With just four professional fights under her belt, it appears Ronda Rousey (4-0 MMA, 2-0 SF) will compete for Strikeforce gold.
MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) has confirmed with multiple sources that Rousey and Strikeforce 135-pound female champion Miesha Tate (12-2 MMA, 5-1 SF) are in ongoing discussions to meet at an as-yet-unannounced event expected to take place March 3 in Columbus, Ohio.
However, at this time bout agreements have not been finalized and the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
MMAWeekly.com first reported the matchup, which has been rumored since Rousey's November win over Julia Budd. The fight is expected to take place at Nationwide Arena on the same event that sees Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier conclude Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix. Both fights would likely air on Showtime.
Tate and Rousey, of course, have engaged in a very public war of words centered around Rousey's worthiness as a title challenger. Former 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman has also been outspoken in regards to the relative MMA neophyte earning a shot at gold in just her fifth career fight, especially with the first four taking place at 145 pounds.
Nevertheless, Rousey impressive work to date – which includes scoring four wins in just 138 seconds of total cage time – will see her skip to the front of the line.
Tate looks to defend for the first time the title she earned with a fourth-round submission win of former champ Marloes Coenen this past July. Tate currently boasts a six-fight win streak and is 11-1 in her past 12 fights. The lone loss came in a May 2009 bout with Kaufman.
Meanwhile, Rousey, a former Olympic judoka, has yet to taste defeat in seven total professional and amateur contests. In fact, not one of Rousey's opponents has yet to make it out of the first minute of the fight, and all seven contests have ended via armbar.
Source: Champ Miesha Tate vs. Ronda Rousey in the works for March Strikeforce event
