Prior to Saturday’s UFC 157 pay-per-view, I worried that if Ronda Rousey pulled off a huge victory over Liz Carmouche in the first ever UFC women’s match, the countdown to the women’s division becoming a novelty could suddenly speed up like a bomb clock in a bad spy movie. Instead, it seems that most people – at least those not shouting, “BOOBY!” during one key moment – were rather pleased with Rousey’s first round submission victory and Carmouche’s potential.

At the very least, it prompted the UFC to sign four more female fighters, but we don’t care about them right now, because they’re not the women running their mouths. That distinction belongs to Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano, who will face each other on April 13 at the Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale in Las Vegas. Maybe they’re just upset about Rousey getting all the attention, but these ladies just weren’t impressed.

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Well, the big day is finally upon us. Tomorrow’s UFC 157 Pay-Per-View live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California marks the debut of Ronda Rousey as the first ever Women’s Champion, as she’ll face off against Liz Carmouche in a main event match that most people, Dana White included, never thought would happen. We’ve been excited about it for quite some time, and now that it’s finally here… I’m a little nervous about it.

Let’s be real – there are a ton of male UFC fans who don’t want to watch this fight, and they will be cheering for it to suck so they can all pump their fists at White and demand that he never let it happen again. That’s why, on one hand, it’s important for Rousey to win and do it with authority so she can prove that she belongs in the UFC. On the other hand, if she does win with authority, then her presence could become a novelty and we may never have a true women’s opponent that can defeat her. On a third, mutant hand, if she loses, it could be the last we ever see of the women’s division, because everyone will be furious after all of the hype. And anything in between will be regarded as boring and fuel the debate against women being allowed on the main card.

That said, I’m not trying to soapbox or grandstand some great defense of women fighters, but I hope the majority of UFC fans are willing to give them a chance tomorrow night, and I hope Rousey and Carmouche put on a hell of a fight regardless of which woman wins.

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It has been an incredible year for the Turbo Rocket.

The UFC is taking a huge step forward with tomorrow’s UFC 157 PPV event, as it will obviously mark the first time in the company’s history that women will fight. And not only will they fight, but two women are actually headlining this huge PPV, as first-ever UFC Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will face Liz Carmouche. Naturally, we’re going to get to how momentous of an occasion this is later today with the primer for our live discussion tomorrow night, so in the meantime we’re going to address our other favorite UFC women – Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste.

Palmer, the reigning Ring Girl of the Year, and Celeste, the Ring Girl of the Year every year before Palmer, are launching their own product line, which is what that meet and greet thing is about, and because there is a God, it’s a lingerie line. And because God loves me so much, Palmer and Celeste made a video to promote their new lingerie line, and if you’ll excuse me I’ll be in this bathtub full of ice water for the next week or so.

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With UFC 157 just a few days away, I’m sure we’re all on the edge of our bean bag chairs to see if UFC’s first ever women’s champion Ronda Rousey and her UFC debut opponent Liz Carmouche can live up to the hype and provide us with an exciting main event. Of course, there are other great fights on the UFC 157 card – including Chiesa-Kuivanen, Koscheck-Lawler, and, of course, Machida-Henderson – but with Rousey there is always an elevated buzz, because let’s face it – she’s very nice to look at.

But don’t go calling Rousey a sex symbol just yet, because there’s a good chance she might break your jaw. She doesn’t like being a sex symbol, and you can bring up that ESPN Body Issue all you want, but that was about as self-promotion and MMA marketing as it was sex. It’s not like she’s shaving down there for Playboy or peeing on a shower floor for Penthouse.

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First and foremost, there are some exciting rumors today regarding that whole MMA in New York thing that we talked about a few weeks ago and the possibility of a 20th anniversary UFC event at Madison Square Garden. But I’m a man of the present, not the future, so I’m ready to focus on a plethora of Michael McDonald jokes for this weekend’s UFC on Fuel event, live from London, and next week’s highly-anticipated UFC 157 PPV, featuring our favorite female fighter Ronda Rousey and her UFC debut as the Women’s Champion.

Rousey, of course, is fighting Liz Carmouche, who we admire a great deal as well, but that isn’t stopping Cris “Cyborg” Santos and her manager Tito Ortiz from trying to make the story about the Rousey fight that will probably never happen because Cyborg can’t cut enough weight. Because she’ll die or something dramatic like that.

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Naturally, we’ve been very happy about the rise of Ronda Rousey and what it means to the future of women in UFC and just Mixed Martial Arts competition in general. But as much fun as it has been to talk about the successful, charismatic and, well, attractive Rousey, I’ve regrettably ignored what is an equally important – or maybe even arguably more important – story in Rousey’s opponent, Liz Carmouche, becoming the first openly gay fighter in UFC history.

The move is a nice one for UFC President Dana White, who famously dropped an F-Bomb (f*ggot, not f*ck) in an interview several years ago, as he can now boast of the UFC’s universal inclusiveness with both women and homosexuals all in one fell swoop. PR stunts aside, though, it’s just good for everyone, as long as it’s not the only thing that defines Carmouche. I’m sure she’d like to be known as a UFC champion, in addition to being a champion for equality.

In the meantime, her presence is a win-win for everyone involved, as the UFC takes a step forward in fighting the stigma of White’s mistake, while Carmouche goes into her championship match at UFC 157 on Feb. 26 against Rousey with not only female MMA fans supporting her, but also gay MMA fans, and that’s something that means a lot to her.

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