UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey knows her next opponent will be the winner of the Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano bout that will take place on April 13. However, some believe that neither of those fighters is the right opponent for Rousey.
Perhaps Sara McMann would present the tougher fight for the UFC champion.
It’s true that Tate and Zingano have more MMA experience than McMann, with 16 and seven fights, respectively, but is their experience an important factor?
Not at all.
If it were, Rousey would not have received a title shot so early in her career, when she met former champion Tate in Strikeforce with a mere four professional fights to her name.
So, what makes McMann’s pedigree that much more threatening than those of Tate and Zingano? Simple—her wrestling.
Tate may have been a state wrestling champion in high school, but McMann’s accomplishments dwarf that blurb on Tate’s resume. To start, McMann was a national champion in high school and earned a silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games. She’s also racked up a litany of other accomplishments including gold medals at the Pan American Games as well as medals in submission grappling events.
In other words, her resume in wrestling is very similar to Rousey’s in judo, which would make her, at least on paper, the best opponent for Rousey.
McMann’s shot at UFC gold is going to have to wait for now. Her first step toward the title will take place at UFC 159, when she faces Sheila Gaff on the FX portion of the fight card.
While McMann may not be facing Rousey, she recently spoke about the UFC champion, offering her opinion on a few subjects including a potential fight with Rousey.
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