Source: MMA Weekly

Ronda Rousey said she couldn’t call herself a champion until she successfully defended her women’s Strikeforce bantamweight title. Well tonight she can. Rousey finished Sarah Kaufman with surprise surprise her signature move the armbar in the first round. Rousey is now 6-0 in her pro MMA career with armbar finishes all in the first round.

Going into the fight, I thought Kaufman would at least be able to land some punches and threaten the champ before Rousey secured the clinch and got the takedown. But Rousey dominated the fight from the start attaching in the clinch and then getting a smooth trip to take Kaufman down. It was all Rousey from there.

Kaufman was able to defend the armbar a few times but Rousey was relentless in sweeping Kaufman each time to secure the submission. You have to consider Rousey the legit women’s champ at this point. She has dominated all of her opponents inside the first round with a move that they have drilled and trained for. Rousey challenged Cyborg after her fight at 135 lbs. Cyborg has to man up and make this happen. It will be a huge fight for women’s MMA.

In the co-main event of the night, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza showed why he is one of the most feared middleweights in the world. Souza knocked out Derek Brunson in convincing fashion in the first round. Souza is known for his world class jiu jitsu but showcased his striking skills tonight. The win all but sets up a rematch against current Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold who took Souza’s title to begin with. Here are the full fight card results:

Main Bouts (on Showtime):
Ronda Rousey def. Sarah Kaufman by Submission (Armbar) at 0:54, R1
Ronaldo Jacare Souza def. Derek Brunson by KO (Punches) at 0:41, R1
Tarec Saffiedine def. Roger Bowling by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
Anthony Smith def. Lumumba Sayers by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:52, R1
Ovince St. Preux def. TJ Cook by KO (Punch) at 0:20, R3

Preliminary Bouts (on Showtime Extreme):
Miesha Tate def. Julie Kedzie by Submission (Armbar) at 3:28, R3
Adlan Amagov def. Keith Berry by TKO (Strikes) at 0:48, R1
Germaine de Randamie def. Hiroko Yamanaka by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
Bobby Green def. Matt Ricehouse by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3