SAN DIEGO - If Ronda Rousey's armbar is not yet regarded as the most devastating single move in all of sports, it probably should be.
The Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion ran her professional record to 6-0 Saturday night against former title holder and challenger Sarah Kaufman at the Valley View Casino Center. It was Rousey's sixth win via first-round submission.
Ronda Rousey works Sarah Kaufman for her armbar on Saturday. (Tracy Lee for Y! Sports)
This time, her thus-far-unstoppable armbar forced a tap
in just 54 seconds. Kaufman fell to 15-2 in her career with
the loss. Each win of Rousey's has been by armbar, a proven formula she said is in no need of shaking up.
“[A ground-based, submission style] works, so I don’t know why everyone says I have to do something else,”
she said.
A bronze medalist in Judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Rousey’s applied that background to her MMA career. Critics have questioned her striking ability, but against Kaufman, Rousey said she “did test [her] hands a little bit.”
The less experienced Rousey applied an aggressive approach out of the gate, throwing a series of punches to which the veteran Kaufman had no time for response. “I’m extremely embarrassed by my performance tonight,” Kaufman said in the ring after the fight. “I didn’t underestimate [Rousey] at all.
“She’s a top athlete and judo player,” she added. “Ronda fought an amazing fight tonight, really smart. I can’t take anything away from her.”
The fast pace of the match is symbolic of Rousey's career thus far, as her rise has been meteoric. She needed just five bouts to claim the title, but proving that quick ascent was no flash in the pan was an obvious theme entering Saturday's match.
"I can't call myself champion until I defend my belt," Rousey had said before the fight. She can indeed start calling herself champion now. And until someone has an answer for her armbar, she will be able to do so for a while.
The next to try is yet to be determined, but if Rousey gets her way it will be Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, who the champion called out in her post-match interview.
Santos was stripped of her title and is serving a one-year suspension for failing a performance-enhancing drug test in December 2011.
Rousey was asked if she considered moving up in weight class to challenge Santos when her suspension is lifted, but the notion was flatly rejected.
“When I knew she was doping and couldn’t prove it, I would have had to come to her [at 145 pounds],” Rousey said. “The champ doesn’t go to you, you go to the champ. Come down to 135.” Should the Rousey-Cyborg dream match not come to immediate fruition, there is no shortage of challengers who want an opportunity at the championship.
Team Rousey was all smiles after yet another first-round win on Saturday. (Tracy Lee for Y! Sports)
The fighter Rousey defeated for the title on March 3, Miesha Tate, was also in action Saturday night. Tate sustained several powerful kicks from opponent Julie Kedzie, and appeared in danger of losing in the third round.
After taking a knee-buckling shot, Tate found herself on the canvas, which she used to her advantage. The former champion locked Kedzie in an armbar – the same move that Rousey defeated Tate with in March.
Visit the Official UFC collection at Century MMA
Tate called it ironic.
Moments after earning the submission victory, Tate stoked the flames of rivalry that exist between she and Rousey, predicting a Rousey win in the main event but adding, “I’m looking forward to every second she gets punched in the face.”
A Tate-Rousey rematch is a possibility, but the former champion said she may need some retooling before squaring off with the unbeaten Rowdy one.
“People were saying [the bout against Kedzie] was fight of the night. … but it wasn’t a contention-worthy performance. I don’t feel I deserve [a title shot],” she said.
Kaufman said she wants another shot at Rousey, and as a former champion in her own right, she could get it down the road. Another possible – albeit unlikely – match-up for the unbeaten title holder is Gina Carano, one-time face of the burgeoning women’s division who has since gone on to pursue a lucrative career in the film industry.
Invicta Fights may also produce worthy opponents for Rousey. It puts on regular women's cards and may be able to develop a fighter, or two, who can legitimately test Rousey.
Still, Rousey made it clear who she wanted to face next in the ring.
"First of all, I need to put out a challenge to Ms. Cyborg out there," Rousey said after the fight.
"If you still want to go out in the parking lot … I'll be right there," she shouted, working the crowd at the Valley View Casino Center into a frenzy"
Buy MMA Boxing Gear at Century MMA
Diaz deserves to be facing title contenders or former champions. Former middleweight challenger Demian Maia called out Diaz and appears to be only a fight or two away from competing for gold in his second division after making big waves in his new weight class.
Despite the well-documented jiu-jitsu of Diaz, there is no welterweight on the same grappling level as Maia. The Abu Dhabi standout has not had any trouble dragging any welterweights to the ground, regardless of their judo or wrestling backgrounds. 
.jpg "JESSICA \"EVIL\" EYE")
.jpg "EVIL EYE")
