Not everyone likes a person who speaks their mind. It isn’t for everyone when a person stands up and make sure their voice is heard, or that their opinions stand out in those of a crowd. Someone willing to walk up to another, stick a finger in their chest, and say what they’re really thinking, that’s often someone people will find polarizing.
At this stage in the game, if anyone has developed that persona in MMA, it’s Ronda Rousey.
She started to gain attention for her combination of looks and remarkable skill, and for her ability to finish fights in seconds. You give her an arm, she’s going to break it and celebrate a win. It’s almost science.
However she also took the time to construct a persona that sells fights. People are fascinated by this living beauty and beast, a woman who is more dangerous than most men who enter the cage at her weight and has an Olympic medal to her credit. Plus a near unmatched propensity to sell fights.
Look no further than her most recent triumph over Miesha Tate. She picked a fight with the champion of another weight class, made the weight as a better physical specimen than she ever was prior, and then beat that champion senseless and snapped her arm.
Along the way, after picking the fight with some vigour, she ramped up the trash talk and pressure on the champion to the point that Tate spent most of the buildup on the defensive. Everything was about statements Rousey made, how Tate was dealing with her brashness, and what she’d do to offset the challenger’s formidable submission game.
It’s a wonder she found time to train for the fight for all the questions she had to answer. Furthermore, once she began her walk to the cage, it felt like she was just keeping the belt warm for Rousey. Turned out that was basically the case.
But in all of this, one question stands out: is Ronda Rousey a hero or a villain?
That probably depends on how one defines such a role.
For the average woman who needs a strong role model, needs to see a young woman able to succeed in a world largely dominated by men, Rousey is nothing short of a hero. Whether it’s inspiring the confidence to go in and finally ask the boss for a raise, or to go put on a gi and learn to defend herself on the street, to the female audience there’s little to dislike about Rousey.
For the MMA fan who likes a finish at all costs and cares about nothing else, it’s hard to deny Rousey status as a hero as well. She comes into the cage, unleashes her unique brand of arm intensive fury, and usually provides a highlight that fans talk about for a month—all within five minutes.
Others may see her as a villain, particularly those who don’t love the outspoken approach to marketing. Others still, who don’t like the idea that most girls who enter the cage with Rousey end up leaving severely injured, might cling to that in an effort to villainize her.
Basically, if people want to paint her as a villain, they’re going to find something to use to do it. As so many internet memes have eloquently stated, “haters gonna hate.”
For her part though, Rousey has always said that women’s MMA has too many nice girls trying to be nice and get paid for it. In a combat sport, particularly one with a talent pool as shallow as women’s MMA, that doesn’t sell.
Rousey understands this, and has made an effort to step in and fill the void of bad girl that her sport so desperately needs. A void that, left unfilled, might in fact be the downfall of the entire sport. In the eyes of many, that capacity alone makes her more hero than villain.
As long as it keeps selling fights that people otherwise just wouldn’t be buying, it’s hard to argue with the logic.
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