According to a March 4 post from Bleacher Report, Liz Carmouche's superb performance during her UFC 157 fight against Ronda Rousey helped validate the UFC's decision to bring the women's division to the fold.
"She showed that the division may not be a one-woman show, and that Rousey is susceptible to an upset," says Bleacher Report's Nathan McCarter. "The former Marine earned many new fans with her showing, and her return to the cage is eagerly anticipated."
Carmouche did indeed prove to be a very game opponent, and a tough challenge for any female bantamweight willing to step into the cage with her.
Carmouche had Rousey in trouble early, nearly securing a neck crank while clinging to the star judoka's back.
Rousey barely escaped the chokehold by getting her chin and mouth underneath Carmouche’s arm, and the former Marine has the bite marks on her arm to prove how close she was to finishing.
Rousey would eventually take Carmouche to the mat and secure the win with her signature armbar technique, but the champ was stretched to the limit against a formidable opponent.
Carmouche achieved great success at UFC 157, but it wouldn't have been possible without the help of her coach, Manolo Hernandez.
“This is like the moon landing,” Hernandez said of the UFC 157 brawl between Carmouche and Rousey. “Not more than a year ago UFC President Dana White said there would never be women in UFC fighting and now here it is. We owe that to to Rousey, in part being the character that she is, but moreso that the fans want to see it, and I think this is going to be a great fight also.”
While it's true Carmouche made history by stepping into the cage opposite Rousey for the first all-female bout in UFC history, Hernandez made history the night before by perhaps becoming the first coach to wear a comically tiny backpack during a UFC weigh-in.
As Rousey walked out to the weigh-ins, Hernandez could be seen shaking hands with UFC President Dana White, who appeared to be pleased with the coach's warm personality and firm handshake.
Hernandez looked stylish in an Invicta FC t-shirt, and he says the backpack he wore wasn't as small as it seemed.
"You're welcome Eric but that was a regular backpack I was just huge," Hernandez said via Twitter, in response to a fan who complimented his cute storage apparel.
Was Hernandez's backpack actually tiny? Fans can find out by checking out the UFC 157 weigh-ins at this link.
Hernandez is the head MMA trainer at San Diego Combat Academy in San Diego, Calif. MMA fans can check them out at San Diego Combat Academy, or by following Hernandez on Twitter @MHHurricane.
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