Ronda Rousey has done it again. She defended her Bantamweight Title once again last night. She made quick work of the #1 contender in the world, Cat Zingano. Rousey had her patented armbar locked in before the graphic describing the color trunks of each fighter could get off the screen. For anyone that missed the graphic, Rousey was the lady making the other one tap for mercy as she put her arm in an inescapable lock. Oh and I checked, Rousey really does have a patent on her armbar, so don’t try and duplicate that shit!
The champ’s last two fights have totaled a Mike Tyson like 30 seconds. Totaled SON! She is getting better with each fight. And I know Cat Zingano, a prideful fighter, was embarrassed by her performance. Her body language right after she submitted told the story of her dissapointment after weeks of training left her with only 16 seconds in the octagon with Rousey. Zingano’s comments in the press conference after the fight showed how badly she wished things had gone differently. She made it clear she would do whatever it takes to get back to another shot at Rousey. Zingano has nothing to be ashamed of. The fight was over in a flash, but that is the nature of the fight game. She went on the attack from the jump and it simply didn’t work for her. She lost to the most talented female fighter among the billions of women on this rock we call Earth.
Some might be getting tired of Rousey getting these easy wins, but those fans are in the minority. Sure we would like to see a longer fight after laying down $60 for the right to watch this main event. It’s not Ronda Rousey’s job to make fights longer. It’s her job to destroy whoever is put before her. She gets more impressive with every destruction and builds upon her legend with each victory. If those victories only take a few seconds, that’s not a slight to her obviously. Greatness rears its head very quickly.
Dana White had said before UFC 184 that if Zingano didn’t manage a win, then Rousey may have to start fighting some guys since she has basically cleaned out the bantamweight division. Miesha Tate gave her a good fight but still lost for the second time to Rousey. They can’t just keep letting Tate get shots at Rousey time after time. That would be like letting a Von Erich win the world title from Ric Flair after losing like 50 matches to the Nature Boy over a couple years.
Rousey does need good competition to grow her legend. She can only beat those on the schedule though. And beat them she has, literally. The amazing thing is that she keeps catching her opponents with the armbar. She did mix in a couple of knockouts last year for the hell of it. The UFC may have to require her to win by armbar only, that way her opponents only have to guard against that single move. Or they could ban Rousey from using the armbar like the NWA did with the piledriver back in Ric Flair’s day. Too many pro wrestling references, I know.
Rousey mentioned a couple of ladies that she would like to face going forward. Holly Holm and Bethe Correia were on that short list. Holm would be an intriguing test since she is a former world boxing champ. I doubt she has an answer for the armbar so she best not let Rousey grab her in any way, shape, or form. Of course Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos name popped up again. Dana White took over the mic at the post fight presser to say that Rousey is willing to fight Cyborg, but only at 135 pounds. If that fight happens, great. If not I am fine with it. I would like to see Rousey close the book on Santos, however I don’t want to wait forever on a situation like Pacquiao and Mayweather. These two boxers are finally getting it on, but my interest is about 50% of where it was when both fighters were at their peak.
I know one thing. Whoever is going to push Ronda Rousey to the limit better get it done soon. She is not going to be fighting into her mid 30s like many fighters end up doing. She is here for an epic short run as the best ever. She is going Gale Sayers on the UFC. Better get her in the next couple of years. She is not long for this business. She may love to fight, but I can imagine she gets almost as much out of simply training as she does fight night. She will soon make more money in a single year from Hollywood than she has made in her entire UFC career. If that doesn’t work out longterm, she will always have a job in the UFC if she wants it. She is a perfect fit for the broadcast world or she could have a spot in the leadership of the company also.
Even though her fights may not last long we should try to enjoy every micro second…I’ve watched the Zingano replay 12 times already. She is something to behold so best behold now. In the not so distant future she will echo the immortal words of Brad Pitt playing the role of Achilles at the start of ‘Troy’ after slaying the most worthy adversary available. “IS THERE NO ONE ELSE? IS THERE NO ONE ELSE?” Is there?