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Ronda Rousey: Can She Continue Destroying Opponents and Be a Huge Draw?

Ronda Rousey was called a “female version of Mike Tyson” by Dana White at the UFC 184 post-fight press conference. Her last two fights lasted a combined total of 30 seconds. She has only been past the first round once, in her second fight against Miesh…

UFC 184 was a historic event for not only women’s MMA, but also women’s sports in general. The all-female headlined card packed the Staples Center and drew out stars like Vin Diesel, Mark Wahlberg, Jada Pinkett Smith and Maria Shriver. While the pay-per-view buys will truly tell the story, the card led by the increasing star power of Rousey has truly impacted women’s sports.

The success of UFC 184 may also be hinged on the fact that Rousey was matched up against Cat Zingano, who may have had the physical and mental toughness to defeat her. And true to form, Rousey disposed of Zingano. Despite the increased marketing power of Rousey, without an opponent who will be a perceived challenge, she won’t be able draw big numbers on her own.

This isn’t Rousey’s fault. She is an exceptional athlete and an exciting fighter to watch.

But fight fans love to see their heroes challenged. Ronda has easily defeated the top five of her division. Without a perceived threat to her crown, fans will lose interest in a Rousey-headlined card.

During the UFC 184 post-fight press conference, White mentioned Bethe Correia or Jessica “Evil” Eye as future opponents for Rousey. But do they have a chance at dethroning Ronda? Correia may have defeated two of the “Four Horsewomen,” but the combined records of her “Horsewomen” opponents are 1-3 in the UFC.

As for Eye, she lost to Alexis Davis, who was destroyed by Rousey. So there is no reason to be confident about Eye’s chances to defeat Ronda at this moment.

If Correia and Eye defeat either Tate or Zingano, then maybe there’s reason to give them a shot at the title. However, could they still stand up to the dominance of the champ? That is questionable.

Of course, there is the looming possibility of facing Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, but White has made it clear that match that will only happen if Cyborg drops down to 135 pounds.

The overall lack of quality opposition has limited the chances that Rousey can successfully headline another card. Along with beating all of the top fighters in her division, she doesn’t have the option of moving up in weight to another established division like her male counterparts, such as BJ Penn or Anderson Silva.

Ronda Rousey’s performance throughout her career has deservedly earned her the right to be called the “female” Mike Tyson. It would be sad to see her legacy limited by the lack of perceived threats, similar to what the Klitschko brothers faced.

All quotes obtained firsthand via press conference, unless otherwise noted.

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UFC 184: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

Ronda Rousey remains on another level compared to the rest of the women’s bantamweight division.
At UFC 184, Rousey clashed with Cat Zingano, arguably the most dangerous contender in the 135-pound division. However, the champion needed only 14 seconds …

Ronda Rousey remains on another level compared to the rest of the women’s bantamweight division.

At UFC 184, Rousey clashed with Cat Zingano, arguably the most dangerous contender in the 135-pound division. However, the champion needed only 14 seconds to lock up another armbar and retain her championship.

With the win, Rousey is now undefeated in 11 MMA bouts and has finished every opponent she’s met. Making it look so easy against Zingano, Rousey is starting to run low on legitimate threats to her spot atop the women’s bantamweight class.

That said, Rousey is going to keep competing against whoever the UFC throws at her. So, here are the matchups that should be next for her and the rest of the UFC 184 competitors.

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UFC 184 Results: 3 Fights for Cat Zingano to Take Next

It’s fair to say that Cat Zingano didn’t put on the performance of her career at UFC 184. Hurling herself at Ronda Rousey from the opening bell was a novel strategy, but it turned out to be as effective as all the rest. That is to say, not …

Within seconds, the challenger was tied up in the kind of knot that would have left a sailor confused.

Prior to the fight, I had the bizarre notion that Zingano possessed the kind of stubborn personality that would refuse to submit to joint locks. This notion was soon dispelled, of course. And while one couldn’t help but be in awe of Rousey, my eyes were drawn to the crestfallen challenger who had overcome so much adversity to get that opportunity.

Understandably, she was inconsolable. Being submitted in all of 14 seconds doesn’t exactly suggest potential for a rematch. However, the good news for Zingano is that the UFC is starved for options, which means the path to a rematch is much shorter than it could have been.

So let’s take a look at where Zingano’s path to a rematch might begin.

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UFC 184: Complete Results, Analysis of Ronda Rousey’s Main Event Triumph

The biggest storyline to emerge from UFC 184 was Ronda Rousey’s breathtaking, 14-second submission victory over Cat Zingano in the main event.
Rousey once again proved she is the unquestionable, dominant force in women’s MMA, retaining her title as UF…

The biggest storyline to emerge from UFC 184 was Ronda Rousey‘s breathtaking, 14-second submission victory over Cat Zingano in the main event.

Rousey once again proved she is the unquestionable, dominant force in women’s MMA, retaining her title as UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. It isn’t a hot take to have such an opinion, but Rousey‘s triumph at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was nevertheless astounding.

ESPN Stats & Info highlighted the history Rousey made in her swift disposal of Zingano:

Men have bolstered the popularity of the UFC since its rise to prominence in recent years under savvy president Dana White.

It was going to take a true superstar from the women’s side to gain any traction, which is precisely what Rousey has become. Although her fight with Zingano was extremely short-lived, it still saw Rousey take down her best possible competition.

SportsCenter logged a quotable Rousey after the bout, where she exuded the type of mentality all great champion fighters have:

Through 11 professional MMA fights, the 28-year-old Rousey has submitted nine of her adversaries, including Zingano with an armbar. Miesha Tate made it to the third round versus Rousey at UFC 168, but no one else has gotten out of the first round.

Even after her latest romp, Rousey was quite sympathetic and showed exemplary sportsmanship.

“I said ‘I’m happy to do this again anytime,’ you know?” said Rousey, via FoxSports.com’s Andre Vergara. “It’s hard to feel like you tested yourself when something like that happens, so I think if we fought again it would be very, very different, just like when me and Miesha Tate fought again.”

“Rowdy” Rousey has the tenacity in the Octagon to obliterate any opponent who stands in her way, but she also has the dynamic, likable personality to be the face of women’s MMA.

That she still had enough respect for her foe to console Zingano after a heartbreaking defeat shows Rousey has class to go along with her legendary fighting skills. However, if she continues to steamroll everyone in her path, Rousey may lose momentum due to the dearth of competent competition.

Irish MMA coach John Kavanagh took notice of the disparity created by Rousey‘s own greatness after Saturday’s submission:

Bleacher Report combat sports lead writer Jonathan Snowden recommends Rousey to take on Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino in her next bout. Cyborg has lost just once in 15 MMA appearances, but has yet to fight in the UFC.

The excitement of Justino making her UFC debut as the fresh-blood challenger to Rousey would create quite a stir if the two do meet the next time Rousey is in action.

A rematch with Zingano may be on tap instead, but Rousey proved Saturday that she may need to tackle an alternative, superior combatant and one who may put her to an unprecedented test.

Justino presents a potentially unique matchup with her rather dominant track record, imposing frame and 69-inch reach, per ESPN.com, which is greater than Rousey‘s (66″).

On the other hand, all the previous results suggest no one is quite in Rousey‘s class. If the UFC is the best collection of fighters there is, it’s hard to envision Justino bursting onto the scene and upsetting Rousey. Such a development could produce a great rivalry, but it’d also take away from some of the mystique.

There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment with regard to Rousey‘s next opponent, who could possibly beat her and whether the strength of her wins and perfect record will stand the test of time.

For now, it’s Rousey and the rest, which is just what the UFC needs.

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Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano: Highlights and Reaction from UFC 184 Main Event

It’s rare when we’re able to give a complete account of a fight in four sentences, but after Ronda Rousey’s 14-second demolition of Cat Zingano on Saturday night at UFC 184, here goes nothing:
Zingano came out on the attack from the opening bell….

It’s rare when we’re able to give a complete account of a fight in four sentences, but after Ronda Rousey‘s 14-second demolition of Cat Zingano on Saturday night at UFC 184, here goes nothing:

Zingano came out on the attack from the opening bell. She tried to land a charging knee against the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, but Rousey side-stepped the attack. The champion quickly took Zingano down. The challenger tried to wiggle out of danger, but Rousey locked in her patented armbar and it was over.

In case you think I missed something, MMA Talk captured the entire fight on Instagram. Yes, Instagram.

Rousey‘s brilliance and the swiftness of the match left several members of the MMA community in awe. Check out what Fox Sports’ Damon Martin said after the fight:

Per The Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire, Rousey even seemed to surprise herself:

Zingano was supposed to be Rousey‘s toughest test. Maury Povich would say, “And the test revealed that was a lie.” Instead of being pushed to her limit, Rousey set a record with her quick disposal of Zingano, per the UFC’s official Twitter account:

How do you know you’ve arrived? When Jada Pinkett Smith comes to congratulate you after a sterling performance, you’re big time.

To pretend that there is a formidable opponent on the horizon for Rousey is a joke. Some believe that Cris “Cyborg” Santos could give Rousey a good fight. At this point, that notion even seems far-fetched. Santos is strong, but is she really much stronger than Zingano? Would she be able to resist Rousey‘s impeccable takedown techniques?

It’s hard to imagine she’d have much more success than Rousey‘s previous 11 opponents.

Simply put, Rousey is the most dominant fighter in the UFC today, and quite possibly in the history of the sport. Fedor Emelianenko had an amazing run, but even the Last Emperor didn’t stand as head and shoulders above his peers as Rousey currently does.

Unless Rousey joins the WWE and the sports entertainment company’s writers decide to have her lose to Paige or A.J. Lee, she may never be defeated.

The woman is simply a machine who has to be seen to be believed. Rousey called out newcomers Holly Holm and Bethe Correia, but no one could blame either of them if they didn’t answer Joe Silva and Dana White‘s calls for the next few months.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

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UFC 184: 5 Fights for Tony Ferguson

The UFC’s lightweight division is filled with men who are poised to make a charge at the current title holder, Anthony Pettis. Tony Ferguson is in such a position. After an impressive win at UFC 184, “El Cucuy” should expect to face some tougher opposi…

These five men would make interesting opponents for the next time he steps into the Octagon.

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