Ronda Rousey's Victory over Liz Carmouche Is Huge for Future of MMA

Ronda Rousey defeated Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 to retain her women's bantamweight belt in what was a historic and exciting match.

Nobody really gave Carmouche a chance to win the first-ever women's bout in the UFC, but the 29-year-old was able to give Rousey a run for her money nonetheless.

Early in the first round, Carmouche had Rousey in trouble when she gained control of Rowdy's back and nearly locked in a submission while hanging on for dear life. Rousey was able to fight off Carmouche and ultimately got the fight back to the ground, where she locked in her patented armbar to win the fight.

The element of surprise in this fight was just how exciting it turned out to be. Rousey was supposed to steamroll Carmouche, but the end result was far closer than many experts and fans had originally predicted.

Such an exciting bout is no doubt a great sign for the women's division in the UFC.

After this fight, fans will be looking forward to more women's showdowns as both Rousey and Carmouche gave a ton of credibility to women fighters who will grace the octagon in the future.

Just like the men, this women's fight proved that the newest division in the UFC can be just as unpredictable.

More specifically, Rousey's victory is an even bigger happening for the sport.

In the past few months, Rousey has become the face of women's MMA and is a rising star who is separating herself from the rest in a sport normally dominated by men.

It shows that there is a place for women to be successful in the UFC and Rousey's incredible popularity should inspire other young women to pick up a pair of gloves and give mixed martial arts a chance.

If there's one market the UFC hasn't dominated yet, it's with women, but Rowdy is helping to change all that.

UFC 157 will forever be remembered as a once-in-a-lifetime event and the company's president, Dana White, has Rousey, and to a lesser extent Carmouche, to thank for that.