A mixed martial artist can only climb so high with the mainstream public when looking strictly at fighting ability. In order to move to the next level, one must possess something unique that people can latch on to in a positive or negative way.
W…
A mixed martial artist can only climb so high with the mainstream public when looking strictly at fighting ability. In order to move to the next level, one must possess something unique that people can latch on to in a positive or negative way.
Whether it was just a marketing strategy, or an expression of some kind of deeper animosity toward Jose Aldo, ConorMcGregor‘s histrionics at the UFC 189 World Tour press conference on Tuesday were brilliant. In case you didn’t see it or want to watch it again, here’s the video footage of what went down:
While that was the end result of the press conference, let’s go back a few minutes to describe what brought us to that particular moment.
First, it’s important to set the stage. The press conference took place in Dublin, Ireland, which is where McGregor is from and is a popular MMA area.
Aldo, who hasn’t lost since November 2005 and is the UFC featherweight champion, found this to be a good time to rile up the crowd and his opponent. He proclaimed himself the “King of Dublin,” per Damon Martin of Fox Sports.
As you would expect, especially with a rowdy hometown crowd to support him, McGregor took offense to the remarks and decided to fire back verbally before grabbing Aldo’s belt, with UFC tweeting out one of McGregor‘s key points:
The two had a brief shouting match that nearly came to blows, with UFC president Dana White keeping them apart. Even though Aldo and McGregor have not hidden their disdain for each other throughout this tour, Tuesday was a cut above anything else.
This is nothing but good news for the UFC, which has three months to build the fight off of the mayhem of this press conference, since the event doesn’t take place until July 11. As great as Aldo is as a fighter, and as much as McGregor‘s star has risen, neither one is doing much to sell the fight on his own.
While it’s not entirely fair to say McGregor can’t sell a fight to casual fans, since he’s only headlined shows that aired on national television instead of pay-per-view, here are numbers from Aldo’s events as the main event performer:
The featherweight title is one of the youngest major titles in the UFC, making its debut in 2010 when Aldo defeated Mark Hominick. Fans need time to get acclimated with the fighters in a division, but the fact that buy rates have stayed at 180,000 for Aldo’s last two fights is troubling.
So how do you put together a fight that will break through the 180,000-buy barrier? Have two fighters who seem to genuinely dislike each other, or are at least doing a good job of faking it, take part in a perfect moment at a press conference in which they nearly come to blows.
It’s a simple marketing premise that is used all the time. ChaelSonnen was a solid fighter when he competed, and he became a sensation thanks to his ability to talk as well as any professional wrestler prior to two fights against Anderson Silva.
Aldo and McGregor are better fighters now than Sonnen was at any point in his career. They deserve to have as many eyeballs as possible watching their fight. Now, thanks to this one brief moment at a press conference three months before the event, the UFC has the perfect marketing strategy to make sure it happens.
In addition to increasing the pay-per-view buys, Aldo and McGregor get their moment in the spotlight to become superstars who can draw consistently big numbers. There’s no downside for the fighters or the UFC in this instance.
Lost in all the talk about whether or not Ronda Rousey could beat a man in a UFC fight is the fact that she’s doing something historic that needs no further justification.
Yet the discussion of Rousey being able to beat a UFC bantamweight fighter has s…
Lost in all the talk about whether or not Ronda Rousey could beat a man in a UFC fight is the fact that she’s doing something historic that needs no further justification.
Yet the discussion of Rousey being able to beat a UFC bantamweight fighter has seemingly become the hot topic thanks to comments made by Joe Rogan, who was only trying to talk about her greatness—though in a poorly worded way.
Rogan, the UFC’s color commentator, said in an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show (h/t Sporting News) that Rousey could beat guys in her weight class.
“There’s a lot of guys her size she could beat,” Rogan said. “I mean, a lot. If you took the roster of the UFC’s bantamweights, 135 pounds, and you paired them up against Ronda Rousey, she might be able to beat 50 percent of them. That’s not a joke.”
It’s not a joke, as Rousey has proved herself to be a world-class athlete in her 11 career mixed martial arts fights and by winning a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics. But the fact that it’s even being brought up is a sign of disrespect to her and female mixed martial artists everywhere.
Rousey hasn’t helped the situation by saying on SportsCenter(via For The Win’s Nick Schwartz) that she believes she “could beat 100 percent of them.” That’s not something you hold against her, though, because any athlete should have the confidence to say he or she can win in any situation, and in part, that seemed to be her point.
Yet the UFC women’s bantamweight champion finally defused the situation by telling Marlow Stern of The Daily Beast that there are much more serious issues at play in everyday life that could make a sanctioned fight between a man and a woman irresponsible:
I don’t think it’s a great idea to have a man hitting a woman on television. I’ll never say that I’ll lose, but you could have a girl getting totally beat up on TV by a guy—which is a bad image to put across. With all the football [domestic violence] stuff that’s been happening, not a good idea. It’s fun to theorize about and talk about, but it’s something that’s much better in theory than fact.
There’s already a stigma that some people have attached to sports like mixed martial arts and boxing because they are violent by nature. Setting up a man vs. woman fight could potentially make things worse, as Rousey implied—not to mention what this conversation says about how little respect is shown to women who compete in athletics.
Think about it: When Anderson Silva went seven years without a loss, did anyone think he needed to prove anything? Jon Jones is making the light heavyweight division look like a breeze, yet no one thinks he has anything left to prove.
Billie Jean King’s famous 1973 victory over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes was a stepping stone in the battle for gender equality, though it’s unfortunately a battle that still persists 42 years later.
By suggesting—even in a joking manner—that Rousey could beat men, it shows on a conscious or subconscious level that there’s something less impressive about beating female fighters in dominating fashion.
It’s not true in any way, shape or form.
Nothing that Rousey has done in her MMA career needs justification. Analysts don’t need to suggest she could beat a man to highlight her greatness. Her greatness is evident in everything she’s done in the cage.
Her career is ascending because she’s great at what she does—not because of whom she could theoretically beat.
UFC has been on a roll lately with incredible fight cards and compelling main events, a trend that seems destined to continue on Saturday night at UFC 185. The card is headlined by Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight championship.&n…
UFC has been on a roll lately with incredible fight cards and compelling main events, a trend that seems destined to continue on Saturday night at UFC 185. The card is headlined by Anthony Pettis and Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight championship.
One selling point for this card is the main event figures to go a little longer than 14 seconds, though it might be more interesting if either Pettis or Dos Anjos ended the fight in Ronda Rousey-like fashion.
The main reason this has the makings of a special event is a loaded undercard, which features a women’s strawweight title fight and a heavyweight showdown between two of the most powerful punchers in the business, Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem.
As the final predictions roll in for UFC 185, here’s a look at the card and a breakdown of what the experts are saying will happen.
Main Event Prediction
There are moments in certain athlete’s careers where they go from being good at what they do to a true superstar. These are the franchise players, ones who move merchandise and bring eyeballs to their sport regardless of who they are taking on.
Anthony Pettis seems poised to take that next step, as he’s been one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts for years and has won his last five UFC fights since losing to Clay Guida in his debut with the promotion.
As Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports wrote, Pettis has been on a Rousey-esque run in his last four victories:
In his last four fights, he’s won by knockout twice and submission twice and never once entered the third round. More impressively, those wins came over Joe Lauzon (first-round KO by head kick); Donald Cerrone (first-round TKO by body kick); Benson Henderson (first-round submission by arm bar) and Gilbert Melendez (second-round submission by guillotine choke).
Dos Anjos isn’t exactly a slouch in the Octagon, having won his last three fights, with victories over Jason High and Benson Henderson using an impressive barrage of punches to score knockouts. That’s a key point for this fight since striking used to be a liability for the Brazilian star.
Yet there are certain fighters who tend to operate on another level. Anderson Silva was there at his peak, Georges St-Pierre was there before he walked away, Jon Jones is living in that world right now and Pettis isn’t far behind.
UFC lightweight Ross Pearson, who predicts a win for Pettis, believes this is the kind of fight that will allow the champion to show all the things that make him special (via ESPN.com):
I think this is a great fight for him, stylistically, to go out there and put on a show. So, yeah, my money is on Pettis to do something pretty fancy. I don’t think dos Anjos moves a lot. I don’t think his defense is that good.
His offensive and power striking is very good, but I think he’s a sitting duck. He’s a little flat; he needs angles. Pettis is all about movement, and I think the shots will be there for him.
UFC isn’t hurting for stars right now, especially with Rousey turning into a crossover star like few fighters have been able to in the past, but it never hurts to have depth in that area. Pettis should already be at that level given his history, only being 28 years old and having a terrific personality.
A win in this spot, especially if he continues to dominate the way he has the last four fights with only one reaching the second round, puts Pettis on that next level. There’s nothing that Dos Anjos does which Pettis can’t counter.
Dos Anjos isn’t a great striker, despite adding some power as he’s gotten older, and he has been passive at times by letting opponents come toward him instead of staying on the attack. If that happens against Pettis, it’s going to be a short fight.
Regardless of what this fight turns into, a slugfest or methodical mind duel, Pettis is going to come out on top because he’s better and a more complete fighter.
Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest draws in mixed martial arts, winning 10 of her 11 career fights in the first round and needing 96 seconds to win each of her last three UFC women’s bantamweight title fights, but don’t think she’s looking to fight a m…
Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest draws in mixed martial arts, winning 10 of her 11 career fights in the first round and needing 96 seconds to win each of her last three UFC women’s bantamweight title fights, but don’t think she’s looking to fight a man anytime soon.
Even though fans have speculated about a crossover fight since Rousey’s win over Cat Zingano at UFC 184, the undefeated champion told Marlow Stern of The Daily Beast that it’s not practical for a man-vs.-woman fight.
I don’t think it’s a great idea to have a man hitting a woman on television. I’ll never say that I’ll lose, but you could have a girl getting totally beat up on TV by a guy—which is a bad image to put across. With all the football [domestic violence] stuff that’s been happening, not a good idea. It’s fun to theorize about and talk about, but it’s something that’s much better in theory than fact.
The possibility of a crossover fight needlessly picked up steam when UFC announcer Joe Rogan said during an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show (h/t The Sporting News) that Rousey “might be able to beat 50 percent” of the 135-pound fighters in UFC.
Rousey has helped fuel some of the fan speculation when she said during a recent appearance on SportsCenter, via Nick Schwartz of USA Today, that she “could beat 100 percent” of male bantamweight fighters in UFC.
The UFC champion has never said she’s looking to fight anyone on the male side, just that she would have no doubts about being able to beat any of them.
There was also no chance Rousey would ever fight a man, even if she wanted to, because no athletic commission would sanction it. It’s also incredibly demeaning to female fighters everywhere, including Rousey, that their accomplishments are made to seem lesser because they aren’t fighting men.
It’s in Rousey’s best interest, both as a fighter and a woman, that she shot down the notion of a man fighting a woman. She doesn’t need to fight a man to prove her greatness, as it’s been on display all 11 times she has stepped into a cage or the Octagon to do battle with many tremendous athletes.
Ever since Ronda Rousey debuted in UFC, nearly two years ago to the day, the big question has been if there is an opponent out there to really challenge her. It hasn’t happened through four fights, but UFC 184 will be the most difficult task to date be…
Ever since Ronda Rousey debuted in UFC, nearly two years ago to the day, the big question has been if there is an opponent out there to really challenge her. It hasn’t happened through four fights, but UFC 184 will be the most difficult task to date because of Cat Zingano’s style.
Rousey’s fighting game has evolved in such a short amount of time. She entered the sport as a one-trick pony, relying on her judo and armbar submission to overwhelm opponents. It’s worked brilliantly because she was so good at that one thing, but it wasn’t a sustainable long-term model.
The undefeated bantamweight champion’s last two wins have come by knockout. Zingano’s strength is in standing and trading punches with opponents, with five of her nine career wins and both victories in UFC coming via TKO due to strikes.
Rousey will enter as the heavy favorite (minus-750, per Odds Shark), as she should given her track record, but this is the first time where it’s plausible to create a scenario where she loses. Here are the storylines to watch on Saturday night.
The Power Game
Rousey and Zingano are accomplished ground and submission experts, but they have taken the necessary steps to become more complete fighters throughout their careers.
The previous knock against Rousey is what would happen if she couldn’t take an opponent down. While she hasn’t needed much time to defeat Sara McMann and Alexis Davis (82 seconds combined), the UFC women’s bantamweight champion has a style that is impossible to figure out.
Basically, Rousey throws all kind of caution to the wind. She explodes out of the corner at the start of each round wanting to hit something, as this synopsis of her bout with Davis shows, via Brian Martin of the Los Angeles Daily News:
“Nine seconds into the fight, Rousey hit Davis with a right hook to the temple, followed by a knee to the body, headlock and throw, and nine straight punches,” Martin wrote. “Fight over. Second-fastest title victory in UFC history.”
It’s tempting for an opponent to try attacking Rousey in the same way, though it’s not conducive to success. Zingano won’t be physically or mentally overwhelmed by anything coming at her on Saturday, as noted by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:
When the UFC announced in late 2012 that it would adopt a women’s division, it was a joyous day for Zingano. In the two-plus years since, she’s been through her share of ordeals. She fought her way through an injury first to her right knee and then to her left.
She was an example of perseverance, dedication and commitment to Brayden (her son). Many athletes have to overcome one significant injury. A second one, just as the first has healed, isn’t particularly common.
Rousey intimidates opponents with her ability to talk fast and loud before a match, then uses her speed and strength to intimidate inside the Octagon. Zingano, whose 70″ reach is four inches longer than Rousey’s, can overcome that speed by using her length to stay away from the champion.
By keeping a distance from Rousey, Zingano will be able to land some strikes. That’s not to say it will be enough to win, or keep the champ off her for long, but this fight has the potential to reach the later rounds when it becomes a question of stamina.
Once stamina becomes a factor, all it takes is one solid punch to put an opponent down. Rousey and Zingano have the power to do anything they want.
The Defining Female MMA Fight
On a much bigger level than simply who wins, Rousey vs. Zingano is shaping up to be the fight that defines women’s MMA. At the very least, it will be the biggest event headlined by two females in UFC history. That’s not a long list at this point, but it is a huge step in the right direction.
Per Iole in a separate post on Yahoo Sports, UFC 184 is drawing a crowd the likes of which would normally turn out for one of the mega cards:
The Rousey-Zingano fight will attract a horde of celebrities who are coming out to watch what could be the match that, 10 years from now, 25 years from now, 50 years from now, is the one that all other women’s bouts are judged against.
Just as major boxing matches are measured by the standard of Muhammad Ali (31-0, 25 KOs) against Joe Frazier (26-0, 23 KOs) on March 8, 1971, it’s possible that future women’s MMA fights will be judged against Rousey-Zingano.
Rousey has become one of the biggest stars in UFC, even translating her MMA fame into a part-time acting career in things like Expendables 3 and the upcoming Fast and Furious sequel, but the two cards she has headlined haven’t been blockbusters.
According to MMA Payout, which cites buyrates from Wrestling Observer‘s Dave Meltzer, Rousey vs. Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 did 450,000 buys and Rousey vs. McMann at UFC 170 did 350,000 buys. Those are solid numbers, but more on the average side.
Granted, that still speaks well of Rousey’s popularity, since women’s fighting in UFC is still in its infancy and there hasn’t been a strong No. 2 to market behind her.
Zingano isn’t the same kind of crossover star as Rousey, but her resume speaks for itself. She doesn’t want to go around yelling into microphones, offering an opinion on anything and everything.
Yet as Iole noted in his piece, this is just the third time in UFC history that a championship fight features two undefeated competitors. The last one was Rousey’s bout with McMann, but UFC 184 feels different because Zingano is a better opponent and has a better fighting resume.
Whether this becomes the kind of fight that changes women’s MMA won’t be determined until after the fight is over, but all indications prior to the event suggest this is a special moment for females in the sport.
Who’s Gonna Win?
All of the pre-fight storylines are great, but the only thing that matters is which fighter comes out on top. Zingano is the best and most well-rounded fighter Rousey has gone up against in her career. Her combination of size, length and speed are going to drag this out longer than the typical Rousey fight.
As noted by Elias Cepeda of Fox Sports, all of the things that Rousey loves to do are matched by what Zingano loves to do:
Rousey has showed a willingness to stand and bang on the feet with strikes. It’s scored her two KO’s recently, but that approach could also give Zingano a chance at changing the complexion of the fight.
Rousey’s strikes are quick and strong, but she leaves her head in the same place, on the center line, while she throws them. She’s eaten some solid shots to the head as a result, but walked through all the shots.
Eventually, one of those strikes might stun her. Zingano’s striking may be good enough to do the trick.
Anytime your head is stationary in the fighting game, you are vulnerable to a knockout. Rousey isn’t a perfect fighter, though her weaknesses are offset by power and aggression so they haven’t cost her against inferior competition.
If there is an opponent who can defeat Rousey, it’s Zingano.
However, while picking upsets are tempting because getting it right makes you look smart, Rousey is in that rarefied air in sports where you can’t believe she will lose until it actually happens. She’s strong, fights as well as anyone on the ground and uses her striking better now than she has at any point in her career.
Zingano will keep this fight interesting, and it will be the longest match of Rousey’s career, but the champion will retain her crown.
One way that female athletes have been able to build their brand, beyond dominating in their sport, is appearing in Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Issue. Ronda Rousey, who has already helped break barriers in UFC, is the latest female athlet…
One way that female athletes have been able to build their brand, beyond dominating in their sport, is appearing in Sports Illustrated‘s annual Swimsuit Issue. Ronda Rousey, who has already helped break barriers in UFC, is the latest female athlete to grace the pages of the magazine’s best-selling release.
Not only does Rousey join past athletes like Amanda Beard, Jennie Finch, Venus Williams and Danica Patrick, she’s also the first mixed martial artist to appear in the magazine. It’s a huge breakthrough for her and the sport.
Rousey did her best to provide some commentary on the photographs that appear in the magazine on social media. For instance, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion talked on Twitter about one suit that reminded her of a character from a 1990s movie:
Ironically, Leeloo Dallas was played by MillaJovovich, who has carved out a niche in movies by playing a warrior in the Resident Evil movies.
In addition to picking outfits that come from ’90s science fiction cinema, Rousey also noted in two separateInstagram posts that her day of shooting went from first thing in the morning until late in the evening. This one, specifically, notes the freezing temperatures outside:
Let it be said, children, that the life of a model isn’t easy. You have to wake up at the crack of dawn, put on a swimsuit in frigid temperatures and have a smile while freezing through all of the pictures being taken.
Also, for anyone concerned about Rousey‘s focus as an athlete, she made sure to let the world know that fighting is still her top priority on Instagram:
Speaking to Chris Strauss of USA Today, Rousey talked about how this experience differed from her past modeling venture in ESPN The Magazine‘s Body Issue:
The difference in how I approached it is when I posed for ESPN Body, I really tried to be a lot more cut and a lot more close to my prime fighting shape because I was being photographed as a fighter and trying to look more like a fighter.
I purposely tried to get a little bit heavier for the SI issue so I was a little bit curvier and not in top fight shape look but the look at which I feel I’m the most attractive. It’s very natural for a person’s body to go through seasons.
There are few athletes in the world as fascinating as Rousey. She’s built a fanbase on being great at her job and outspoken on anything that crosses her mind, especially as it relates to opponents in the Octagon. Seeing her headline UFC events speaks to how much mainstream appeal the 28-year-old has.
Discussing the shooting of the Swimsuit Issue allowed Rousey, who is robot-like in the way she walks through opponents, to show a different side to her personality. Fans like having more access to their favorite athletes on social media.
Rousey, while certainly under no obligation to give insight into who she is, is helping herself and the sport of female mixed martial arts because of her appearance in the Swimsuit Issue. She continues to build more crossover appeal, and that brings in more viewers to the sport.
A mixed martial artist can only climb so high with the mainstream public when looking strictly at fighting ability. In order to move to the next level, one must possess something unique that people can latch on to in a positive or negative way.