According to a Feb. 24 report from Yahoo! Sports, Liz Carmouche had Ronda Rousey in such a tight standing neck crank that the star judoka bit down on her arm, leaving nasty teeth marks.
"I beared down where I have teeth marks actually from her mouth where I thought 'Maybe I can get her to tap by just knocking some teeth out'," Carmouche told reporters while laughing at the UFC 157 post-fight presser. "It didn't quite work out."
While biting is not allowed in MMA, the tactic was considered legal because the ref did not see it and Rousey didn't do it on purpose.
"Ah yeah neck cranks are always hard to pull off," Carmouche said of the move that nearly earned her the victory. "I mean if the person has a lot of heart and can fight through it, like she did. She was successful."
Rousey narrowly survived the neck crank and put Carmouche on her back. Once that happened, the end was near. Rousey locked Carmouche in her signature move, and secured the tapout via armbar with 11 seconds to go in the opening frame.
"These two girls went out tonight and showed everybody what it's all about and what they do and what they have," UFC president Dana White said in the UFC 157 post-fight press conference. "They both looked like professionals."
No word yet on when Rousey returns to action, and Carmouche's next opponent is anyone's guess.
With the loss, Carmouche proved she's a very game opponent who clearly deserves to be in the UFC. Rousey also turned in a gritty effort at UFC 157, showing the world that women's MMA is here to stay.
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