It’s no secret that Ronda Rousey’s rise to stardom in 2012 has become one of the most talked-about items this year. She’s an exciting fighter, attractive, outspoken and after her submission of Miesha Tate, a world champion in MMA.
It’s also no secret that MMA’s fanbase is predominantly made up of younger men. The testosterone-filled sport has captivated the minds of young adults across the world and is quickly becoming a popular sport in other countries besides America.
Although the premier MMA organization in the world does not currently have a women’s division, it’s clear that Rousey could bring enough star power and demand to create such a division. At the very least, Rousey could be used to help Zuffa’s growth with other demographics as well.
The obvious area where Zuffa could see some growth is of course with women. Women have not been so quick to pick up the sport of MMA, but in Rousey they could find a powerful figure to follow. In a world where young girls lack prominent role models that aren’t either extremely fake or extremely air-brushed, Rousey is both a real person and a legitimate success story.
Not only does she hold a title in Strikeforce, Rousey also won a bronze medal for her country in the 2008 Olympic Games. That alone gives her enough credibility for potential female fans of MMA to follow, and when you add in her success in MMA, Rousey could become a larger-than-life personality in not only women’s MMA, but also MMA as a whole.
Rousey can walk the walk, but she also talks the talk just as good as anyone. She basically talked her way into a title shot at a new weight class against a much more experienced MMA competitor in Tate. For weeks leading up to the bout, Rousey and Tate engaged in a war of words that saw everything from MMA experience to the women’s looks be brought up as popular topics.
Although many fans and analysts have anxiety over discussing the importance of a woman’s looks as being important to their success, the fact is that an attractive female fighter will always receive more attention than one who isn’t necessarily pleasing to the eye.
It’s been proven time after time that “sex sells” is a motto for any advertiser to follow. This truth can be said of Rousey. The MMA blogosphere went absolutely bonkers for her photo work in ESPN‘s The Body issue, and the mere mention of her name makes the blood of MMA fans began to heat up.
If a mainstream sports media outlet like ESPN can realize the star power of a fighter like Rousey, surely Zuffa can. They have not only arguably the best WMMA competitors in the world under their banner, but also perhaps its biggest star at the moment.
Rousey is a rare athlete that possesses traits for both genders to follow, someone both the fan and non-fan can get behind. There’s plenty of ways for Rousey to not only build a fanbase around WMMA, but also for MMA as a whole.
She’s competed on the biggest stage in the world and succeeded, she’s won every one of her fights in exciting fashion. She’s undefeated, she’s attractive and she can sell a fight to anyone.
And the best part is, she’s just reaching the prime of her career at the age 25.
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