(Joe Rogan talks Rousey vs. Mayweather on ESPN’s SportsNation, because it’s not like there was an actual event worth discussing or anything.)
By Jared Jones
I must be confused.
You see, when I awoke yesterday morning, I was under the impression that MMA was still a sport with plenty of goings-on worth talking about, not a platform so desolate of intriguing discussion that its only current purpose in this world was to push energy drinks and stir up farcical “Who would win?” scenarios like a goddamn episode of Deadliest Warrior. “There are *two* UFC events alone going down this week,” I said to myself, “Not to mention an *actual* TUF premiere, a Bellator event, and who knows what else. Surely there is plenty of real-life, newsworthy information to be had today.”
So you can imagine my surprise when I awoke to find “Joe Rogan says Ronda Rousey would beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.” as the headline dominating many an MMA site and even some that aren’t. And even worse, nearly all of these articles were flooded with the hundreds of comments from people who actually found it necessary to offer their insight into this absolutely imbecilic piece of non-news. (Rousey vs. a cheetah in sweatpants: Who’s the better dancer?”)
“Every fight starts standing, and we all know Floyd’s not afraid to hit women,” joked a commenter who vehemently expressed his outrage over the idea of allowing Fallon Fox to continue fighting just months earlier. “Floyd’s speed would be no match for Ronda’s armbar,” said another who had chastised his favorite MMA publication for daring to waste his time with a breakdown of the Undertaker’s signature move days prior.
I bit my tongue at first, because I don’t exactly have a foot to stand on when it comes to publishing news items that are ever-so-tangentially related to MMA. But the tipping point occurred during last night’s TUF Nations Finale broadcast, when during yet another time-killing session in the FOX studios, Karyn Bryant posed the same question to Daniel Cormier and Anthony Pettis.
“This is ridiculous,” said Pettis before declaring that Floyd would easily win. Unfortunately, it appeared that the idea of a woman beating a man in a fight was what Pettis found ridiculous, not the question itself as I had hoped.
Despite the vast majority of MMA fans claiming to be “purists of the sport” who will blow a gasket at the slightest mention of the WWE and it’s transparent, lowball, and shamefully fabricated product on an MMA site, the discussion of how Ronda Rousey — a female, MMA fighter, with less than 10 professional contests to her credit — would fare against Floyd Mayweather Jr. — a male, professional boxer, considered to be one of the greatest in the sport’s history — in an MMA contest has somehow managed to infiltrate message boards far and wide and warrant hundreds of comments from these very same people. Baffling, is it not?
Using Gina Carano to continue hyping the Rousey feeding trough that is the women’s bantamweight division is one thing, but now we have to bring in professional boxers to do the job? And not only that, but discuss the idea of man-on-woman violence in the same month we all (rightfully) chastised Will Chope for his past offenses of the very same nature? And when the man being discussed in this fantasy scenario has been convicted of beating the mother of his children, in front of his children? Take this logic, please.
Obviously, one of the things I just described actually happened, whereas the other was dreamed up out of apparent apathy towards the actual fight Ronda Rousey just booked or, you know, the actual female professional boxer who is knocking on her door. But oh, I must have forgot, the UFC is “not interested whatsoever” in pursuing that actual, plausible scenario. Back to playing with these Megaman toys in the bathtub I guess!
I know this piece of absolutely imbecilic (apologies for the repetition, but I find it necessary in this case) non-news is nothing worth flying off the handle over, but this is the Internet after all. My biggest problem with the idea of Rousey vs. Mayweather is why we are so insistent on pushing this impossible fight in a universe where guys like Renan Barao and Jose Aldo exist. You know, guys who are guys and whose names would therefore make more sense as opponents in the ain’t-no-way-never-gonna-happen prospect of Floyd Mayweather becoming an MMA fighter. The downside of being the only “the biggest star the UFC’s ever had,” perhaps?
It’s all about how much time Floyd has to prepare, because he will really have to work on his takedown defense. That would be the big thing. If Ronda got a clinch on him, it’s not just about worrying about being taken down to the ground, it’s worrying about knees to the body. It is worrying about her manipulating his body in ways that he doesn’t understand.
Those were actual words spoken by the typically sane Joe Rogan when seriously discussing (for all intents and purposes) the idea of Rousey vs. Mayweather. Ronda Rousey, who fights Alexis Davis in a couples months at UFC 175. UFC, the promotion that is putting on two fight cards this week including “the most exciting card in network history” at UFC on FOX 11 tomorrow night.
Look, I’m not asking you to openly express your disapproval with the thought of Rousey vs. Mayweather (I’ve already done it for you!), nor am I asking you to blame the MMA media for validating the half-witted discussion of Rousey vs. Mayweather with a plethora of blog posts. I’m simply asking that the next time you see or hear someone make a comparison between MMA/the UFC/Bellator and the WWE, think about how you reacted to this “news” item before you speak. Think about it and add it to the list.