Ask Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White who could possibly beat undefeated women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, and the answer is a perplexing mix of anybody and nobody.
"This is a chick that could leave this building, walk down the Las Vegas Strip and wreck every guy on the Strip," White said after Rousey's 16-second destruction of Canadian challenger Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on Saturday night.
White added later, "Anybody on any given day can beat anybody if they're on the top of their game. ... You never know what can happen when two people start throwing punches and putting their hands on each other."
That about sums it up with the most dominant champion women's mixed martial arts has known. Her greatest, and maybe only, adversary within the current UFC is the inherent uncertainty of human events.
She could lose because, hey, anybody could lose. If you're playing the odds, however — and the oddmakers pegged Rousey (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) a 20-1 favorite over Davis at one point — you'd be a fool to bet against her.
That leaves the UFC with a vexing proposition: Now what?
While it might be fun on occasion to see Rousey dispatch challengers in less time than it takes to microwave a Hot Pocket, it's doubtful fans will keep paying for it indefinitely.
What Rousey needs is a challenge worthy of her abilities.
The best bet on the current roster is Cat Zingano (8-0, 1-0), who became the top contender with a TKO victory over former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate in April 2013. But before Zingano could cash in on her title shot, a knee injury sidelined her. According to White, she might need to win another fight once she returns in order to reclaim her spot in line.
That leaves the UFC with two viable options outside the organization. The first is former boxing champion and bantamweight sensation Holly Holm (7-0), with whom the UFC is said to be finally making progress after difficult contract negotiations. Holm has the striking skills to exploit the weakest area of Rousey's game, though that doesn't necessarily mean she'll be able to keep the Olympic judoka at bay long enough to exploit the advantage.
Then there's Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino (12-1), a hulking Brazilian buzzsaw who carries her own baggage. There are questions about whether she could drop down to 135 pounds from her usual fighting weight of 145 pounds, or how long she'd be able to sustain such a dramatic physical change. There's her failed drug test for steroids in 2011, which gives White pause, especially at a time when the UFC has come under the microscope after a string of high-profile doping controversies.
There's also the fact that, according to White, the UFC already offered Justino a contract once, and was turned down.
"You either want to try and come in and be the world champion or you don't," White said after UFC 175. "I mean, it's fun to talk about all this stuff, but the reality is a whole other ballgame."
The reality is also that the UFC has a breakout star in Rousey, but it's rapidly running out of contenders who can put up a fight worth seeing. While she might be the greatest thing to happen to the female side of the sport, even Rousey can only get by for so long as a one-woman show.
White added later, "Anybody on any given day can beat anybody if they're on the top of their game. ... You never know what can happen when two people start throwing punches and putting their hands on each other."
That about sums it up with the most dominant champion women's mixed martial arts has known. Her greatest, and maybe only, adversary within the current UFC is the inherent uncertainty of human events.
She could lose because, hey, anybody could lose. If you're playing the odds, however — and the oddmakers pegged Rousey (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) a 20-1 favorite over Davis at one point — you'd be a fool to bet against her.
That leaves the UFC with a vexing proposition: Now what?
While it might be fun on occasion to see Rousey dispatch challengers in less time than it takes to microwave a Hot Pocket, it's doubtful fans will keep paying for it indefinitely.
What Rousey needs is a challenge worthy of her abilities.
The best bet on the current roster is Cat Zingano (8-0, 1-0), who became the top contender with a TKO victory over former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate in April 2013. But before Zingano could cash in on her title shot, a knee injury sidelined her. According to White, she might need to win another fight once she returns in order to reclaim her spot in line.
That leaves the UFC with two viable options outside the organization. The first is former boxing champion and bantamweight sensation Holly Holm (7-0), with whom the UFC is said to be finally making progress after difficult contract negotiations. Holm has the striking skills to exploit the weakest area of Rousey's game, though that doesn't necessarily mean she'll be able to keep the Olympic judoka at bay long enough to exploit the advantage.
Then there's Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino (12-1), a hulking Brazilian buzzsaw who carries her own baggage. There are questions about whether she could drop down to 135 pounds from her usual fighting weight of 145 pounds, or how long she'd be able to sustain such a dramatic physical change. There's her failed drug test for steroids in 2011, which gives White pause, especially at a time when the UFC has come under the microscope after a string of high-profile doping controversies.
There's also the fact that, according to White, the UFC already offered Justino a contract once, and was turned down.
"You either want to try and come in and be the world champion or you don't," White said after UFC 175. "I mean, it's fun to talk about all this stuff, but the reality is a whole other ballgame."
The reality is also that the UFC has a breakout star in Rousey, but it's rapidly running out of contenders who can put up a fight worth seeing. While she might be the greatest thing to happen to the female side of the sport, even Rousey can only get by for so long as a one-woman show.
source: usatoday.com by Ben Fowlkes
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