 205 lbs at UFC 155 against FoGriff after being tarred and feathered coming up short in his rematch with Anderson Silva, we expected that he would open as a small favorite with the former Light Heavyweight champ, if not even. Despite Griffin’s aforementioned lack of firepower lately, especially considering he was riding the TRT train for his last bout, Forrest is pretty massive for a light heavyweight, and you know, already beat Sonnen once before. There is also the fact that Sonnen’s last fight in the UFC at light heavyweight ended in submission (you know which one), and that Griffin managed to catch him with that exact same submission in their first, etc…

In either case, we were dead wrong.

Currently, BestFightOdds has Sonnen listed at an even -300 over Griffin, which must be based entirely on their respective performances against Anderson Silva, with Sonnen lasting roughly six and a half rounds and Griffin lasting roughly three and a half minutes. But those were a long three and a half minutes, you guys, like watching the puppy you got for Christmas fall through the ice in your Grandma’s pond and drown in slow motion…on that very same Christmas.

Needless to say, if this blatant disrespect doesn’t light a fire under Griffin’s ass, nothing will. We feel like we’ve typed that a lot lately.

Is that line as bad as we’re making it out to be? Join us after the jump for a good old fashioned head-to-head breakdown to see if our outrage is justified.

(The CagePotato HR Department: Boldly squashing inter-office disputes since 2007.) 

Just like pictures of hot womens and irresponsible opinions, pre-UFC event bickering has become a fixture here at CagePotato. In advance of this weekend’s card in Toronto, we locked Danga and ReX in a miniature Octagon with energy drinks, a blow-up doll, and a set of questions. We were dubious about the doll, but ReX insisted that hilarity would ensue, and he assures us that it did. It wasn’t mentioned in the final article, but some things you just don’t want to ask about.

Come on in past the jump and witness the confusion of two men discussing MMA while being distracted by said hot womens, touching on the subjects of likability, MMA Math, and the potential importance of fashion choices.

It’s pretty appropriate that UFC 137 is transpiring Halloween weekend. Not only will Mirko Cro Cop and Brandon Vera attempt to bring their respective careers back from the dead, but the card also features a cowboy, a French zombie, and a Hawaiian vampire. The main event pits Nick Diaz Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit against long reigning champion George St. Pierre in what should be his toughest test to date (seriously this time). So, to determine exactly how well each fighter will do, we’ve compiled a list of empirical and infallible data that would make Gil Grissom blush with envy. Of course, if you feel the fight will end differently, be sure to let us know in the comments section.

HEIGHT
Condit: 6’1″
GSP: 5’10″
Advantage: Condit

(Smile advantage: Hendo.)

According to our homepage poll, 56% of you think Fedor Emelianenko will come away with a victory when he meets Dan Henderson in the headlining bout of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30th. Fair enough. But have you considered all the factors involved in the matchup — and I mean all of them, even the stupid ones? Check out our head-to-head rundown and let us know if we change your mind.

AGE
Fedor: 34 years old, 11 years in the sport
Henderson: 40 years old, 14 years in the sport
Advantage: Fedor

NUMBER OF TIMES THEY’VE BEEN KNOCKED OUT COLD
Fedor: 0 times in 35 fights
Henderson: 0 times in 35 fights
Advantage: Dead freakin’ even

LAST TWO FIGHTS RESULTED IN
Fedor: Humiliating losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva
Henderson: Thunderous KO’s of Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante
Advantage: Henderson

(So much is on the line here. Pride. A win bonus. Mostly just those two things.)

In less than two weeks, the UFC will return from its spring hibernation to present UFC 130 in Las Vegas, featuring a makeshift main event that not even the fighters themselves are that psyched about. But hey, fighting is fighting. Let’s all stay positive and consult the cold, hard data to predict how the light-heavyweight bang-up between Quinton Jackson and Matt Hamill will play out. If you see things differently, let us know in the comments section…

SIZE
Jackson: 6’1″, 73-inch reach
Hamill: 6’1″, 76-inch reach
Advantage: Hamill

RESULT OF LAST FIGHT
Jackson: Split-decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123
Hamill: Unanimous decision over Tito Ortiz at UFC 121
Advantage: Jackson

MOST DEVASTATING KNOCKOUT
Jackson: His slam KO of Ricardo Arona at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004
Hamill: His head-kick KO of Mark Munoz at UFC 96
Advantage: Jackson

MOST UNDESERVED VICTORY
Jackson: His split-decision win over Murilo “Ninja” Rua at PRIDE 29
Hamill: His DQ victory over Jon Jones at the TUF 10 finale
Advantage: Even

The first UFC title fight of 2011 is just eleven days away, which means it’s time to drag out some stats and see who holds the advantages in the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard rematch — on paper, at least. As we all know, anything can happen in the cage. Seriously. This one could end in a unanimous decision, it could end in a split decision, a majority decision…you just never know.

BIGGEST CAREER WIN
Edgar: Defended his lightweight title in a 50-45 x 3 shutout against BJ Penn at UFC 118.
Maynard: Routed Kenny Florian the same night to win the #1 lightweight contender spot.
Advantage: Edgar

MOST PAINFUL LOSS
Edgar: His UFC Fight Night 13 decision loss against, you guessed it, Gray Maynard. It’s still the only loss on Edgar’s record.
Maynard: He’s never lost in professional competition, though he was submitted by Nate Diaz on TUF 5 (a loss he avenged later at UFC Fight Night 20) and accidentally knocked himself out in a no-contest against Rob Emerson.
Advantage: Maynard

UFC FINISHING RATIO
Edgar: 22% (2 stoppage wins in 9 fights)
Maynard: 11% (1 stoppage win in 9 fights)
Advantage: Edgar

This Saturday in Detroit, two former light-heavyweight champions — both coming off of losses — will battle to retain their top-contender status. To better predict the outcome of Rampage vs. Machida, we look to the stats, which never, ever fail us. Check ‘em out below, and don’t forget to make your picks in this week’s MMA Fightpicker pools!

# OF SUCCESSFUL TITLE DEFENSES AS CHAMPION
Jackson: 1
Machida: 1  
Advantage: even

FINISHING RATIO
Jackson: 55% (21 stoppage wins in 38 career fights)
Machida: 41% (7 stoppage wins in 17 career fights)
Advantage: Jackson

CURRENT CAMP AFFILIATION
Jackson: It’s kind of a secret.
Machida: Black House
Advantage: Machida

UNFORTUNATE BEVERAGE CHOICE
Jackson: Energy drinks
Machida: Pee-pee
Advantage: Jackson

(Use the rage, Cain. Use it!)

By this point, you’ve probably picked a winner for tomorrow night’s Lesnar vs. Velasquez event in Anaheim. Maybe you think Cain Velasquez‘s speed and striking technique will win the day. Maybe you think Brock Lesnar‘s power and hugeness will carry him through. But have you really considered all the relevant factors? Let’s run down the UFC 121 headlining match and see who really holds the advantages…

MMA RECORD BEFORE ENTERING THE UFC
Lesnar: 1-0 (first-round TKO win over Min Soo Kim)
Velasquez: 2-0 (first-round TKO wins over Jesse Fujarczyk and Jeremiah Constant)
Advantage: Velasquez

# OF OPPONENTS THEY COULDN’T FINISH
Lesnar: 2 (lost to Frank Mir by submission, defeated Heath Herring by decision)
Velasquez: 1 (defeated Cheick Kongo by decision)
Advantage: Velasquez

WALKOUT MUSIC
Lesnar: "Enter Sandman"
Velasquez: A vaguely threatening Mexican tune about illegal immigration
Advantage: even

This Saturday in London, UFC middleweight Michael Bisping will get home-court advantage in his headlining fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama. Bisping is coming off a decision win against Dan Miller at UFC 114, while Akiyama will try to rebound from his submission loss to Chris Leben. Of course, you can’t always predict a fight’s outcome just by looking at recent performances. So let’s go to the stats and see if we can figure this sum’bitch out…

UFC RECORD
Bisping: 9-3
Akiyama: 1-1
Advantage: Bisping

NICKNAME
Bisping: "The Count"
Akiyama: "Sexyama"
Advantage: Akiyama

PERFORMANCE AGAINST COMMON OPPONENTS
Bisping: Defeated Denis Kang via TKO R2, defeated Chris Leben via unanimous decision
Akiyama: Defeated Denis Kang via KO R1, lost to Chris Leben by submission (triangle choke) R3 
Advantage: Bisping

CAN HE SELL OUT AN ARENA WITH A MUSIC CONCERT?
Bisping: No
Akiyama: Yes
Advantage: Akiyama

(Whatever Benavidez throws at him in the cage, it won’t be nearly as intense as that horrible freakin’ ice bath. Props: YouTube.com/fightmagazine)

Headlining tomorrow night’s WEC 50 card on Versus is Dominick Cruz (15-1) attempting his first bantamweight title defense against old rival Joseph Benavidez (12-1). Cruz won their first meeting at WEC 42 by unanimous decision. Will he be able to repeat the performance, or is Joe B gettin’ that belt? Let’s go to the stats…

AGE
Cruz: 25
Benavidez: 26
Advantage: Even

HEIGHT
Cruz: 5’8"
Benavidez: 5’4"
Advantage: Cruz. Seriously, Ariel Helwani looks like a giant standing next to Joe. Though to be fair, Miguel Torres is 5’9", and Benavidez wrecked him.

FINISHING PERCENTAGE
Cruz: 44% (7 out of 16 fights ended in stoppage victories)
Benavidez: 77% (10 out of 13 fights ended in stoppage victories)
Advantage: Benavidez

(Yeesh, poor kid…)

Kicking off the UFC 117 pay-per-view card this Saturday in Oakland will be Junior Dos Santos (11-1) vs. Roy Nelson (15-4), a guaranteed banger that could decide the next title contender in the heavyweight division. Nelson is nearly a 3-1 underdog against the Brazilian phenom, but let’s take a closer look at the matchup and see who really holds the advantages…

AGE
Dos Santos: 25
Nelson: 34
Advantage: Dos Santos

SIZE
Dos Santos: 6’4, 238 pounds, 77" reach
Nelson: 6’0, 263 pounds, 74" reach; the mass of Nelson’s stomach has been compared to the moon.
Advantage: even

NICKNAME
Dos Santos: Cigano ("Gypsy")
Nelson: Big Country
Advantage: Nelson. Dos Santos is named after a soap opera character, which isn’t very hardcore at all.

KNOCKED OUT STEFAN STRUVE IN…
Dos Santos: 54 seconds (at UFC 95)
Nelson: 39 seconds (at UFC Fight Night 21)
Advantage: Nelson

(Pay no attention to the two dudes lurking in the background…)

Light-heavyweight wunderkind Jon Jones and grizzled old vet Vladimir Matyushenko face off next Sunday at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko, August 1st in San Diego. At first, we were quick to write off this matchup as a gift for Bones, but nothing is guaranteed in this crazy sport. Let’s dive into the stats and see who really holds the advantages…

AGE
Jones: 23
Matyushenko: 39
Advantage: Jones

NICKNAME
Jones: "Bones"
Matyushenko: "The Janitor"
Advantage: Jones. You already know how we feel about Vlad’s nickname.

TIME SPENT AS A PRO
Jones: Over two years
Matyushenko: Almost 13 years
Advantage: Matyushenko. The Janitor probably owns jock-straps that have logged more cage-time than Jones.

CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Jones: Headlining the UFC’s first card on Versus and breaking Brandon Vera’s face in three places.
Matyushenko: Becoming the IFL’s first light-heavyweight champion, and successfully defending the belt before the organization folded.
Advantage: Even. Matyushenko can say he’s a former champion. But Jones can say he destroyed Brandon Vera’s face. It kind of depends on where your priorities lie.

Attention MMA FightPicker players: WEC 47 goes down tomorrow, which means it’s time to get off your lazy asses and make some predictions. As we do every time there’s a notable MMA event over the weekend, BF and I decided to join the same FightPicker pool in order to compete in an absolutely meaningless pissing-contest over bragging rights. But as soon as we entered Contender Pool 10 #635, we knew that this week wouldn’t be like all the others. Right there at the bottom of the player’s list was Aaron Rampey, FightPicker’s capo di tutti capi. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Aaron is entering pretty much every pool at this point, but the stakes just got a little higher. Will the Bens be able to outgun FightPicker’s point-leader and creep up the rankings themselves? Will it matter, since Rampey has probably learned how to game the system by hedging bets over multiple pools? Be sure to check back in on Monday to see how it all plays out, and read on to see our picks for this week…

Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz @ WEC 47: Who will win?
BG: Bowles. Cruz is a very worthy challenger, but Bowles has been so dominant in his WEC career that there’s really no reason to bet against him.
BF: Agreed. There’s just no way I can go against Bowles, who reminds me of a grown-up Dennis the Menace, only heavy on the menace.

Will Bowles vs. Cruz make it to round 3?
BG: That’s a tough one. Bowles usually doesn’t need more than two rounds, and Cruz has gone to the cards in his last four. But I have to assume that Bowles will impose his will and blow Cruz out like everybody else he’s faced.
BF: Honestly, I’ll be surprised if it makes it to round 2. I think we’re looking at about 3-4 minutes of action, much like your wedding night, BG, only with less sobbing.

(Some Silva vs. Bisping hype, courtesy of nicktheface.)

Update: In light of the Rothwell/Cro Cop/Perosh situation, which will henceforth be referred to as the saga of Mirko and "The Hippo," just for laughs, we’ve updated the FightPicker questions. We’ve also replaced Sinosic/Haseman with Lytle/Foster, so there’s that too. You should probably go update your picks accordingly. Picks can be changed until 11 pm PST tonight. If, after that point, any more changes happen to make our existing questions obsolete, we’ll just declare those a tie. Sound good?

It’s the Friday before a big MMA event, and as new tradition dictates, it’s time for BF and I to make our MMA FightPicker picks public so that we can bust each other’s balls on Monday morning. Before we get to it, have you made your own picks yet? And have you considered entering one of the prize pools to win an iPod Touch? Not trying to nag or anything, it’s just that we regret the things we don’t do in this life, you know? Anyway…

1. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez at UFC 110: Who will win?
BG: Nogueira. He’ll handle Velasquez standing, and he’s strong enough on the ground to avoid being squashed.
BF: Strong enough to avoid being squashed, yes. But strong enough to avoid being put there again and again and worked over for three rounds? I have my doubts. Velasquez via decision. Maybe then you’ll realize that it is not 2006 anymore.