“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey has taken the world of MMA and WMMA by storm.
Her high-level fighting skills, coupled with the fact that she is an excellent self-promoter, have made her a true threat inside and outside of the cage.
Rousey has had a meteoric rise to MMA stardom. She got many people interested with her impressive streak of four straight armbar finishes, each of those coming in the first minute of the first round of its respective fight.
Then her promoting side kicked in and she was able to land a fight with Miesha Tate, who was at that time the Strikeforce bantamweight champion.
In her most difficult fight to date, Rousey came up huge and secured an armbar to win the title. Her first title defense, against Canadian Sarah Kaufman, went off without a hitch, proving that Rousey is currently the best female MMA fighter in the world.
With all the hype surrounding Rousey, there is bound to be some backlash. It comes in the form of a question: Has her importance to MMA been overstated?
I strongly answer no.
Rousey has become the face of WMMA today. WMMA has never gotten the same level of respect as the men’s side of the sport.
With Rousey leading the charge, though, the future is looking bright.
She also happens to be in UFC president Dana White‘s good graces—so much so that he could potentially see her being the first woman to fight in the UFC.
Imagine that for a second. Rousey will be breaking barriers and carrying WMMA into the mainstream. Rousey is the most important female fighter the sport has ever seen. Her mix of fighting skill and charisma will see her fight well and promote the sport she loves.
Rousey‘s importance to MMA hasn’t been overstated. It has been understated. With Rousey leading the charge, hopefully we soon see two woman squaring off in the UFC Octagon.
Once that goal is accomplished, the sky is the limit.
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