(Kim, we’ve seen enough…you’ve got the goods.) 

When it was first announced that Ronda Rousey would be coaching a co-ed season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite the winner of the Miesha Tate/Cat Zingano scrap, the internet pretty much imploded with fanboyish enthusiasm. When Ronda put out an anti-sex warning to the show’s future participants, well, that enthusiasm seemed to suddenly disappear. In either case, the tryouts for TUF 18 went down from the Grand Ballroom of the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas yesterday, and a few of the names that were listed among the potential participants might surprise you.

With only twelve female fighters currently listed in the UFC’s female bantamweight division, yesterday’s tryouts not only featured the usual influx of eager amateurs, but the likes of…

Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler: Competing professionally since 2003, you’d be hard pressed to find a WMMA fan who hasn’t heard of Baszler. The Strikeforce, EliteXC, and InvictaFC veteran is currently 15-8 and 3-2 in her last 5 and holds notable victories over Sarah D’Alelio, Alexis Davis, and Julie Kedzie. Baszler most recently suffered a third round submission loss in her rematch with Davis at Invicta FC 4.

Yvel vs Alexander (spoiler: no flying triangles)

We may be in the midst of a Zuffa drought, but that doesn’t mean we must thirst for knockouts. Last night Resurrection Fighting Alliance hooked up with Sherdog to bring you a live stream of their second card, which featured a pair of heavy hitters and a pioneer of the sport. Jens Pulver also returned to action for the promotion, though thankfully it was in the announcer’s booth this time.

The evening’s main event promised brain damage, and it lived up to our expectations. Houston Alexander displayed the one-strike power that launched his UFC-career, stammering Gilbert Yvel with an overhand right before knocking him down with a leg kick all in the opening thirty seconds of the bout. Yvel looked reserved in his second bout as a light-heavyweight, though against a brawler like Alexander pretty much everyone looks passive. “The Hurricane” started to open up in the latter half of the first round, and with just over a minute remaining on the clock he connected with a left hook that rocked Alexander followed by a big right hand that dropped him face first to the canvas–time to update our planking homage. That’s two straight wins for the recently re-invented 205′er and the second consecutive knockout loss for “The Assassin”.

Join us after the jump for videos and recaps of the Maurice Smith-Jorge Cordoba and Tara LaRosa-Kelly Warren bouts.

(Apparently soccer-kicks are now illegal in soccer? It’s a crazy world…)

The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup draws to a close on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany, as the United States meets Japan in the finals. (Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, by the way.) This marks the first time since 1999 that Americans have been psyched about women’s soccer — but we admit, we’re getting caught up in the hype as well.

In honor of our ladies getting ready to run shop on the Japanese, we decided to hold our own international competition, choosing the best female MMA fighter from 10 different countries and ranking them against each other. The first few names will be very familiar — but who’s carrying the flag for Russia, South Korea, and Germany? Read on and find out…

#1. Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Santos (Brazil)

Record: 10-1
Last fight: Third-round TKO of Jan Finney, 6/26/10
Santos’s inability to find a fight over the last year says a lot about the still-developing state of women’s MMA in this country, as well as her own undisputed position in the 145-pound division. She’s so far ahead of her peers, that no logical challengers even exist.

(Now smile and pretend you like each other.)

If you didn’t know, Miesha Tate‘s turn ons are long walks on the beach and a good Twitter war.

The problem is that her latest intended target,  Tara LaRosa hates the feeling of sand between her toes and isn’t one to take unwarranted abuse lying down. Consequently, the 11-2 Strikeforce women’s  135-pound contender may have bitten off more than she can chew with the outspoken highly-touted 125-pound 14-2 New Jersey native.

In a nutshell, Tate started the ball rolling by saying she would easily beat LaRosa as she claims that she used to “handle” her when the pair trained together when Meisha first started training in the sport. LaRosa scoffed at the claims, and said that she used to go at about 30% intensity with her much larger former training partner.

Of course Tate took umbrage to the intimation that she was fat, prompting her to say that she saw photos of LaRosa in high school and that she had to be about 180 or so — another claim Tara debunked.

The game point of the match went to LaRosa who revealed that a source in the know had tipped her off today to the fact that Tate allegedly employs the use of clenbuterol, a bronchodilator  typically used by asthma sufferers that also doubles as a weight-cutting aid. Tate uncharacteristically ignored the claim by LaRosa and pretended like she didn’t read the tweet (or subsequent tweets).

For those of you who speak Twitter,  the nuts and bolts of their back-and forth are after the jump.

(Skip to the 7-minute mark for the finish. Props: carloscub6)

Stepping in for the cancelled James Irvin vs. Houston Alexander co-main event, Tara LaRosa and Carina Damm put on a great show for the fans at Shark Fights 14 in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday, ending in a second-round submission win for the American. After an evenly pitched first round, LaRosa scored right away in the second frame, knocking Damm down with a jab. Damm immediately responded with a heel-hook attempt on the ground, but LaRosa grabbed a heel-hook of her own and was able to finish hers first. The loss was Damm’s third-straight, following a ten-fight win streak.

In the main event, Danillo Villefort dominated Matt Horwich for all three rounds with a varied striking attack and a handful of well-timed takedowns, earning a unanimous 30-27 nod from the judges. Full Shark Fights 14 results are after the jump.

(If they were the same guy, this would be a fantastic ad for Trimspa. Photos courtesy of Sherdog.)

Last June, we saw Tim Sylvia’s alarming weight of 310.6 pounds as proof that he didn’t take his fight against Ray Mercer as seriously as he should have. Well you all can put your concerns to rest now, because according to yesterday’s Moosin: God of Martial Arts weigh-ins, the Maine-iac has hacked off a full 5.6 pounds since that brutal loss, suggesting that maybe he’s leaving that last rib on the plate when he goes out and orders three slabs of ribs. We’re proud of you, buddy. In all seriousness, this isn’t a physique competition, and Mariusz Pudzianowski didn’t really impress anybody in his last fight, which took place just two weeks ago. But Tim’s unwillingness to get below 300 pounds (and his doughy, Wes Sims-like build) may be a sign that his heart isn’t really into training these days. After the jump: Full weigh-in results for tonight’s Moosin show, plus a video of Roxy Modafferi and Tara LaRosa getting all chummy before their fight. Have you made your Moosin picks on FightPicker yet?

(Submission savant Megumi Fujii. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

When "Carano vs. Cyborg" pulled in 856,000 viewers on Showtime, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there could be a market for women’s MMA outside of Japanese all-girl leagues and one-off fights in the U.S. Strikeforce and Bellator are both planning high-profile women’s tournaments, and 2010 could be the year that women finally gain some measure of equality in the sport. In honor of the coming revolution, we’ve launched a top 5 women’s pound-for-pound list in our Power Rankings section; get to know these warriors below, and let us know what you think.

*****

1: Megumi Fujii (18-0)
Armed with grappling credentials that include two BJJ championships at the Pan American Games and nine All-Japan Sambo titles, Fujii has tapped 15 of her 18 opponents during her five-year MMA career, and outpointed the other three. Her relentless, inventive ground attack is reminiscent of Kazushi Sakuraba in his prime, and at just 115 pounds, the 35-year-old packs more talent per ounce than any other woman in the world. In a sport where retiring undefeated is a mythical feat, Fujii just might pull it off.
Watch this: Fujii’s "Alive" and "Hurt" highlight reels.

2: Tara LaRosa (17-1)

Though Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg draw more attention, hardcore fans know that Tara LaRosa is the most talented female fighter our country has to offer. The former women’s bantamweight champ of BodogFight, LaRosa has run through a who’s who of U.S. talent including Roxanne Modafferi, Amanda Buckner, Shayna Baszler, and Kelly Kobold. She hasn’t lost since 2003, and she’s finished her last seven fights by stoppage. The word is that she’ll be competing next in a women’s 125-pound tournament for Bellator; if that works out, get ready for a whole new batch of YouTube highlights.
Watch this: Tara LaRosa vs. Shayna Baszler

(Sean McClure, Jon Hatton and B.J. Santiago of the AFL: the dumbasses in question. Photo courtesy of americanfightleague.com.)

Okay, you want to talk delusional? Then read this wild-ass Bizlex.com profile of William “BJ” Santiago, CEO of the American Fight League, that was recently dug up by MMA Payout. You may remember the AFL as the upstart Kentucky-based fight club that just signed Tara LaRosa to a monumental $500,000+ four-fight deal, as well as ex pro-wrestler Bobby Lashley and possibly Kim Couture. Anyway, Santiago has big, big dreams, and doesn’t foresee any difficulties in paying for them. Witness:

In its first year, the group forecasts revenues between $15 million and $20 million. By 2009, the AFL plans to double those revenues. The group will have events in 12 to 15 states this year. Within two years, there will be an AFL event taking place every week somewhere in the country.

Both Santiago and Hatton attribute this success [Ed. note: you mean *will* attribute this *projected* success?] to the organization’s pursuit of two unique agendas: a minor league or grassroots style professional circuit and a positive public image campaign…

Veteran, credentialed fighters will tour throughout the country in any of the 33 states where fighting is legalized. Rankings, as well as matches, are determined based on earned points, with fighters also competing for a predetermined purse…

Amateurs and pro-rookies are given an opportunity to prove their worth in the grass roots system. This local or “farm” system allows fighters to gain experience and reputation based on a point system. Such a platform allows fighters to move up in the sport, Hatton said.

Let’s skip ahead a bit because the details only get more convoluted from there. Hey guys, how about other revenue streams?

Tara LaRosa — who you may know either as the best female MMA fighter in the world, or as that broad who can’t stand Gina Carano — just signed a landmark deal with the Kentucky-based American Fight League that could pay her between $500,000 and $750,000 for four fights over 18 months. LaRosa (15-1) holds notable wins over Shayna Baszler, Roxanne Modafferi, Amanda Buckner, and Julie Kedzie, and most recently competed in the Bodog Fight organization (if you can call it that); she reportedly negotiated with Affliction, the IFL and EliteXC before inking the deal with the AFL. “Since I definitely have a really big contract, it sort of raises the bar as to what others can get,” Larosa said in a Sherdog interview. “If I get paid higher, everyone else gets paid higher. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

The AFL’s new focus on their women’s division has caught the attention of Kim Couture, who makes her pro MMA debut next Friday in Las Vegas against Kim Rose. Couture told MMAWeekly that she’d also been in negotiations with the American Fight League and will likely sign with them soon: “There are a couple of leagues coming up that are building up the women’s league. The American Fight League, they just signed Tara Larosa “They’ve contacted me. And they’ve got a few other girls getting ready to sign with them, so I’m more headed that way.”

The AFL has only put on two small-scale events in its brief existence, which featured Diego Saraiva, Junior Assuncao, and Rory Singer. The league recently made headlines for signing former WWE pro wrestling star Bobby Lashley to a multi-fight contract.

(Bone is for the dog; meat is for the man.)

Hey Potato Heads; couple things to pass along this afternoon…

Commenters “Near07″ and “Da Freak” are refuting our earlier report, taken from The Fight Network, that Gary Goodridge has dropped out of YAMMA Pit Fighting’s debut show on April 11th. From the comments on Wednesday’s post:

Near07 Says:
March 28th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I am talking to Gary and he claims that this article is bogus, and he is indeed fighting butterbean in Yamma!! Not sure who puts thes up, but it should be scraped!! Thanks

Near07 Says:
March 28th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Gary just sent this to me 2 minutes ago
“Just post on it, that you talked to me and I told you it was all bogus and I already talk to Bob M Yesterday being Thursday. We got everything straight. I have but one Manger and it is not Dave Wallis”

Da Freak Says:
March 28th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hey gang ,
I have no idea where this BS came from, but I am Gary’s training partner and we are in full training camp mode for Butterbean.
GARY WILL BE THERE AND WILL KICK SOME UGLY ASS
Fredd

As with everything posted by blog commenters, everything related to YAMMA Pit Fighting, and pretty much everything posted on this site, take the above with a nice-sized chunk of rock-salt.

In other news, top-ranked female fighter Tara LaRosa, who openly despises Gina Carano, recently made the following post on The UnderGround Forum in reference to “Crush”: