Why Ronda Rousey Isn’t Number One in My Book

Gina Carano, Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Rondy Rousey are three names most people associate with Women in MMA.

At UFC 168 after Ronda Rousey submitted Miesha Tate, she refused to shake Tate’s hand. Miesha Tate did insult her and her family before the fight ever happened. Maybe Rousey should have shook hands and let bygones be bygones. A lot of her interviews towards her opponents have come across very unprofessional and demeaning towards whoever she faces. For the longest time Dana White refused to bring women into the UFC but when he did he decided to bring the rising star Ronda Rousey in. Rousey was 5-0 when she was brought into UFC and she had won all of her fights by armbar submission. Even in the UFC that has not changed. When I think of pioneers of womens MMA Rousey is not the first one who comes to mind.

When I think of the first woman who set the pace for women in MMA, I think of Gina Carano who trained at Jacksons Mixed Martial Arts. She only had eight fights but her beauty and explosiveness in the cage made a lot of people notice. Carano has not fought since 2009 when she lost to Cris Cyborg. Since then Carano has appeared on American Gladiators, Fast and Furious 6 as well as Haywire. She has also been praised by Yahoo, ESPN, Maxim and other media outlets.

The other pioneer that I speak of, Cris “Cyborg” Justino. She is 12-1 and defeated Gina Carano to claim the top spot in women’s MMA. Unlike Carano, Cyborg has remained active even after her one year suspension for testing positive for stanozolol. Even after making a comeback Dana White and UFC will not give her consideration which is a huge mistake on the part of the organization.

Garano and Justino are two who pioneered females in MMA and deserve just as much credit as Rousey. Ronda Rousey is also becoming a mainstream media powerhouse and she shouldn’t be discredited. Rousey has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, various ESPN shows and various late night shows. She has also appeared on the cover of Maxim and the cover of ESPN: Body Issue. Rousey will also star in the films The Expendables 3 and Fast and Furious 7. She has a lot going for her but in my opinion she is not the best.

Until Ronda Rousey gets in the octagon and defeats Carano and Cyborg then she will always be Dana White’s puppet and pet project. How many times is she going to have to fight Miesha Tate? How many undeserving opponents is going to have to take out in the first round for UFC officials to realize that she needs legit competition? Until she receives legit competition in the form of Carano and Cyborg then I will never take her seriously or ever consider her to be the number one female fighter in MMA.