UFC 100, the most purchased pay-per-view in the fight promotion’s history, took place just under seven years ago.
It was headlined by the most marketable heavyweight to date, Brock Lesnar, in a rematch with the man who ruined his promotional debut at U…
UFC 100, the most purchased pay-per-view in the fight promotion’s history, took place just under seven years ago.
It was headlined by the most marketable heavyweight to date, Brock Lesnar, in a rematch with the man who ruined his promotional debut at UFC 81, Frank Mir. The co-main event featured perhaps the most likable champ in company history, Georges St-Pierre, taking on then-top contender Thiago Alves. The third fight pitted the All-American Dan Henderson opposite British spitfire Michael Bisping. Even Jon Jones was on the card, lurking on the prelims, in only his third UFC fight.
In more than three months, UFC 200 will go down. Given the grandeur of UFC 100, it’s only natural the brass will want to go even bigger for its bicentennial pay-per-view event.
So what will headline the fight card? How will they fill out the rest of the main card?
Let’s roll up our sleeves and speculate as to how things will shake out.
We’ll start with which top fighters won’t be available (because they are already booked in a fight on an upcoming event), then list the options that are already set in stone or being rumored, and finish up by looking at top options that are still in play.
2015 was a bad year to be a reigning UFC champion. Like, really bad.
Holly Holm picked apart woman’s bantamweight juggernaut Ronda Rousey, who lost for the first time in her MMA career. A single punch courtesy of the braggadocious Conor…
2015 was a bad year to be a reigning UFC champion. Like, really bad.
Holly Holm picked apart woman’s bantamweight juggernaut Ronda Rousey, who lost for the first time in her MMA career. A single punch courtesy of the braggadocious Conor McGregor took down featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo, who hadn’t lost in over 10 years.
But wait, there’s more. Much more.
Fabricio Werdum completely outclassed a man considered by some as the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time in Cain Velasquez. Rafael dos Anjos equally outclassed the always flashy (but lacking durability) Anthony Pettis, who handed over his lightweight crown.
Anderson Silva slayer Chris Weidman finally met his match and then some at middleweight in the form of hulking Luke Rockhold.
Jon Jones didn’t lose his belt inside the cage. But he managed to lose his belt nonetheless. The UFC stripped Jones of the light heavyweight title due to the much-publicized legal quagmire he found himself in. His nemesis Daniel Cormier bested Anthony Johnson to claim the vacated crown.
The trend continued into 2016.
Welterweight stalwart Robbie Lawler faced off against Carlos Condit in January in a fight-of-the-year candidate. While Lawler left the the cage champion status in tow, the majority of those watching their slugfest, including UFC President Dana White, thought Condit had gotten the better of him.
A few weeks later, former bantamweight top dog Dominic Cruz reclaimed the crown he never lost (the UFC stripped him of the title due to not being able to defend it via one injury after another) by outpointing T.J. Dillashaw in another razor-close contest where a vocal minority had Dillashaw winning.
And that brings us up to March, where we just witnessed one of the great title fight finishes in UFC history. Holm, on her way to defending the belt she’d kicked away from Rousey, coughed up her newly captured champ status when Miesha Tate chocked her out with just 90 seconds remaining in their fight.
So, yeah. Holding onto championship status in the UFC is no small feat. Turnover is becoming par for the course. If you look at the above chart, five of the 10 current champs have yet to defend their belts (Werdum, Rockhold, McGregor, Cruz and Tate), while only one champ has defended more than three times (Johnson).
Let’s dust off our crystal ball and prognosticate who’ll be UFC champ in every weight class by end of 2016. Our guess is probably as good as anyone’s, as more parity is starting to creep into mixed martial arts.
Woman’s Strawweight (115 pounds)
Current 115-pound champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk (11-0) looks close to unbeatable. But every dominant champ looks that way until someone like Holly Holm or Chris Weidman comes along and punches the reset button.
There is one woman who pushed her to the limit before she was sporting gold. Claudia Gadelha (13-1) battled Jedrzejczyk back in 2014. She lost via split decision, although, as is the case with many judges’ decisions, there was controversy, as many thought Gadelha had gotten the better of Jedrzejczyk.
The two will rematch this July at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale after 12 weeks of work as rival coaches. This fight will likely come down to who’s improved more since their first encounter.
We’ll give the edge to champ. If Jedrzejczykcan get past her toughest test ever in Gadelha, look for her to coast through the second half of 2016 and into 2017.
Official prediction:Jedrzejczyk will get byGadelha in what should be a grueling battle and will be the UFC’s strawweight champion at the end of 2016 and very likely for all of 2017, too.
Woman’s Bantamweight (135 pounds)
Ronda Rousey (12-1) was chewing through her competition like a vegan through kale salad. It felt like she would be champion until she retired.
Holly Holm (10-1) was supposed to be just one more challenger. She hadn’t even looked overly impressive in her first two UFC bouts, but when the two met, Holm shut down Rousey‘s hard-charging style and then proceeded to have her way with the champ, finishing the fight with the kick to the face that sent Rousey back to the Stone Age.
And then Holm went and lost to perennial top contender Miesha Tate (18-5); Tate of course has lost twice to Rousey (once in the UFC and once back in Strikeforce).
Conventional wisdom has Tate fighting Rousey later on this year. But we don’t know exactly when Rousey will to return to action; it’s possible Tate and Holmmight rematch before then. So predicting which woman will be holding the belt by year’s end is a bit of a coin flip.
A lot of it has to do with who fights whom and when. It would make sense to book Tate vs. Rousey at UFC 200 in July. But Rousey may not be ready. And while both Tate and Holm may want to rematch at UFC 200, the UFC will likely do everything it can to convince Tate to wait on Rousey.
Official prediction:Rousey fights Tate in the fall of 2016. She beats Tate by submission and enters 2017 as champion and hopefully rematch Holm in the spring.
Flyweight (125 pounds)
No champion holds on forever but Demetrius Johnson (23-2) has been thumping his competition since the fall of 2012, when he bested Joseph Benavidez to become the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. He’s gone 7-0 since then, beating Benavidez once again along with beating the formidable John Dodson twice.
Up next for Johnson is former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo (10-0). Cejudo is youngest American wrestler to ever win an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling and has quickly established himself as one of the best flyweights in MMA. But none of that may matter when he goes up against one of the most complete fighters of all time.
Official prediction: Not only will Johnson be champ through all of 2016 but he’ll likely be be brandishing gold for years to come. At least, he will until his Chris Weidman or Holly Holm finally comes along.
Men’s Bantamweight (135 pounds)
As mentioned above T.J. Dillashaw (12-3) gave way to the triumphant return of Dominick Cruz (21-1). Cruz’s long hard road back to the top is truly one of the great redemption stories in all of sports.
No one can question Cruz’s heart or technical prowess at this point. It’s simply a matter of if the best bantamweight fighter of all time can stay healthy. He’s only fought twice since the fall of 2012 (vs. TakeyaMizugaki in 2014 and then Dillashaw in 2016).
Dillashaw will be gunning to for his revenge. Dodson recently moved up to bantamweight. You’ve also got one of the brightest prospects in the sport in Aljamain Sterling (12-0) who’ll be knocking on the door soon. Up next though Cruz will battle Uriah Faber (33-8) at UFC 199 in June in what will complete their trilogy.
Official prediction: Cruz should be able to get the better of Faber and will likely rematch Dillashaw before the end of 2016. That fight is as close to a coin flip as it gets. But we’ll give the edge to Cruz as he’s still got the more tools in his tool bag.
Featherweight (145 pounds)
Recently minted featherweight champ ConorMcGregor (19-3) tasted defeat for the first time in his UFC career when he moved up in weight and got slapped around by Nate Diaz. He’ll likely lick his wounds, come back to earth, and defend his 145-pound strap vs. Jose Aldo (25-2) in a rematch, or the more deserving Frankie Edgar (20-4).
It’ll be up to McGregor who he picks. He’s already beaten Aldo but that doesn’t mean Aldo can’t get the better of him in a rematch. McGregor may want to avoid Edgar’s combination of wrestling and volume punching. But Edgar has taken a lot of damage in his career and McGregor‘s got that devastating left hand.
McGregor will mostly likely fight one of them at UFC 200 in July, unless he throws us a curveball. And that’ll leave enough time in the 2016 calendar for another featherweight title fight. So we could see McGregor vs. Aldo 2 and then McGregor vs. Edgar. Like at woman’s bantamweight, it’s easy to see any one of three top fighters holding the belt by the end of 2016.
Official prediction: While part of us wants to go with Edgar, we’ll stick with McGregor.
Lightweight (155 pounds)
Current champ Rafael dos Anjos (25-7) was supposed to face featherweight champ ConorMcGregor at UFC 196 but he suffered a foot injury that forced him to pull out. In the aftermath of McGregor‘s loss to Nate Diaz, the Irishman is talking about going back down to featherweight to defend his belt while dos Anjos has proposed a superfight with welterweight champ Robbie Lawler. Got all that?
Whether or not dos Anjos does move up to fight Lawler is irrelevant to this article as we’re interested in who will be holding the lightweight strap at the end of the year.
Dos Anjos will at some point fight the winner of KhabibNurmagomedov (22-0) vs. Tony Ferguson (20-3).
That No. 1 contender’s fight will is taking place at UFC on Fox 19 in April. Whoever emerges from that fight will likely get the next title shot. Unless the UFC decides to go with Eddie Alvarez (who recently edged out former champ Anthony Pettis.
Official prediction:KhabibNurmagomedov. This is going out on a limb of course. Many have felt for years now that Nurmagomedov would eventually go on to be champ but injury after injury has hampered his progress. But if he can stay healthy, and get by a tough Ferguson, he’s got the inside track. He already holds a win over dos Anjos; his last fight actually from April of 2014.
Welterweight
Georges St-Pierre (25-2) once owned this division, holding the belt for over 2,000 days, before deciding to take what may end up being a permanent break from the sport. Johnny Hendricks (17-4) beat Robbie Lawler (27-10) to claim the vacated belt only to hand it over to Lawler in a rematch.
Lawler has looked pretty formidable since, beating Rory MacDonald and then Carlos Condit (30-9).
Welterweight is up in the air as of now. Will the UFC book Lawler vs. dos Anjos at UFC 200? Will Georges St-Pierre make his long awaited return at UFC 200? Will the UFC book a rematch between Lawler and Condit?
Official prediction: With so much yet to be determined, we’ll play it safe and stick with Lawler. But if Steven Thompson (12-1) get by MacDonald at Fight Night 89 in June, there’s a very good chance he’ll get a title shot vs. Lawler before the end of 2016. If that’s the case, we’ll officially switch our pick to Wonderboy.
Middleweight
After finishing the great Anderson Silva twice, and then following up those performances with stoppage wins over LyotoMachida and VitorBelfort, it looked like Chris Weidman (13-1) might be poised for a long run as the 185-pound champ. Luke Rockhold (15-2) was hearing none of that.
Their title fight at UC 194 was a close affair before Rockhold caught a lazy kick from Weidman, took him down and beat the stuffing out of him. Weidman‘s coach claimed his fighter came into the fight with a fractured foot. They’ll rematch at UFC 199 in June. Will a healthy Weidman turn the tables on Rockhold?
Official prediction: We don’t know if Weidman actually had a broken foot or not. If he did, that’s obviously a huge factor. Rockhold looks quite sinister between his stand up and ground game. We’ll go with the current champ but wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Weidman evens things up.
Light Heavyweight
Jon Jones (21-1) is officially back. And he thinks Daniel Cormier (17-1) has just been keeping his seat warm in his absence. Cormier is one of the best fighters in all of mixed martial arts. Unlucky for him he happens to compete in the same weight class as Jones.
Jones already holds a win over Cormier, and it’s hard to see a rematch going much differently. If anything it feels like a beefed up and totally focused Jones might actually get a finish over Cormier at UFC 197 in April.
If he gets his belt back, look for Jones to defend it against Anthony Johnson (21-5) in the second half of 2016. Johnson is an absolute terror in the striking department, but often fades as the fight goes on. He’ll have to T(KO) Jones in the first round to get the job done.
Official prediction: Jon Jones will be your light heavyweight champion until he decides to vacate it. He’ll eventually move up to heavyweight, and like ConorMcGregor, may try and keep his main belt while chasing after a second belt in a weight class up.
Heavyweight
Who could have predicted that at ripe old age of 38-years-old Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) would be your UFC heavyweight champion? Just about no one is the correct answer. But Werdum had been coming into his own as a complete mixed martial artist over the last few years—all culminating in the fall of 2015 when he unseated long reigning champ Cain Velasquez (13-2) is dramatic fashion.
He was supposed to rematch Velasquez in February, but the perpetually injured former champ was forced to pull out and in stepped surging contender StipeMioic (14-2). Those two will do battle in May at UFC 198. That’ll mean there will likely be one more UFC heavyweight title fight in 2016.
Will Werdum look as good against Mioic as he did against Velasquez? Will the younger fighter be able to out-box and out-clinch the champ? If Werdum holds onto his belt he’ll likely either be facing the winner of Ben Rothwell vs. Junior dos Anjos or Alistair Overeem vs. Andrei Alrovski (those fights are scheduled for April and May respectively). If Overeem (40-14) is victorious look for him to get the call over the Rothwell-JDS winner. Werdum-Overeem would be a rematch of their 2011 fight in Strikeforce.
Official prediction: You never know when age will catch up with a fighter. Just ask Anderson Silva. Werdum is looking like a man possessed. So we’ll stick with him to finish out 2016 as champ.
Looking over our predictions, they’re not so bold. All told, we’re only predicting two new champs by the end of 2016: Rousey (woman’s bantamweight) and Nurmagomedov (lightweight). And those are shaky picks for obvious reasons (can Rousey get back to her previous form and can Nurmagomedov stay healthy).
Chances are we’re not predicting enough upsets though.
Weidman and Dillashaw could easily get his belt back. Mioic could prove to be stylistic kryptonite for a much older Werdum. Lawler and McGregor are certainly beatable fighters. Even Jedrzejczyk is vulnerable in her next match up. About the only two locks feel like Jones and Johnson but their both facing two of the top contenders in the sport.
If 2016 finishes up as chaotic as 2015/the first quarter of 2016, then MMA fans are in for a wild ride and the sport as a whole will most certainly be in the grips of it’s greatest parity to date.
Thursday, at the UFC 196 pre-fight press conference, things escalated in the blink of an eye when Conor McGregor knocked away Nate Diaz’s outstretched fist.
McGregor did not take kindly to the proximity of said fist, swatted Diaz’s hand away, and…
Thursday, at the UFC 196 pre-fight press conference, things escalated in the blink of an eye when ConorMcGregor knocked away Nate Diaz‘s outstretched fist.
McGregor did not take kindly to the proximity of said fist, swatted Diaz‘s hand away, and, of course, all hell broke loose.
Whether Diaz‘s fist did in fact graze McGregor‘s face—from the right angle (see below), it shows he clearly didn’t make contact—McGregor clearly lashed out.
But did he lash out with a simple swat or slap? Or was McGregor‘s fist closed, making it a bona fide punch? It’s a debate that’s been raging in the MMATwitterverse.
We don’t have a definitive “smoking gun” video, GIF or image that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that McGregor did in fact closed-fist punch Diaz‘s hand.
Here’s the best still shot we’ve been able to capture thus far:
Bleacher Report’s own Jonathan Snowden took to his Twitter account to discuss the issue, smartly pointing out just how sensitive the human hand is—a big reason fighters are so protective of their hands, especially in boxing.
Most folks responded to Snowden by dismissing his frustration over the altercation.
Whether McGregor slapped or closed-fist punched Diaz‘s hand may be immaterial to some.
To others, it means the difference between whether or not the Nevada Athletic Commission should fine McGregor a percentage of his fight purse. Speaking of the NAC, it does not believe that there should be punishment handed down by it.
NAC executive director Bob Bennett told Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com that UFC president Dana White “handled the situation.” Yeah, whatever that means.
(Video contains profanity)
So did the slap or punch hurt Diaz in any way?
We’ll never know, as Diaz is not the type of person—and really, what fighter is?—to admit to a fresh wound. That would not only give McGregor some measure of satisfaction, but it would expose Diaz as being a wounded animal right before the fight.
But let’s take a look at some photos that focused in on Diaz after the altercation:
We’ll let you infer from the visual evidence if in fact Diaz was nicked up in any way. For what it’s worth, Diaz‘s team told the aforementioned Helwani that Diaz did not injure his hand as a result of the incident.
If the wild scene at the press conference wasn’t enough, McGregor and Diaz went on to do an interview on Fox Sports afterward. Let’s just say the video doesn’t come with aNSFW language warning without good reason. It’s as must-see TV as it gets in this sport.
In reference to the altercation McGregor and Diaz had the following verbal exchange (transcription via MMAFighting.com):
“The man was afraid to look me dead in the eye,” barked McGregor. “So he put a frame out in front of him and I quickly snatched it and broke his wrist.”
“Yeah, you got a scared little [expletive] shot on the hand and [expletive],” stated Diaz.
“The medics are in with him now,” McGregor fired back. “His wrist will never be the same. Like his bum knee, like his bum leg.”
If you weren’t hyped for the fight already, perhaps all this pre-fight brouhaha did it for you. That’s what the UFC and the fighters are literally banking on.
What an absolute maelstrom it has been for Ronda Rousey (12-1) since her devastating head-kick knockout loss to new bantamweight champion Holly Holm (10-0).
In the days following her monumental upset, everyone from fans to fellow fighters to celebritie…
What an absolute maelstrom it has been for Ronda Rousey (12-1) since her devastating head-kick knockout loss to new bantamweight champion Holly Holm (10-0).
Losing is never easy. Losing on the biggest stage in front of the whole world when you’ve been built up as unbeatable is just a tad bit harder to swallow. Especially when you’ve built up your persona by not shaking hands with your opponents and putting them on blast when you don’t like how you perceive them to be.
Warning: Image contains NSFW text.
Things flipped aggressively against Rousey in the lead-up to her fight with Holm—people started to sour on her.
It didn’t help her cause when everyone began to realize Holm is literally one of the nicest people in the sport—and in general. Rousey’s calling her “fake” didn’t really sit well with anyone. When Rousey refused to touch gloves with Holm before their fight started, it was a tipping point for some folks.
The Internet has been filled with a deluge of memes and edited video mocking Rousey over her devastating loss. They are not worth reposting here, but you shouldn’t have to try too hard to find one, or a hundred.
What is worth posting, albeit hard to watch (and hard to look away from), is the very raw video shared by TMZ Sports. It shows reporters following Rousey through LAX airport as she covers her face—presumably to prevent anyone from seeing the bruises she incurred in her fight with Holm—peppering her with questions in an attempt to get her to say something, anything. It is classic TMZ.
Watching the video, you simultaneously want her to talk and wish the media would leave her alone. Certainly it all comes with the territory of being a huge celebrity. But how can you not, at least for a moment, feel a sliver of empathy for Rousey?
Like the other 7 billion of us on this planet, Rousey is a human being. And right now she’s in a place we’ve all been, albeit not on the wholly unique global stage she built for herself.
What an absolute maelstrom it has been for Ronda Rousey (12-1) since her devastating head-kick knockout loss to now champ Holly Holm (10-0).
In the days following her monumental upset, everyone from fans to fellow fighters to celebs like Donald T…
What an absolute maelstrom it has been for Ronda Rousey (12-1) since her devastating head-kick knockout loss to now champ Holly Holm (10-0).
Losing is never easy. Losing on the biggest stage in front of the whole world when you’ve been built up as unbeatable is just a tad bit harder to swallow. Especially when you’ve built up your persona by not shaking hands with your opponents and putting them on blast when you don’t like how you perceive them to be.
Warning: Image contains NSFW text.
Things flipped aggressively against Rousey in the lead-up to her fight with Holly Holm; people started to sour on her.
It didn’t help her cause when everyone started to realize Holm is literally one of the nicest people in the sport, and in general. So Rousey’s calling her “fake” didn’t really sit well with anyone. When Rousey refused to shake Holm’s hand before their fight started, it was a tipping point for some folks.
The Internet has been filled with a deluge of memes and edited video mocking Rousey over her devastating loss. They are not worth reposting here, but you shouldn’t have to try to hard to find one, or a hundred.
What is worth posting, albeit hard to watch (and hard to look away from), is the very raw video posted by TMZ Sports. It shows reporters following Rousey through LAX airport as she covers her face, presumably to prevent anyone from seeing the bruises she incurred in her fight with Holm, peppering her with questions in an attempt to get her to say something, anything. It is classic TMZ.
Watching the video, you simultaneously want her to talk and wish the media would leave her alone. Certainly it all comes with the territory of being a huge celebrity. But how can you not, at least for a moment, not feel a silver of empathy for Rousey?
Like the other 7 billion of us on this planet, Rousey is a human being. And right now she’s in a place where we’ve all been, albeit not on the wholly unique global stage she built for herself.
Perfection is a false construct.
But in the here and now, Ronda Rousey, dubbed the world’s most dominant athlete by Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated, seems as close to perfect as one might get. It’s a completely unfair label to saddle on anyone….
Perfection is a false construct.
But in the here and now, Ronda Rousey, dubbed the world’s most dominant athlete by Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated, seems as close to perfect as one might get. It’s a completely unfair label to saddle on anyone. But after Saturday night’s destruction of Bethe Correia at UFC 190—a challenger who had very little chance of upending the champ—it feels like she can do no wrong.
In today’s social-media malaise, Rousey appears to be a nearly flawless prototype for remaining front and center. She’s Mike Tyson, but for a new age of fisticuffs. Mixed martial arts is well-suited for a world that seemingly becomes more attention-deficient with each new tweet and Instagram post. SportsCenter even shared a photo of Tyson and Rousey, noting Tyson’s comment on “seeing himself in Rousey”:
While boxing is the sweet science, fights often feel too long and lacking in action for today’s fan. In the ashes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, Evander Holyfield wrote for The Players’ Tribune that boxing isn’t what it once was. The most-watched prizefight in the history of mankind was nearly universally panned for lacking in substance.
While people have complained about Rousey’s fights being over before they start, a generation that is in love with six-second Vine videos and Snapchat messages that self-destruct seems increasingly well-equipped to deal with a bout ending too soon versus one taking too long.
The great part about a clash ending too soon is that it was usually the result of intense bursts of action. Fights made for sharing. MMA has its fair share of boring matchups—look no further than some of the fights that preceded Rousey vs. Correia.
But in the end, Rousey’s fight shined through.
The boxing vs. MMA debate has raged on for years now. It’s brainless banter for the most part, and this article isn’t trying to add fuel to that fire. More so, it’s to highlight that MMA is very much here and now. And right now, Rousey is the perfect highlight for the sport.
And we can’t ignore the fact that she’s a woman. In the context of sports, Rousey is a fighter first. But as a pioneer, megastar and badass in MMA, being a woman means something. First and foremost, it means the sport she’s chosen is reaching more women.
In it she talks about how gaining 15 pounds made her feel more beautiful. You won’t see Rousey counting calories if anyone should foolishly tell her she needs to drop a few pounds. Sure, she cuts weight for the mandatory pre-fight weigh-ins. But then she goes right back to feeling comfortable in her skin and picking up side work as a blue jean and swimsuit model.
To many, the woman whose on-the-job performance convinced UFC President Dana White to give women’s MMA a chance has become a role model; she’s someone who’s used her platform to break down gender barriers. For her part, Rousey doesn’t feel comfortable calling herself a role model.
That said, she’s clearly using her platform.
Rousey pulled no punches when talking about her own physique in a pre-fight episode of the UFC’s Embedded video blog series.
When people try to say my body looks masculine or something like that, I’m like, listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f–king millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine. I think it’s femininely badass as f–k, because there’s not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose, because I’m not a do-nothing b—h.
Her term “do nothing b—h” or a “DNB” is one she uses for the kind of woman her mom raised her to not be. It’s a label she has for the kinda “chick” (her words, not ours) who tries to be pretty and be taken care of by somebody else.
She clearly holds some strong beliefs surrounding women in today’s culture. And she’s not afraid to be brazen in her approach. She’ll certainly never be mistaken for a Stepford wife.
Rousey is also a budding actress—possibly a star-in-the-making. She has the same Hollywood agent as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That’s pretty good company. Johnson’s done a nearly pitch-perfect job of leveraging his wildly popular run in the world of professional wrestling to transition into becoming one of the past decade’s biggest action stars.
Folks already got a glimpse of what it would look like for Rousey and Johnson to share the stage, as they did at this year’s WrestleMania. Pro wrestling fans not only knew who Rousey was, but they cheered her as if she was one of them. Dare we say: She stole the show.
Beyond her ability to pack every bar in town on fight night; beyond her pride in her own body and on her terms; beyond any movie she ends up making; what really allows Rousey to work so well in the limelight is her personality.
She’s vindictive but vulnerable. She told Correia not to cry after losing Saturday night—something Correia told her not to do at the weigh-ins the day before, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports. But she has admitted that she’s a big crier. She’s funny and disarming, but she can get serious in a second. Rousey has shown a wide range of emotions under the bright lights.
She often wears those emotions on her sleeves for all to see. You can tell she is shy to some degree, when asked to answer certain questions. Saturday night at the post-fight presser she started to clam up when reporters repeatedly asked her a question. But when the moment calls for it, she’s ready and willing to be the supernova fans and critics alike cannot look away from.
She’s both a rolling stone and a wallflower—especially, according to her, the latter.
She told Cosmopolitan, “I’m the most chill couch potato you could ever meet. I just like to hang out with my dog and watch Planet Earth documentaries, play Taichi Panda [laughs]. I’m actually really lame, to be honest. I don’t party at all, and I’m pretty lame to hang out with.”
The biggest personal takeaway with Rousey after having covered her for several years is that she feels about as authentic as it gets, for better or worse, especially for an athlete whose star has been climbing at a jaw-dropping trajectory. What you see is what you get, as the saying goes.
That doesn’t mean she’s skirted scrutiny. Some in the MMA community, including Mike Fagan of MMASucka.com, think she’s not worth celebrating. Given that she doesn’t have much of a filter, she was bound to create some controversy.
Her crude comments on Fallon Fox took center stage in a heated discussion within the MMA community on transgender fighters competing in the women’s division.
Rousey went on to clarify to HuffPost Live (via Kira Brekke of the Huffington Post) that she never refused to fight a trans athlete, but she does have concerns over what she sees as a possible competitive-advantage issue, though the Post noted, “Many medical professionals have debunked comments similar to Rousey’s for not being based in science.”
In time, Rousey may speak on the issue more, further clarifying where she stands. In the wake of Caitlyn Jenner’s story of personal triumph, it’s clear the fight for transgender athletes’ rights is an important issue whose time has come.
She’ll be taking a break from her day job to co-star alongside Mark Wahlberg in Mile 22. Maybe she’ll take on a bigger role at next year’s WrestleMania in April. Before that she’ll fight her biggest rival to date, Miesha Tate, possibly at AT&T Stadium in December, and alongside her current male counterpart, Conor McGregor.
And in between all of that, maybe Rousey, far from perfect—because nobody is—will get some downtime to hang out with her dog and catch the latest Planet Earth documentary.
2015 was a bad year to be a reigning UFC champion.