UFC 168: Rousey vs. Tate 2 Round-by-Round Recap and Analysis

Meisha Tate made history—she saw the second round in a fight against Ronda Rousey.

Unfortunately for the Tacoma, Wash., native, her accomplishments didn't go much further than that during the wild UFC 168 co-main event, as the champion eventually got her way and won via her patented armbar submission in the third round.

Bleacher Report gave a look at her victory:

Tate showed a lot of heart staying with Rousey, as she became the first competitor to avoid first-round defeat against "Rowdy," but she eventual suffered the same fate as the undisputed champion's seven other challengers.

ESPN Stats & Info gives a glimpse at the impressive numbers from Rousey:

Unsurprisingly in a bout between two The Ultimate Fighter coaches who hate each with a passion, the fight turned into an absolutely explosive battle. 

In the first round, Rousey went for the armbar early, but Tate was able to fight it off and take down the champion. Even on her back, however, Rousey was able to display a good amount of offense with an array of punches, knees and kicks. 

Eventually, the two women got to their feet—and then came the fireworks. Both unloaded with some impressive combos and big blows before Rousey ended the round with a couple of Olympic-esque judo throwdowns, leading Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole to give her the round by far:

The second round was more of the same, with Rousey scoring several more knockdowns and Tate continuing to fight back admirably. 

Action seriously heated up in the second, and several were quick to point out the scintillating fashion of the fight:

Nevertheless, while Tate gave Rousey her most difficult competition yet, the champ was simply too good, showing prowess in every aspect of the fight—on her feet, on the ground, on the defense, wherever. Iole noted just how lopsided the second round turned out to be:

The third round lasted under a minute, as Rousey was able to lock in the armbar and force Tate to submit. 

Further adding to her role as villain, Rousey refused to shake Tate's hand after the thrilling battle, much to the chagrin of the Las Vegas crowd:

Up next for Rousey will be Cat Zingano, who beat Tate in The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale but had to withdraw from this fight following a knee injury. 

No matter what happens in that one, Rousey vs. Tate II proved that women's UFC has an extremely bright future.