Ronda Rousey Wins Again; It’s Time For A Super Fight

“Don’t cry.”

That was all that UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey had to say after dismantling Brazilian challenger Bethe Correia in 34 seconds in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday in the main event of UFC 190.

As hard as it is to comprehend, Rousey saw more cage time last night than she did in her last two fights combined.  The two women immediately took the center of the cage and exchanged blows.  While Correia landed several shots, it was Rousey who was more accurate and delivered more damage.  With her opponent against the cage, Rousey landed a right hook as “Pitbull” was circling away and landed clean on the temple.  The champion landed another blow to the temple as Correia dropped to the canvas and referee John McCarthy stopped the fight.

While Correia recovered quickly, she was clearly immobile on the mat justifying a clean stoppage. As Correia lay collapsed on the canvas, Rousey turned back to her and said “Don’t cry.”  Echoing the statement that the challenger had shouted in her face during the previous nights’ weigh-in as well as during the pre-fight statements she made claiming Rousey would be saddened to lose her title.

Rousey entered the cage to a mixed response.  While plenty of fans cheered for the American, she was also greeted with chants of “Uh vai morrer!” (“You’re going to die!”) which has become customary whenever non-Brazilians are fighting against their national competitors on home soil.  It should be noted that the chant is commonplace in the country and is also heard during soccer matches that are held in Brazil. The champion also needed a large contingent of security guards during her walk to the cage as Brazilian flags were thrown at her.

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As has become custom during Rousey’s fights, the crowd hit an upheld crescendo as the women met in the middle of the Octagon for a long exchange that lasted until Correia went down.  Despite the anticipated animosity, Rousey received a loud ovation for her performance . In her post-fight speech, Rousey began by paying respect to former WWE wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper whom she claimed she had spoken with extensively prior to the fight and who passed away days before the match.

Rousey also claimed that she had hoped she had made enough of an example of Correia so that her future challengers would not mention her family’s name to gain attention ever again. With the victory, Rousey brings her record to 12-0 and is even closer to having completely cleaned out her division in only a few short years.

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During the post-fight press conference, Dana White made statements on the future of the division.  It was announced officially this weekend that longtime rival Miesha Tate would be the next to challenge Rousey for the title. The two have met twice before, with Rousey winning twice by arm-bar.  Although Rousey won both fights handily, Tate has rebounded with four straight victories.  Two of those are over former title challenger and Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann and most recently top-ranked Jessica Eye.

While Correia may have been made to be Rousey’s most hated rival, it is Tate who has the most history with the champion. That does not mean this match-up is the one that will sell.  Neither is one with a new challenger like Holly Holm.  Although “The Preacher’s Daughter” was also victorious in July, she has not shown that she is the dominant force that will convince fans that she can be the one to slay the dragon of the division.

The match-up that needs to be made now is one of seemingly Mayweather-Pacquiao proportions, in terms of attention and politics.  That match is the one with Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

The super fight has only one major issue, and unlike Mayweather-Pacquiao it may be one that no amount of money or dealing can fix. Cris “Cyborg” walks around between fights at approximately 170lbs, well above the bantamweight limit of 135 that she would have to weigh-in at in order to challenge Rousey.  She has previously had issues making the featherweight limit of 145lbs at times which make it a doubly challenging issue. A “Cyborg” that is healthy and powerful is an absolute beast for any woman to handle in MMA, Rousey included.  However, even if “Cyborg” could make weight, it would take away the majority of the bluster of the match if the Brazilian were drawn out from the cut and was competing as only a shell of herself.

Recently, the issue of weight cutting has come under scrutiny as it was ruled that IV rehydration would be banned from competition.  This affects several fighters such as Justino who cut a lot of weight as it is the way many rehydrate themselves in a short amount of time to be ready to compete on the night of the fight.

Assuming Cris “Cyborg” can cut the weight, rehydrating herself will be a bigger challenge and she will be less likely to be at full strength should she enter the cage with Rousey.

As big as these factors are, there is no doubt now that this is the fight that Rousey needs for her career to solidify her as the best female fighter ever.  She is proving with every passing fight that she is a mile-ahead of the competition the UFC has to offer.  This is the fight business after all, and the UFC bantamweight champion has yet to find someone at 135 who can put up a fight.

Cyborg is the fight Rousey needs.  There is simply no one else.

Similar to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, the field looks only smaller and smaller for Rousey as time goes on.  While the UFC can promote all of her fights as a showcase of a truly special talent, the fight that would electrify the MMA world would be a match with “Cyborg.”  It would be the sports biggest star, against an opponent that is bigger, meaner, and arguably deadlier than even “Rowdy” herself.

Of course, Rousey’s fighting future will be discussed at a later time.

On Saturday night she proved once again why she is the shooting star of the sporting world.  She has broken barriers, she is talented to a level that hasn’t been seen before, and every time she steps into the cage it is a can’t miss event around the world.

The reason is simple, there is no telling when you’ll ever see such a special athlete at the height of her powers compete again.