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Photo Credit: James Law, MMAFighting.com

It is undeniable that this Saturday's fight between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey is the biggest fight for the women of Strikeforce since Carano vs. Cyborg took place back in 2009. This will be only the third women's main event for Strikeforce (Sarah Kaufman vs. Takayo Hashi headlined a Challengers card) and the first under the new ownership. However, this may be the most important bout in women's mixed martial arts history.

It has been almost a year since Zuffa LLC, the UFC's parent company, purchased Strikeforce and it is no secret as to where Dana White has stood in regards to women's MMA. His statements of the women's divisions not being deep enough with talent do have some warrant. However, make no mistake that the front office will be interested in the performance of this particular card.

Below are the attendance, gate and number of viewers that Carano vs. Cyborg & the last five Strikeforce events have drawn.

The trash talk between the two championship competitors has drawn the interest of fans online and Strikeforce ads have been prominent in Columbus. With the Arnold Sports Festival coinciding with the event there should be a decent sized crowd in the arena. Possibly even topping last years Strikeforce event in Nationwide Arena of 7,123 (Feijao vs. Henderson). The large arena will certainly have plenty of comped seats but it will be the Showtime ratings that define how successful this fight is. 

Tate vs. Rousey is already a significant due to the title being on the line, but they will carry the pressure of the hopes of dreams of their counterparts into the cage with them on Saturday.

With previous acquisitions by Zuffa one can only assume it is a matter of time before they merge the talent of Strikeforce in to the UFC. The question has always been if the women will see the inside of the Octagon. This main event has even drawn the interest of Dana White himself.

If Tate, Rousey, Kaufman and Davis can show the validity of the women's drawing power then the future of women's MMA on the elite stage will look as bright as the championship they are vying for.

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This post is related to an event on our Calendar:

• Strikeforce: Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate, Sarah Kaufman vs Alexis Davis

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• MMA: The Women are Here to Stay

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