UFC president Dana White has officially dubbed women’s MMA as the “Ronda Rousey Show.”
With Rousey set to make her UFC debut in February, there are many questions surrounding the future of women’s MMA on the big stage.
Is the UFC looking to promote women’s MMA or just Ronda Rousey? What happens if Rousey loses?
During an interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, White was an open book when it came to his plans for women’s MMA:
I’m putting my toe in the water, and I’m checking it out. There’s no doubt, for people who say, ‘Oh, this is the Ronda Rousey show,’ [expletive] right it is. You’re absolutely right. I’m not trying to shy away from that and say, ‘Oh no, we’re getting into women’s MMA.’ This is the Ronda Rousey Show.
White has come a long way in embracing women’s MMA.
In 2011, he told TMZ that women would never fight in the UFC. Now, women won’t just be competing in the UFC, but Rousey’s bantamweight title fight against Liz Carmouche will serve as the headliner for the UFC 157 pay-per-view.
White’s concern has always been about the depth of talent in women’s MMA. While there are a few talented fighters, Rousey is in a class of her own when it comes to all-around talent and marketing power. White has already admitted himself as being a big fan of the Olympic judo bronze medalist.
Still, it’s dangerous to put your eggs into one basket, especially considering the unpredictable nature of MMA.
Rousey will be a heavy favorite over anyone she fights at 135 pounds, but there are some tough women in the division capable of pulling off an upset and derailing the UFC’s newfound hype machine.
If Rousey loses, White will give the new champ a chance to defend her title and see how everything plays out:
Ronda Rousey is a mean, nasty fighter, the type of fighters that I like. Now, whether she can win and whether she can keep it going, that’s up to her. I have nothing to do with that. Whether it’s Liz or any of these other women that beat her, then they’re the champ, and then they got to defend their belt.
I don’t know how long this is going to last. This could last a year. This could be forever. The 135-pound division could fill up with tons of talent, and we could have tons of great fights. I can’t honestly sit here and predict what’s going to happen, but don’t kid yourself, this is absolutely the only reason this is happening is because of Ronda Rousey.
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