If you have been living under a rock for the past few years then you may have missed the blonde fury that is Ronda Rousey. The undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champ is the new face of women’s mixed martial arts and this weekend she is bringing a host of friends. Not in the literal sense but in regards to WMMA the names that will grace the cages in the city of Angels are undeniable. She with Cat Zingano headline a historic weekend for the sport that includes the first pay per view in UFC history featuring a woman’s main and co main event at UFC 184. The night before Cris “Cyborg” Santos meets Canadian crusher Charmaine Tweet in an epic featherweight title showdown for Invicta FC. Holm, Pennington, Grasso, Inoue, Bennett and Aldana are all names that the rest of the mixed martial arts community will become familiar with after this weekend. With the amount of attention given to women’s combat sports in the past few years it’s fitting that the stars align in Hollywood for this all to take place. These women are all gorgeous, incredibly gifted and amazing fighters. So there is no better place for Los Angeles for all of them to display their star power. Expect a who's who of female fighters to invade southern California this weekend and we can guarantees it will be two days we will never forget.

Many eyes will also be on Cyborg this weekend at Invicta FC 11 / thearenamma.com

One of the underlying stories that many have been following leading up to this weekend is the prospect of finally seeing a Rousey - Cyborg match up. As a writer who has covered Invicta there has never been this much attention to open workouts or the arrival of the all-female promotion out of Kansas City We all know it’s because of the long awaited return to cage by Cyborg. What a push so far by the UFC to have she and Charmaine Tweet featured on their Fight Pass promotion that has even reached the Fox Sports 1 platform. Clearly Zuffa is now behind the former Strikeforce Champion but if she is unable to ever reach the 135 weight division, where will the company go from here. Similar to the Mirko Cro Cop situation it’s possible they will have her sign an exclusive contract that keeps her entrenched in the Zuffa banner. In a sense she will be the reason why people continue to pay for Fight Pass and look for the Invicta promotion. This is not to take away anything from any of the women on the roster as they are all truly stars, but the proof is in the pudding. When Cyborg shows up everyone pays attention. This move could keep her out of the hands of her friend Scott Coker in Bellator who has already lined up a 145 division for women. So if the best female talent is in that weight class is going to Bellator (Budd, Blencowe, and Coenen) then what is to keep Cyborg and even Charmaine Tweet happy in Invicta? The recent signings by the promotion have been the lighter classes so we will have to see if Julie and Shannon turn their attention to 135 and above in the near future. Personally this writer feels that the fight between Rousey and Cyborg will never happen and that’s ok. It’s no reason there can’t be a dominant fighter in both weight classes, hell all of them. We would have no issues with Rousey, Cyborg, Esparza, Tiburcio, Honchak or any of the girls having successful runs with their titles. It’s what helps create stars and keeps eyes on the sport. With the recent concerns with weight cutting, PEDs and all it’s a better idea to keep the fighters men and women at their natural walk around weight. None of this is healthy for anyone and as we have seen as of late, it clearly is becoming more of an issue as the sport progresses.

Not to be outshined Charmaine Tweet looks to capture her own spotlight in the action packed weekend/ Esther Lin Invicta FC

Even though she has been a star since arriving in the UFC, Ronda Rousey has done an impeccable job of dealing with the spotlight while constantly improving, Give the woman all the credit in the world for understanding her limitation and pushing past them. Say what you will on her striking improvements but one thing you can’t deny is that she has worked on it. Cat Zingano has the ability to give her problems all over the place but her recent back issues are still a bothersome thought. There has been no indication that she is having any issues with it but if you have been a fan of any sport your entire life you know what back injuries can do to an athlete's career. We hope she is as close to a hundred percent as possible to make this fight as exciting as it can be. Also a slow start for Cat is not in her best interests so maybe she can nullify the judoken attack of Rousey with a little flying armbar action that we have seen Cat do before, on men! It will be a historic headlining fight but for now our money is on the defending champion.

The debut of Holly Holm is one we have been waiting for. Ever since she flipped her way around the Legacy cage we have been anticipating her entry into the 135 division. Her welcoming party is no slouch and possibly one of the best counter punchers in women’s mixed arts in Raquel Pennington. Don’t let the record fool you and her submission over Ashlee Evans-Smith was no fluke. As many witnessed on The Ultimate Fighter, Raquel is hardnosed no BS individual in the cage and she will give Holm a hell of a fight. One of the reasons why this match will be exciting is because Pennington welcomes the standup but has good work off her back. So she presents many challenges for Holly but will give us a clear indication of what she is able to do.

Holly Holm makes her long awaited debut at UFC 184 / ESPN.com

While Cyborg and Charmaine Tweet may not be on similar paths in the sports, they are two women who been ever present in the progression of women’s mixed martial arts. Tweet maybe the smartest fighter on either card the entire weekend and has the fortitude to execute a game plan against Cris. She has faced heavy hitter her entire career and has the ability to turn the tide back in her favor in a fight in any moment. That’s because unlike most of the girls on both cards she is a complete mixed martial arts fighter. She’s equally strong in all facets and if she can work her levels changes and keep her chin away from Cyborg this match could get interesting soon. Don’t expect Tweet to run away either as you will see Friday night while not built in the same mold as Cris, Tweet does carry an imposing frame. You can never count Charmaine out in a fight and that’s what makes this main event for Invicta FC 11 exciting.

Scattered among the Invicta FC 11 card are some names of women who will further carry the torch of women’s mixed martial arts. Not only do these ladies possess the ability to be dynamic and fan friendly fighters but they also understand the connection importance of their fans bases. Mizuki Inoue and Alexa Grasso are two young women that could help really increase the overall buzz on the straw weight division outside of the UFC. It’s hard to deny the 115 being the best in the world and with the recent rumors of former Invicta atom weight champ Michelle Waterson moving up it begs to take notice even more. The 115 division in women’s fighting reminds us of the men’s 155. There are killers everywhere and anyone in the top 20 in the world could be a featured fighter on any card in any promotion. So to see these two extraordinary fighters match up so early is spectacular. Inoue is coming off a recent loss to another standout prospect in Karolina Kowalkiewicz who with a win over another top fighter in Kalindra Faria may be joining the UFC soon herself. Grasso is coming of an amazing KO victory over straw weight contender Alida Gray. Grasso may have the fastest hands in the sport and her fight with Mizuki will prove that as she is clearly in the top two. This will be such a great standup fight but the pop that Grasso possesses is what will be the key. This writer truly enjoys watching both of these ladies compete but we think Inoue maybe in a little trouble when she faces the impressive fighter out of Mexico City. This will be another international showdown to enjoy on the stacked Invicta FC 11 card.

We could talk for days on how impressive each and every woman on both cards this week is but your eyes being on LA is what is important. In a time when the sport is as ugly as it can be with cheating and legal matters we look for the reasons why we love this sport in the first place. This weekend is one of those reasons. It’s also one that can turn the naysayers of women’s mixed martial arts but who cares about them anyway. They have no bearing on the ability these women are able to perform so if they have not caught up by now that is their loss. Yes we didn’t get what we expected from UFC 184 originally but this writer feels now with the inclusion of Invicta we have something better. One weekend to truly give a spotlight on women’s mixed martial arts. After names like Alida Gray, Irene Aldana, DeAnna Bennett, Colleen Schneider, Brianna Van Buren and Jamie Moyle could all become your favorite fighters. The results of the weekend for fighting match making purposes will be the most in part. Though it’s hard not to see the impact that this weekend has on the mixed martial arts and the entire combat sports landscape. We can’t wait!

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About the author
Travis Brown
Travis has been covering the sport of mixed martial arts for the past three years. He has been a fan of combat sports all of his life and looks to bring his bettors perspective to the Vavel family. Mixed Martial Arts is a global sports and there is no better place for it than Vavel.