Liz Carmouche says she is unafraid of UFC women's champ Ronda Rousey. Photo credit: Esther Lin/Invicta FC

By Joshua Molina

Liz Carmouche is the other woman.

The other woman in the biggest women’s mixed martial arts fight of all time.

The world already knows the Ronda Rousey story: The sassy U.S. Olympian won the Bronze Medal in the 2008 Olympic Games, turned to mixed martial arts, where she tapped six professional opponents by vicious armbar in the first round, became a magazine cover girl and thrust women’s MMA into the mainstream.

And on Feb. 23, 2013, her rise to stardom will culminate when she headlines a UFC Pay Per View, as the first UFC women’s champion. And up until now, the MMA and mainstream media have focused largely on Rousey and her rise to fame.

But when Rousey steps into the cage in February in Anaheim, California, she will be fighting a woman whose story is equally inspiring and remarkable.

Rousey will stare into the eyes of 28-year-old Liz Carmouche, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who served three terms in Iraq, while working as a helicopter electrician.  Carmouche is also the first openly gay fighter in MMA history. It’s a role that she welcomes, cherishes, and embraces.

“I don’t want to hide from it, (being a lesbian), Carmouche told Full Contact Fighter.

Carmouche will be front and center for the world to see when she and Rousey collide in the first female UFC event in history.  But Carmouche plans to be more than just a footnote in history. She’s planning to stop Rousey in her tracks and emerge as the new women’s face of MMA.

“I have no fear of Ronda,” Carmouche said. “I am ready and excited. I want to make it a war.”

In her last start, Carmouche (far) submitted Kaitlin Young with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their matchup at Invicta FC 2 on July 28. Photo credit: Tracy Lee/Invicta FC

Carmouche is 7-2, with 4 KOs and two submission victories. At 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with rounded shoulders and curvy biceps, Carmouche has one of the more muscular and fit bodies in womens’s MMA.  Nicknamed “The Girl-Rilla, Carmouche uses an aggressive style, with frequent Muay Thai clinches to overpower her opponents.

She was raised in Okinawa, and brought up by her mother and stepfather who taught at a military college.  She liked sports as a girl and developed an interest in boxing and wrestling.

“I liked the aggressive nature of the individual sports,” she said.

But her small high school with a graduating class of 25 didn’t offer those sports and it cost $14 to take a bus ride out of town to train in those sports privately.  Instead she played soccer, volleyball and cross-country.  She enrolled in the Marine Corp and fell in love with MMA after a friend introduced her to the sport.

She caught the eye of then-San Jose-based Strikeforce, which promoted women’s MMA long before the UFC hopped on the bandwagon.  As a replacement for an injured Miesha Tate, she nearly became the Strikeforce Women’s bantamweight champiom in 2010 when she battled then-champ Marloes Coenen.

After pounding Coenen for nearly four rounds, Carmouche made a Chael Sonnen-like blunder and got caught in the triangle choke.

“My first thought was ‘I am going to slam her out of this,’” Carmouche said.

But she couldn’t, and she tapped out, in a fight she was winning.  She was dejected after the loss. Her coach, however, told her he was proud of her performance.

“I learned a lot,” Carmouche said. “I walked away feeling confident.”

Carmouche later dropped a unanimous decision to Sarah Kaufman, a woman Rousey destroyed by armbar submission.  Carmouche said she was “off my game,” and not into it for the Kaufman fight.

But she understands the gravity of the Rousey fight.

When word came down that Rousey would be brought over to the UFC, Carmouche and her fans called for the title shot on Twitter.  The grassroots campaign helped push Carmouche over other contenders such as Miesha Tate and Sara McMann.

From Strikeforce to Invicta FC to UFC, Carmouche is no stranger to the big stage in the MMA world.

Then one day Carmouche got a call from UFC President Dana White.

“I can’t even describe how it felt,” Carmouche said, of the short call offering her the fight.

Carmouche was ready. She has been ready.

“We’ve been preparing for this fight since the moment she took the belt,” said Carmouche, who added that she respects Rousey because she has backed up all of her trash talk.

She’s not in awe of Rousey, though. After her near-upset of Coenen, she now believes she’s as good as anyone in the cage.

She trains at the San Diego Combat Academy, where she teaches Muay Thai and MMA to kids 5 to 15 years old.  She’s planning a large contingent to make the trip to Anaheim to watch the fight.  She’s fully aware that she will make history with Rousey as one of two women in the first UFC women’s match, and alone as the first openly gay fighter in UFC history.

The other women, she said, have been supportive, and has not felt any additional pressure from being a pioneer in MMA.

“I love being that person, that role model,” said Carmouche, who said she and the UFC are still working out the details on her long-term contract.

And she would love to be the one who makes history as the fighter who first KO’d or submitted Rousey.

“I have no problem being the underdog and being underrated,” Carmouche said. “It helps motivate me.”

Two-time heavyweight boxing champion "Iron" Mike Tyson

By Joshua Molina

Had Mike Tyson, the one-time “Baddest Man on the Planet,” been born 20 years later, he might have become an MMA fighter.

On one condition:

“Cus (D’Amato) would have had to been an MMA guy,” Tyson told Full Contact Fighter. “I could have been a hockey player if Cus was (a hockey coach).”

Instead, Tyson became one of the greatest boxers of all time and now one of MMA’s biggest fans.

“Jon Jones is the king,” Tyson said of the UFC light heavyweight champ. “And I love the Diaz brothers. The Diaz brothers are awesome.”

Tyson on Monday opened up to Full Contact Fighter and members of the sports and entertainment media about his career, his goals, and his plans to take his critically acclaimed one-man show national, after a successful tour on Broadway.

“MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH,” directed by Spike Lee, will launch in  major cities across the country beginning in February.

The show features Tyson talking about everything from his days as the violent, feared heavyweight champ, his arrest and conviction on a rape charge and now his days as a father and family man.

Through the shows, Tyson is also looking to raise awareness for his Mike Tyson Cares foundation, which provides services to children from broken homes.

At 20 years old, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when in 1986 he knocked out Trevor Berbick.  The next year, he unified the three recognized world championships in boxing at the time, and went on to become a pop culture icon. He KO’d the likes of Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno.

Tyson in 1987 was talked about in the same sentence with the likes of Muhammad Ali, as potentially the greatest fighter in history, until he was upset by 42-1 underdog James “Buster” Douglas, in Tokyo, Japan. Although he would bounce back, Tyson never quite regained his luster and spent the next several years self destructing.

Perhaps his worst in-ring crisis came when he bit part of Evander Holyfield’s ear off during a fight, later claiming he was frustrated that Holyfield was illegally elbowing and headbutting him.

Tyson was 27-0, with 26 KO’s when he stepped into the ring for his first title fight, a remarkable feat considering that, in the modern era of MMA, heavyweights such as Can Velasquez got a title shot after eight fights and Brock Lesnar after only three fights.

Tyson stopped short of saying how he would do in an MMA fight, but did heap praise on MMA fighters, calling them “great athletes” who are “a lot better today than they were 20 years ago.”

Tyson said his all-time favorite fighters are pound-for-pound great Fedor Emelianenko and MMA pioneer Royce Gracie. He’s also a fan of Canadian icon Georges St. Pierre.

Tyson scoffed at criticisms of the sport that MMA fighters lack great stand-up boxing abilities. Surprisingly, the man with one punch KO power, said he appreciates the jiu-jitsu and wrestling battles that take place on the mat.

“When they are on the floor wrestling, they have to fight,” Tyson said. “It’s like a boxer trying to escape a clench.”

Tyson was noticeably relaxed during the media call. Gone are the days when he looked to intimidate with his threatening words and aggressive body language. He no longer challenges members of he media to fights, or threaten to eat his opponent’s children, as he did once about Lennox Lewis.

He talks now about appreciating his life, having no regrets, and wanting to help others. His goal is to start a Mike Tyson Cares Foundation in every city.

“I never realized giving would bring so much fulfillment,” Tyson said.

Tyson, during the media call, frequently talked about his trainer and mentor D’Amato, the man credited with turning Tyson from the streets to a career in boxing. He died at 85, before Tyson won the championship.

Tyson said “Cus” still lives inside him in everything he does.

“I wish he saw my kids,” Tyson said.

Tyson added that Cus probably wouldn’t be happy with his acting turn.

“He would want me to be fighting,” said Tyson, who is 46. “He’d say ‘You are still young and you are still healthy.’ ”

Tyson’s fighting days are well behind him. He will, however, be watching this Saturday’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez IV fight and said he will “DVR” the Nate Diaz Vs Benson Henderson UFC fight.

Tyson’s in a good place, seemingly having put much of the madness of multiple arrests and personal losses behind him.

“I am very comfortable now,” Tyson said.

To round out the show Mowatt calls on original co-host Brendan Leier, to get his compelling thoughts on the future of Strikeforce and this weekend’s UFC 153 card.

UFC Middleweight Champion and pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva

By Joshua Molina

UFC boss Dana White, for years, has wanted people to perceive his company as popular, if not more popular, than the NFL, MLB or NBA.

But in those mainstream leagues, the best teams play each other, regardless of whether those in power like the team.

Imagine a world where the New England Patriots couldn’t play the New York Giants because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell disliked Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

Goodell then regularly went on tirades about how Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is overhyped, spoiled and won’t ever be considered a great quarterback because he doesn’t play in the NFC East and because he’s never beaten Eli Manning in the Super Bowl.

In fact, most football fans probably don’t even know the name of the NFL commissioner. And that’s a good thing. They know the players, the teams, and every Sunday they know where to find the games. Goodell isn’t canceling the week because he didn’t get his way.

How many MMA fans don’t know the name Dana White?

If the UFC were ready for primetime, fans would see the matchups that they derserve to see. The best fighters in the world battling each other. Instead, we get the best fights the UFC can make – that fit the company’s egos and marketing goals.

If the world of MMA were free of politics, personalities and a near monopoly, here are the fights that fans should see in the next year.

6. Nick Diaz vs. George St. Pierre. Once Diaz’s suspension is over, Diaz deserves a shot at St. Pierre. Pierre before his injury was considered pound-for-pound No. 1 or 2 in the world. Diaz is a fighter’s fighter and he was on a tear before his loss to Carlos Condit and subsequent drug suspension. Because of their styles, someone will get knocked out or submitted in that fight.

5. Gilbert Melendez vs. Benson Henderson. Melendez is probably the best lightweight in the world. His defeat of Shinya Aoki, at a time when Aoki was seemingly unbeatable, was a spectacular display of Melendez’s athleticism and cage intelligence. He’s beaten everybody he’s faced but, for reasons unclear,  Strikeforce champion Melendez will not be  fighting UFC champ Henderson any time soon.

4. Alistair Overeem vs. Daniel Cormier. Cormier looks absolutely unstoppable. If he can avoid more hand injuries, he could have a long run in the sport on top. His combination of power and wrestling make him unique in the heavyweight division. Overeem is a hulking giant who has looked unbeatable. Both are smart fighters – and both probably are the top two heavyweights in the world. (Junior Dos Santos needs to be in a fight before he can claim that title. He knocked out an unprepared, flustered Cain Velasquez and beat an outmatched Frank Mir, but we don’t know how he respond after he gets hit in the face).
3. Ronda Rousey vs. Cris “Cyborg” Santos. Let’s face it. We all want to see cocky, brash Rousey get her ass kicked. We all want to see the cocky, brash Santos get her ass kicked. That fight wouldn’t make it out of the first round. And one of these destructive divas is getting KO’d or tapped out.
2. Jon Jones vs. Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi’s career directory was derailed after he couldn’t stop King Mo’s takedown, losing the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship to the flamboyant All-American wrestler. But Mousasi is one of the best on the planet. He’s slick and fast in cage, with knockout power in his feet and hands. He might be someone who could submit the phenom Jones.
1. UFC champ Anderson Silva vs. Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold. Rockhold is the sport’s brightest youngstar. The Strikeforce champ dismantled submission specialist Jacare Souza to win the belt and then beat slugger Keith Jardine and an awkward Tim Kennedy. Rockhold is big, strong and aggressive. He has the perfect style and mindframe to take on Silva, regarded as pound-for-pound the best in the world. These two middleweights would put on a show. If Silva could beat the young star, he would cement himself as the greatest. Or he could pass the torch to Rockhold, if the Santa Cruz surfer could pull of the victory.