If you don’t know who Strikeforce bantamweight champion Rondo Rousey is yet, her sixth professional first-round submission win via armbar needs to wake up even the most stubborn MMA fans.
Just because she is a woman doesn’t mean she isn’t one of the toughest human beings in the world; just ask former champion Sarah Kaufman and her 53-second loss how tough Rousey really is inside the cage.
Now that Rousey has cleared through the current challengers Strikeforce lined up for her, Rousey and her title want to make a real impact on the sport.
She wants to fight the best.
Rousey was ready to issue her challenge immediately after Saturday’s fight, calling out polarizing women’s MMA figure and former featherweight champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (h/t MMA Junkie):
I need to send out a challenge to Ms. Cyborg, there. People want to see you have the first fair fight of your life. I’m the champ now. The champ doesn’t go to you. You go to the champ. Come down to 135 and let’s settle this
To be perfectly honest, this is as great as any trash talk we have seen in the last five years in MMA. While fans will point to Chael Sonnen and the trash talk against Anderson Silva in their fight, this is much more intense because of the feeling around the MMA world about Cyborg’s positive steroid test.
Fans forget that Cyborg is suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will not be eligible to return until Dec. 10, but recent comments shed doubt on that possibility of the star fighter dropping weight to meet Rousey for the title or even returning to Strikeforce.
With the UFC still living in the stone ages when it comes to women’s MMA, Strikeforce needs to realize the power that wield with the opportunity of making this fight happen.
Whatever it takes to get these two female fighting powerhouses in the same ring, it must be done.
If Cyborg and Rousey fight, the sheer hype around their battle will launch female MMA to another level. Maybe then Dana White and the UFC won’t ignore it anymore.
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