UFC on FOX 23 Preview
Women in the UFC are entering a new era as they are beginning to find their own way without a major star.
Ronda Rousey is not officially done but after two straight devastating losses, the pioneer of the sport is no longer the major star she once was.
So the women’s divisions move on without their major superstar and without her 2017 is shaping up to be an interesting one for all of the women on the roster.
The promotion will see a new division determine their champion for the first time next month while Joanna Jedrzejczyk looks to continue her dominance in the strawweight division.
In the division that Rousey used to rule there are some interesting things ahead in the new year as a new champion looks to tighten her grip.
Amanda Nunes easily got through Rousey and after dealing with the past is looking to the future and trying to take over the division entirely in 2017.
She looks like a fighter that can take over the division and she has so far but there is a long way to go for the champions.
After beating Holly Holm to take the title and then beating the legend to retain the title she will go about trying to clean the division beginning this year.
The first step towards that will soon come into focus as UFC on FOX 23 will determine the next challenger for the bantamweight title and the next step for Nunes.
It will feature some of the more promising fighters in the division that will look for their first shot at the title.
It is a big opportunity for both fighters as the bantamweight division has been ruled by legends even if it has been one of the more unpredictable.
After Holm, Miesha Tate and Rousey all held the title it is time for the other women in the division to being taking their time at the top of the division.
Now Valentina Shevchenko and Juliana Peña will look to take their time at the top of the division to fight for a title.
Peña has had a bit of a long road to this part of her career as she was the first female winner of The Ultimate Fighter.
She dominated on the show and came into the UFC as one of the most promising young prospects in the women’s division.
Then before her first fight in the UFC, the show not included, a training partner rolled up on her and she tore her ACL.
She was out of the octagon for over a year until finally returning in 2015 with a big win that started off her official UFC career right.
The hype through the show was gone and Peña had to work her way through like every other prospect.
She rides a three-fight win streak into the biggest fight of her career as the momentum has started to come back.
Looking to end that momentum is a fighter who has taken a slightly shorter route to this fight in Shevchenko.
The Kyrgyzstan fighter began her UFC career with a tough test against Sarah Kaufman that she passed with a split decision.
Then she fell to the current champion by decision lasting three rounds and looking great in the final round which impressed everyone.
After decidedly beating Holm in her last fight she seemed like she was ready to be among the top fighters and everyone eagerly awaited the rematch with Nunes.
She needs to get through the younger fighter this time around and then everyone will get the rematch they have been waiting for since Shevchenko’s first loss.
Both fighters have shown plenty of promise with Shevchenko’s striking prowess going up against the great jiu-jitsu of Peña.
One of them will come out on top and become the next top contender in the bantamweight division.
In their future could be a great 2017 or a terrifying one as the winner takes on a very tough champion in Nunes as the women’s divisions get kicked off for what could be an interesting year.
The Sport Addiction 