What else is there to say about Ronda Rousey? She is clearly in a league of her own after she took just 14 seconds to record a submission victory over Cat Zingano and defend her bantamweight title at UFC 184 on Saturday night. Per the UFC’s official Twitter account, the win made history for its swiftness.
At this point, it seems as if Rousey is without peer in her division and in the sport.
No other fighter—regardless of gender—has been as dominant in his or her reign as champion. Suggesting any woman who is currently on the MMA scene is capable of beating Rousey is like a joke. It’s going to take one heck of a spin job by the UFC’s marketing team and Joe Rogan to make fans believe that Rousey‘s next challenger stands a chance of dethroning the champion.
Rousey‘s performance was clearly the most memorable on the card, but there were other winners. Here’s a look at the full results. Just below the table is a closer look at two other big winners from Saturday night.
Holly Holm
She came to the UFC with a ton of hype, and Holly Holm began her career with the promotion with a win. In the co-featured bout, Holm beat Raquel Pennington by split decision.
Holm displayed excellent takedown defense, some impressive footwork and powerful legs.
Pennington was able to land some right hands on Holm‘s face but not enough to take the fight on points. It was a winning debut, but lord knows she needs at least four fights before she could even dream of challenging Rousey.
Even then she’d be a huge underdog. Fox Sports’ Damon Martin agrees:
Like every other woman in the women’s bantamweight division, Holm is a race for second place.
Tony Ferguson
The man they call El Cucuy scored the most impressive victory by a person not named Rousey. He used his reach and improved technical striking to daze UFC veteran Gleison Tibau in the first round.
Once he had his opponent hurt, Tony Ferguson snapped Tibau down to the mat and quickly transitioned to a rear-naked choke.
Within seconds, Tibau—a well-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist—tapped out. It was a masterful performance that should undoubtedly lead to Ferguson earning a spot in the Top 10 welterweight rankings.
Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani agrees:
It’ll be exciting to see who Ferguson draws next. He’s quickly becoming one of the most dangerous up and comers in the 170-pound division.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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