The moment UFC 184 lost its middleweight title fight headliner between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort, the weekend officially became all about the women.
Not that it sort of wasn't already. On Friday, all-female promotion Invicta FC will host its 11th event in Los Angeles, headlined by a featherweight title between Cris Justino and Charmaine Tweet.
The following night, Ronda Rousey will defend her UFC bantamweight title against Cat Zingano in the marquee contest of a UFC 184 pay-per-view. In the co-main event, former world champion boxer Holly Holm will make her much-anticipated UFC debut opposite Raquel Pennington.
With or without the Weidman-Belfort fight, this was set to be a major weekend for women's mixed martial arts -- it's just that without it, the weekend's focus has shifted exclusively to the female side.
"This is really a statement on where we've come from," said Invicta president Shannon Knapp, who has witnessed several landmark moments in the sport firsthand. "It's come into its own, definitely. I think a lot of people are way more familiar with female athletes than they were in the past."
Unlike previous landmark moments in the sport, women's MMA is not necessarily trying to prove anything this time. Yes, it is the first time in UFC history that females will appear in the both the main- and co-main events, so PPV buy-rates will be a post-event topic. And Invicta is coming off a somewhat transitional year in which it promoted just three total events.
At the same time, however, women's MMA is unquestionably here to stay. Currently, it is not as deep in talent as the men's side, but well-enough established to lead a weekend if the right players are involved.
These two events also figure to have a massive impact on the rest of the year in terms of the biggest female fights.
Here are a few potential scenarios this weekend and what each would mean moving forward.
Scenario: Rousey wins impressively, Justino wins impressively, Holm wins impressively
Outcome: To be clear, Justino (12-1) fights for Invicta. She is the Invicta 145-pound champion. That said, Invicta and the UFC have a strong business relationship, to the point that Zuffa officials (parent company of the UFC) were at the forefront of recent contract negotiations between Justino and Invicta. UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta has expressed interest in a fight between Rousey and Justino, which would be the biggest fight possible in women's MMA. Justino admitted the primary reason for re-upping her contract with Invicta was to keep the Rousey fight alive.
In this scenario, Justino would attempt to drop to 135 pounds by summer. Doubts remain on her ability to do so, but an effort would certainly be made.
Jason Parillo, Justino's boxing coach, said, "I think it's more of an even fight at 145 pounds -- because of the difficulty of Cyborg making 135, compared to the comfort Ronda would have making 145. Obviously, I'm "Cyborg's" coach, but it's a more fair fight at 145. What I've told Cris is, 'just be the best fighter in the world at 145. If this other girl that fights at 135, people say she's the best fighter in the world, that's fine. You stay here and if it comes together it comes together.' That's me giving a s--- about my fighters, but it's not always up to me."
"I want to see Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey like no other," Knapp said. "Everybody has talked about it. I'm ready to see it happen. It's really exciting to see this unfold in such a way, and this weekend puts us that much closer to making it happen."
In the meantime, while Justino takes a test fight at 135 pounds, Rousey would likely book another title defense. Holm (7-0), even if she looks spectacular Saturday, told ESPN.com that she does not believe she would fight Rousey next -- but also said she wouldn't turn it down.
"I don't think Rousey would be next," Holm said. "I think there would be a lot of pressure and questions behind it, but I think if we're on a fast track, maybe one more fight and then that. I think that would be the soonest but that's just me talking. It's not impossible."
Brazilian bantamweight Bethe Correia would also be a potential candidate for Rousey in this scenario. Rousey has previously expressed interest in fighting her.
Scenario: Zingano wins
Outcome: Immediate rematch for Rousey (10-0). Not only would a rematch sell very well, Rousey has earned the competitive right to an immediate rematch should she ever forfeit her title.
Zingano (9-0), who was supposed to fight Rousey in late 2013 but suffered a serious knee injury, is more than a 6-to-1 betting underdog in the fight.
"I absolutely believe everything happens when it's supposed to," Zingano said. "Whether it's wrapped with a pretty bow or not, that's life. This fight is a long time coming and I'm grateful for the opportunity. I feel like I'm a little more hardened -- that something indefinable is pushing me a little harder now."
In this scenario, Justino would still likely try to cut to 135 pounds, with the hope of fighting the eventual winner of the rematch.
Scenario: Rousey wins, Justino loses
Outcome: Even if she were to lose on Friday, Justino could very well choose to drop to 135. Knapp has hinted at a possible Invicta event in July in Las Vegas, which would coincide with a blockbuster UFC 189 pay-per-view. If Justino were to cut the weight and win a 135-pound fight in that setting, a loss to Tweet would be forgiven and interest in a Rousey fight would ratchet back up.
"I'm very excited now because I've signed a contract with Invicta," Justino said. "The last meeting I had with the UFC, they showed me a lot of respect. Everything bad that happened between me and the UFC, it's a business and it's behind us. I'm focused on my next fight with Charmaine Tweet, that's the first step, but I think after that, the UFC wants the fight with Rousey. We will work to make this happen."