Ronda Rousey

[XrabbitX]

I don't know if anybody got to see the fights last night, but I was super excited to see Rousey be one of the first female fighters in the UFC and the first to defend the women's world title in the UFC.

It's one of the few moments in recent years where I've actually been proud of our country also. I can't image many, if any other countries where a woman could join a male dominated sports league and almost instantly become one of the most famous fighters in history.

[XrabbitX]

here's a link to the fight for anybody who wants to see it.

MMALinker - Ronda Rousey vs Liz Carmouche - UFC 157 Full Fight Video

[Bucho]

She's an interesting phenomenon for sure. She may even be the most famous MMA fighter in the US right now, over and above American male champions like Cain Velasquez and Jon Jones.

[JackFetch]

I think this might have a lot to do with her mainstream popularity. I never heard of her until I saw it.

The fact that she's really good at MMA is a bonus.

[Astigos]

Originally Posted by JackFetch

I think this might have a lot to do with her mainstream popularity. I never heard of her until I saw it.
The fact that she's unbelievably incredible at MMA is a bonus.

Corrected.

Don't confuse her good looks and skills. There is a clear priority. Don't fall into that stupid pop culture pitfall where looks are put in front of talent and people like Snooki and Megan Fox are considered successful.

[jjamis]

Originally Posted by Astigos

Corrected.

Don't confuse her good looks and skills. There is a clear priority. Don't fall into that stupid pop culture pitfall where looks are put in front of talent and people like Snooki and Megan Fox are considered successful.

I don't watch MMA for the looks but rather the technique. I thought the fight was very good interesting to see the judo background from Rousey but I though Carmouche really almost had her and defended well on the ground despite the arm bar.

The women are by far more entertaining and aggressive then many of the men's fights.

[jjamis]

Speaking of sexism in sports...

I thought it was funny that during a portion of the Daytona 500 they had a graphic of a male driver surrounded by cheerleaders in sexy uniforms while they talked about Danica Patrick.

[XrabbitX]

Originally Posted by JackFetch

I think this might have a lot to do with her mainstream popularity. I never heard of her until I saw it.

The fact that she's really good at MMA is a bonus.

I think her looks are part of why she is popular. There is a pretty interesting duality about someone being attractive and feminine and at the same time being a stone cold killer.

But I think it goes beyond that for reasons I couldn't begin t put my finger on. Her fight with Meisha Tate was one of the most exciting fights of 2012 and was a huge match up. It felt like I was watching history being made, and similarly her fight with Carmouche felt really special and historic. I usually don't get that vibe from watching a sporting event.

Anyway it's pretty cool that some of you guys know who she is and have seen her fight before. I just wanted to post the fight here b/c it seemed so historic, and also it seems like there isn't always a lot of good news out there, and I think this has been something really amazing.

[Bucho]

Yeah, it was very similar to her fight with Tate, in that Tate had Ronda's back early and Ronda had to fight out of it. Apparently when Liz was trying to crank on Ronda's head her arm ended up in Ronda's mouth she cranked so hard she ended up with teethmarks in her forearm.

Ronda's looks clearly have something to do with it but it's worth noting that Gina Carano didn't have this level of celebrity/notoriety when she was champion and she's plenty pretty so that's clearly not all there is to it. Partly it's the growth of the sport since Gina left it but Ronda's personality is also a huge part of her stardom. She's quick enough and comfortable enough in her own skin to be able to sass back not just at her opponents but at professional sassers like Conan O'Brien, and that wild self-confidence, especially knowing the huge challenges she had to go through in her personal life growing up, makes for a very compelling story. And all the best sport is really just a type of story.

She's kind of like the Chemda of MMA, in that as a kid she was painfully shy and lacking in self-esteem but she became really kickass and self-assured (and sexy) at what she does and is now an inspiration to babillions of people. Matter of fact Ronda even has fans who've tattooed themselves in her honour, but I think Chemda still has the numbers to beat Ronda there.