Sarah Kaufman (15-1 MMA, 6-1 SF) said not to expect the kind of catty, trash-talking buildup to her fight with Ronda Rousey (5-0 MMA, 3-0 SF) as seen in Rousey's title-winning fight with Miesha Tate.
Instead, expect to see Kaufman speak with her fists.
"It's no surprise that Ronda doesn't like being hit," she today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "She said that, and I guess you can't really blame her for not wanting to get hit. It's not a shocker there for the average person to not want to get hit.
"But I hope she's been training a lot in the striking department, just for the pressure, because she's not going to like it."
Meanwhile, Kaufman, who gets a chance to win back the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title she lost nearly two years ago, said she isn't going to tailor her attack to preventing the armbar submissions that Rousey has used to dispatch her opponents – all in the first round.
The way she sees it, why should she cater to Rousey's strengths?
"Ronda hasn't been in the sport very long, so she hasn't developed that side of her game yet and is really relying solely on her judo at this point," Kaufman said. "She's a good athlete; you can look at her and see that. She moves well, and with her judo she's done well.
"I think it's going to take a while before she has any ground to stand on as far as the striking."
The two meet Aug. 18 at "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman," which takes place at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The event's main card airs live on Showtime while preliminary-card fights air on Showtime Extreme.
Kaufman hasn't walked the easy road to the fight. She was widely expected to challenge Tate for the title following a decision over Liz Carmouche at a Strikeforce Challengers event this past July. Instead, Rousey got the opportunity and went on to submit Tate at "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey" after a long, contentious buildup.
Kaufman, who won the title in February 2010 with a decision over Takayo Hashi and defended it five months later with a slam-KO of Roxanne Modafferi, was relegated to the preliminary card of the March event and outpointed Alexis Davis in a bloody slugfest.
Following her win, Rousey got a big push from promotional parent Zuffa and quickly became the women's face of Strikeforce. But Kaufman said she's let go of the emotions that swirled after her title snub.
"I think you take everything in stride," she said. "Now that we know it's Aug. 18, I hope we're able to pump up this fight. It's not going to be the same pump as Miesha and Ronda's fight because that's not my style of hyping a fight. But I really think it's going to be a competitive fight between two athletes.
"Ronda hasn't fought someone like me yet. It's going to be a shock for her."
Rousey on Wednesday told MMAjunkie.com Radio that she's well aware of the striking skills Kaufman brings to the table. But just as Kaufman claims striking superiority, she said the challenger hasn't grappled with anyone of her caliber.
A bronze medalist in judo at the 2008 Olympics, Rousey has systematically taken down and submitted her opponents in short order. Tate stormed in during the initial moments of their fight, but later was tossed to the mat. After tapping out, ceding her belt, her arm was bent out of shape in grizzly fashion.
Kaufman, on the other hand, has earned a reputation as a fierce competitor that wears down opponents with straight punches and constant pressure.
"I definitely want to test [Ronda's] chin, for sure," Kaufman said. "I don't think Miesha came up with the greatest game plan, just running straight at [her]."
Having already held the belt, Kaufman said Rousey isn't only going to be grappling with the stylistic challenges of the fight, but the pressure that comes with holding on what she's just earned.
"It's hard to stay at the top once you're at the top," she said. "Everyone below you is gunning up, and you've already reached that pinnacle. That being said, Ronda has only had five fights, and I think she is going to be nervous and is definitely going have the jitters when it comes to how serious my style is versus her style, as well as caring about having that title. "
Kaufman said the challenges of getting another title shot have made her appreciate this one even more.
"There's been more of a buildup coming to this fight, having the title and knowing what that's like and having fought those five rounds, it's really exciting to be able to have that journey looking back toward it," she said. "It makes you want it that much more."
http://mmajunkie.com/news/29451/sara...n-for-sure.mma
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