Kaufman: Rousey title shot vs. Miesha is a slap in the face

On Wednesday it was reported that Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate woudlbe defending herself against Ronda Rousey, on March 3 in Columbus, Ohio. That left Saran Kaufman without a title shot she thought she had earned with wins over Megumi Yabushita and Liz Carmouche, since losing her title to Marloes Coenen late in 2010.

"I didn't mind waiting for the title fight, and if I get stepped over, the waiting has pretty much been in vain," Kaufman said.


"I've earned the title shot. I've had the Strikeforce title; I've had two good wins coming off my only loss in 15 fights, and I've earned and deserve the right to fight for that title.


"Having Ronda have the option of coming in and fighting at 145 pounds, having two fights with Strikeforce, and all of a sudden, she gets a title shot at a division she doesn't fight in, it's a slap in the face."


"Ronda talks a lot. She's really told everyone that she's attractive, and for that reason, she is marketable and should get a title fight. Definitely, dislocating Julia Budd's arm opened people's eyes. But what doesn't make sense is that she hasn't done anything at 135 pounds; she hasn't even proven that she can make 135 pounds."


"I think it's a step back from where we've been at. Gina Carano was originally the looks versus talent debate, and she didn't push her looks; someone else pushed her looks. She went along with it, and I think that's great. It's good marketing. It's her brand, and that works. I don't think you should shy away from how you look or your femininity if you like wearing dresses and heels and posing for sexy pictures – that's great.


"When it comes down to Ronda telling someone, 'I look good,' and because of that, I should get a title shot, that's where the problem comes in."


"I would definitely say I've paved some sort of way in talking your mind and getting things done. I understand that talking works. And I try and use talking to be constructive and help push everyone forward. Maybe I should do it more just to push myself forward like Ronda has and step on everyone else. I don't know if I can actually do that. I have a hard time with that because I actually have a conscience. But she's doing what works for her, and if I have to get on the bandwagon with talking more than I like to, it might be something I have to do if I'm going to get stepped over more than once.


"By having Ronda Rousey step out of the 145-pound division and step away from 'Cyborg,' who's the logical fight and who needs a fight, and just saying I'll just do this at 135 and not even put in any time, is not helping the actual division itself. It's making a fight that people are interested in seeing because there's hype behind it. But as a division, it's kind of creating chaos. As far as, is there a ranking system? Does it matter if you do well or win your fights? How many do you have to win before you get a title shot, or can you just do what she did?"

 source: mmajunkie.com