Strikeforce

This Saturday night, Tarec "Sponge" Saffiedine and "Relentless" Roger Bowling do battle on the main card of Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman live from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif., which will also host the weigh-ins on Friday night.

Bowling and Saffiedine will ride on the strength of their own respective two-fight win streaks, with Saffiedine recently defeating Tyler Stinson while Bowling recently disposed of Brandon Saling.

The stakes for both men in this welterweight bout may prove the most significant portion of the discussion surrounding it—perhaps even more so than the breakdown of the events that led to this epic encounter.

Bowling declared hopes of a title shot in the weeks leading up to this fight while Saffiedine opted to keep on the hush before his battle with the Cincinnati native, but as an ironic twist for both men, the winner of this bout will likely find himself somewhere near contention for the title in an admittedly dry-looking welterweight division if their performance impresses enough for them to earn themselves a shot at current world champion Nate "The Great" Marquardt.

However, allow for a momentary proposal, if you would.

It's true that Bowling or Saffiedine may find themselves closer to Marquardt's gold with a victory, but in the minds of many, one man already made his case towards a title shot, and that man is "The Kansas City Bandit" Jason High.

High scored an impressive 26-second submission win over Nate Moore last month at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Kennedy, and High made it known that he wanted a main card slot, and eventually, a title shot.

Of course, the winner of Bowling vs. Saffiedine will unquestionably look to define his case toward his shot at Marquardt's belt as a case stronger than High's argument towards the belt, but they will not have proven the other so-called "contenders" as no more than pretenders.

In other words, until the winner fights High, their claim as the undisputed No. 1 challenger will indeed face dispute. Aside from High or a bout against Woodley—a potential rematch for Saffiedine if he beats Bowling—few other options currently make sense when it comes to determining the No. 1 contender to the welterweight throne.

Regardless of how the win comes, expect High to have something to say about the end of the fight, and anticipate High facing off against the winner of this intriguing welterweight affair in a title eliminator sometime in the near future.

With the division looking fairly dry without Marquardt ever making a defense, any drops of fresh blood in the welterweight talent pool will bring a welcome change to a seemingly dry landscape at 170. Whether Bowling or Saffiedine moves one step closer to ushering in that change depends incredibly on what transpires this Saturday night in San Diego.

American female mixed martial artist Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey will retain her Strikeforce women's bantamweight title on Saturday night in San Diego, but it won't be easy.

In fact, Rousey will just barely squeak by her championship challenger, Canadian Sarah Kaufman.

Kaufman has been dominating inside the cage for much longer than Rousey, and she will give the hometown fighter everything she can handle this weekend.

Rousey is currently the No. 1-ranked female fighter in the women's pound-for-pound rankings. But Kaufman is No. 2, and 15-1 during her fighting career, falling only once to an armbar in October 2010.

Oddly enough, Rousey, who is 5-0 during her brief career, has ended every single one of her fights in the first round with an armbar. 

With that said, I expect Rousey to move to 6-0 via a submission victory over Kaufman on Saturday night, but in a grueling, multiple-round bout rather then a 30-second highlight.

After a series of lightning-quick fights to begin her career, Rousey was finally forced to deal with some adversity against then-bantamweight champ Miesha Tate last March.

Tate and Rousey battled for nearly four-and-a-half minutes before Rousey landed what has become her signature armbar. 

Although her bout with Tate didn't make it past the first round, none of her previous four fights had even lasted a minute, proving that Rousey had yet to really be tested.

That's exactly why Kaufman will push Rousey harder than she has ever been pushed inside the cage this weekend. Kaufman's experience in fights that go the distance will force Rousey out of her comfort zone and into an unfamiliar state of fatigue. 

Again, Rousey will keep her Strikeforce title. It's hard to see this fight shaping up any other way. But don't expect it to be over in the first round like so many of Rousey's other bouts. 

Kaufman has accomplished much more than Rousey in the sport and demands to be respected up until she is defeated.

Rousey is too dominant to lose, and that's why she will just squeak by in Saturday's Strikeforce main event.

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There's a full Strikeforce card this weekend, but you'd never know it.

All of the promotional focus has been squarely pointed at the main event. To be more specific, it's been pointed almost wholly at Ronda Rousey, and for good reason. She's one of the fastest-rising stars in the sport and has received a metric ton of mainstream attention over the past few months. 

It would be hard thing to refuse to allow all of those celebrity trappings to go to your head, but it would also be a very unwise thing to overlook Sarah Kaufman. 

The eyes of the world are turned to tomorrow night's Strikeforce main event, and the Caged In staff is doing the same. Check out our predictions for the Rousey vs. Kaufman bout below.

Jonathan Snowden: Everyone is counting Sarah Kaufman out. But something about Rousey is making my Snowden sense tingle. We've seen fighters tackle their new PR work load and fall to pieces in the cage. Miguel Torres and Urijah Faber come to mind. If Rousey's head is anywhere but in the cage, Kaufman will take advantage. Kaufman by knockout.

Jeremy Botter: I realize Sarah Kaufman is a good boxer. Actually, she's a very good boxer. She's very technically proficient and hits extremely hard. And still, she's way out of her league. Rousey is an athlete unlike anyone else in women's combat sports. She's just a different breed. And it doesn't matter how much better Kaufman is at the striking game, because it only takes Rousey one hand and a matter of seconds to put you flat on your back. From there, it's academic. I suspect this one will look almost exactly like every other Ronda Rousey fight. Rousey by submission, round 1

Matt Roth: Many people are probably overlooking Sarah Kaufman in this fight. Maybe it's that Ronda has been on an all out media blitz. Or maybe it's because Kaufman's title run in Strikeforce was so forgettable. There is a part of me that would love to see Kaufman put Rousey to sleep. Not because I dislike Rousey. No, I'd just love to experience when the air is sucked out of a room and that's exactly what would happen. But the realist in me says that Rousey is just better everywhere. So with that said I'm picking Rickson by arm...I mean Rousey by armbar. Rousey by submission, round 1

Duane Finley: Sarah Kaufman's approach and skill set are very well documented, while Rousey's full capabilities remain to be seen. I believe this puts all the cards on "Rowdy's" side of the table. There is a chance Kaufman will throw something heavy in the early-goings and catch Rousey, but that's a possibility in every fight. With that being said, I don't see it happening here. As soon as Rousey gets her hands on Kaufman, she is going to use her legs and hips to put the former champion on the mat. Once this fight hits the dirt, it is only a matter of time before Rousey grabs a limb and ends the fight. Rousey by submission, round 1

John Heinis:  "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey is for real: five fights, five wins and five armbars. The former Olympic Judoka bronza medalist has takedowns and armbars for days and no one has found a solution to overcome her high-level grappling just yet. Nevertheless, Kaufman is no slouch. Kaufman prefers to stand and bang, but she has grappling to fall back on if she has to. Kaufman will put up a fight in the early going, but Rousey is still going to be too much for her. Kaufman will be able to keep the first round competitive for a bit, but once the fight hits the ground, it's going to be exactly what you expect it to be. Rousey by submission, round 2

Scott Harris: It's tempting to just say "Rousey by armbar," set it and forget it. But Kaufman is an outstanding fighter, particularly as a striker. This matchup doesn't have the sexy sizzle of Rousey and Miesha Tate, but it might be a better fight. Rousey has never really faced adversity in a cage; a great striker has the tools to change that. But in the end, as with all her fights, it's Rousey's judo that makes the difference. Kaufman can slow it, but she can't stop it. Rousey by submission, round 2

Sarah Kaufman may be a dangerous striker, but she doesn't have the reach, nor the ground game, to defeat Ronda Rousey.

As the challenger goes after Rousey's Strikeforce bantamweight belt on Saturday in San Diego, Calif., she may have a shot of making it a contest if she stays on her feet.

Then again, that's easier said than done.

Rousey owns a 5-0 record in her Strikeforce career. She's won all five of her fights via armbar in the first round. And she's coming off a signature defeat of Miesha Tate in March.

The strategy against Rousey is simple: keep it standing up and get through her boxing defense.

Unfortunately for Kaufman, Rousey is so adept at getting opponents on the ground that you can be in good position and still find yourself on the wrong end of a submission in a few seconds' time.

Tate lasted a grand total of four minutes, 27 seconds, but it was over in an instant, with the 25-year-old suffering a dislocated elbow in the process.

The intrigue in Kaufman is that she will be the most accomplished striker Rousey has faced, with the potential to test her like she's never been tested before. If there is one weakness for the defending champion, it's that she's not very comfortable standing up.

But Kaufman is bound to get thrown down at some point in the fight, and that's been a recipe for disaster for Rousey's opponents. She may have the endurance to last against Rousey, but she doesn't have the skill on the ground to withstand Rousey's submission attempts.

Kaufman's best shot is landing a big hit on Rousey. Then again, she doesn't have the greatest reach (66 inches), which makes it hard for her to throw inside without Rousey taking her down.

What does it all add up to?

Yet another victory, likely via armbar, for Rowdy.

Though nearly every match on this Saturday's Strikeforce fight card (broadcast starting at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime) provides some level of intrigue, all eyes will be on media darling Ronda Rousey's (5-0) bantamweight (135-pound) championship defense against Sarah Kaufman (15-1).

Rousey, a bronze medalist in judo at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games in 2008, has taken the MMA world by storm in her short career.

In just five professional bouts, Rousey has had a meteoric rise up the ranks. After joining Strikeforce in August 2011, the 25-year-old continued her undefeated ways, submitting opponents in the first round of each match en route to capturing the bantamweight title from Miesha Tate on March 3.

In addition to her in-ring prowess, Rousey has become the biggest female MMA celebrity since Gina Carano's heyday.

Just five months have passed since Rousey defeated Tate, but the young star has already appeared in ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue," been a guest on Conan O'Brien's talk show and been the subject of a recent Showtime All Access special.

Widely credited with becoming the first female MMA-er to dabble in smack talk, Rousey's targets have been wide-ranging, from fellow opponents to celebrities like Kim Kardashian (video credit: ESNews).

Perhaps looking to give Rousey a taste of her own medicine, Kaufman made her trash-talking presence known in the buildup to this fight by offering two tickets to the best fan impersonation of Rousey.

Perhaps Kaufman, Strikeforce's first bantamweight champion, simply was sick of Rousey taking all the media spotlight. After all, Kaufman comes into the fight with a winning streak equal to Rousey's entire Strikeforce career record.

Or perhaps Kaufman was simply taking the lead from Rousey and feeding into the WWE-like hoopla of the situation.

It doesn't matter because the best submission came not from one of Kaufman's fans, but from Rousey herself.

Granted, Rousey's video is one of the five most obnoxious things you'll see this week. But seeing the 135-pound champ grapple with a vacuum cleaner is enough to usurp whatever point Kaufman was trying to make.

Regardless, all of this pre-fight hype does nothing but pad the wallets of Showtime and Strikeforce, both of whom will gladly allow these two women to talk trash right up until the opening bell.

Let's just hope the real fight lives up to the pre-fight billing.

Rowdy Ronda Rousey is officially the first true star of women's MMA, and a win over Sarah Kaufman will only expedite her ascent to household-name status.

Rousey headlining a card over male fighters is a statement in this frequently male-dominated sport. The fact that it's the second time she's been in this position confirms her star level.

Kaufman is no pushover, though.

She will represent the biggest challenge Rousey has faced in her MMA career. Rousey is 5-0, and she has submitted each of her opponents in the first round. But none of her opponents have been as good in standup attacks as Kaufman.

Rousey defeated former champion Miesha Tate in her last bout, but Kaufman also owns a victory over Tate. Defeating Tate is no simple or frequent occurrence. She's 12-3 in her MMA career, and these two ladies have accounted for two of the three losses.

This is a classic example of two different styles clashing, and the winner will be the fighter who can impose her will and style on her opponent.

Here is a look at the entire card and how you can catch the action:

When: Saturday, August 18, 2012, 10 p.m. ET

Where: Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA

TV: Showtime

Live Stream: Showtime Anytime (paid service)

Complete Card

Main Card

• Ronda Rousey (5-0) vs. Sarah Kaufman (15-1) - Women's Bantamweight Championship
• Ronaldo Souza (15-3, 1 NC) vs. Derek Brunson (9-1)
• Roger Bowling (11-2) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (12-3)
• Lumumba Sayers (6-2) vs. Anthony Smith (16-8)
• T.J. Cook (12-4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (11-5)

Prelims

• Miesha Tate (12-3) vs. Julie Kedzie (16-10)
• Bobby Green (18-5) vs. Matt Ricehouse (6-0)
• Adlan Amagov (9-2-1) vs. Keith Berry (11-9)
• Germaine de Randamie (2-2) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (12-1)

Card Analysis and Predictions

Prelims

The prelims have two interesting bouts on tap. The Bobby Green-Matt Ricehouse clash could be among the most exciting of the night. It features two 25-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artists who have promising careers ahead of them.

Green has far more experience, but Ricehouse has begun his career 5-0. 

Green has had the majority of his fights on the west coast, and he is the reigning lightweight King of the Cage. He was born in California and fights out of Fontana, so he'll be enjoying a decided home-field advantage.

If Ricehouse can pull off a victory over the far more experienced Green on his home turf, it will make a significant statement.

I think this bout will be close, but I predict a decision victory for Bobby Green.

The other bout in the prelim section of the card that jumps out at me is Tate vs. Kedzie. 

Tate is returning from her nasty defeat at the hands of Rousey in March. Rousey dislocated Tate's elbow with the arm bar, as you can see below:

It will be interesting to see how Tate responds after losing her title in such a gruesome fashion. She is the superior fighter in this matchup, but nasty losses can have psychological effects on fighters.

My prediction is a win by decision for Tate over Kedzie.

Here are my predictions for the other fights on the prelim card:

• Yamanaka over Randamie by submission
• Amagov over Berry by TKO

Main Card

Besides the main event, I'm looking forward to one other fight on the main card. Lumumba Sayers is an exciting young fighter, and I'm eager to see him clash with Anthony Smith.

Sayers is a grappler by primary discipline, but he has KO power in his fists. He displayed that in his KO of Antwain Britt in November.

I believe he is a rising star at middleweight, and this fight will be a showcase for him.

Smith has a ton of heart, and he isn't bashful about his attack, but I expect Sayers to handle him. This fight has spectacular KO written all over it.

My prediction is a second-round KO win for Sayers.

In the main event, Kaufman will push Rousey hard, and I believe she will be the first to land significant strikes against Rousey. I'm even predicting Rousey's face will be marked a bit by the time this one ends.

The outcome will depend on whether Rousey can maintain her composure and stick to her game plan. If she gets hit and abandons her relentless approach to take the fight to the ground, she'll be in trouble.

I think she'll stay composed and pull out a hard-fought, tough, late submission victory over Kaufman. This one won't be as pretty as her previous five fights, but a win is a win.

Here are my predictions for the other fights on the main card:

• Cook over St. Preux by decision
• Bowling over Saffiedine by decision
• Brunson over Souza by TKO

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What a difference five months can make. You're in the main event in what was quite arguably the biggest fight in the history of Strikeforce. Now your headlining once again, but it is on the undercard of a channel that a majority of the public doesn't have.

This is the position Miesha Tate is in and isn't too thrilled about it. Tate headlines the undercard portion of Strikeforce: Rousey vs Kaufman on Saturday night as she squares off against MMA veteran Julie Kedzie. The bout can be seen on Showtime Extreme starting at 8ET/5PT. 

She doesn't get why she is on the preliminary portion of the card considering her credentials exceed some of the fighters who made the main card and feels it is a demotion.

"It's confusing to me," Tate told Bleacher Report. "I know I have more of a following than a few of the guys on the main card. It leaves me wondering why would they put me on the undercard versus a couple of the fights that are on there. Is it just because I'm a girl? Is it just because they don't want to have two female fights on the main card? Otherwise it doesn't make any sense.

"I do know that the people that matter are going to be watching and that's matchmaker (Sean Shelby), Dana White, Lorenzo (Fertitta), my friends and family. I know their going to be paying attention. I don't know how you would take a former world champion who has lost one fight after being on a six fight winning streak, with a huge following and put me on the undercard. It was insulting."

Their was a lot of heat going into Tate's loss to Ronda Rousey in March. You usually gain a measure for respect as a fighter for your opponent. In this case, more respect has been lost for Rousey in Tate's eyes.

"She didn't prove anything new (in the fight)," Tate stated. "I would have appreciated and would have a lot more respect for her if after the fight was done and would have said, "you know what, what's done is done. We did a great job selling this fight."

"If she would handled it more maturely instead of just saying, 'whatever, I don't feel bad about what I said,' and continue to talk trash afterwords. I think I pretty much lost respect for her after that."

Tate feels even with the rumblings of Cris Cyborg getting a title match with the winner of the main event that she will be the number one contender with an impressive performance over Kedzie.

"I think she (Cyborg) shouldn't be able to just walk right in and fight for the belt," Tate stated. "I'm not pointing any fingers at Cris, but I do know that she got suspended for illegal substance use. I don't feel someone should be rewarded for that. I don't think you should be able to come back from a one year layoff and get an instant title shot especially in a weight class where we all know is going to very difficult for her to make weight."

"I think Julie Kedzie is a top ten fighter in the world," Tate stated. "I know her record (16-10) is kind of so so. You have to realize that Julie Kedzie has fought the best females her entire career. She never backs away from a fight. it doesn't matter if she got offered a fight two minutes or ten days before fight time. She's always out there to fight, fought outside her weight class and a super tough girl. She's not a chump and has a lot of experience. I think that Sean (Shelby), Dana (White) and those guys, if they've done any research on her know what kind of fighter she is and for me to go out there and get a dominant win means something."

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.