Ronda Rousey might have no more worlds to conquer.
Unlike Alexander the Great, Rousey didn’t weep at that thought. She simply made mincemeat of another challenger, Bethe Correia, to retain her UFC bantamweight belt Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro.
Rousey’s 12th win in 12 bouts came by knockout just 34 seconds into the fight, continuing a level of dominance not seen in combat sports since Mike Tyson routinely stunned pay-per-view audiences with first-round KOs. “Iron Mike” once scored six consecutive first-round wins and posted 24 first-rounders among his 50 career victories. Rousey has 11 first-round wins total.
And like Tyson, Rousey brings in non-UFC fans, with many remarking on social media that Saturday night’s fight was the first they’d purchased. Such is the excitement she brings. Such is her importance to UFC’s growth.
“You don’t see women knock women out like that, the way that she knocked her out,” UFC president Dana White told Fox Sports 1 after Rousey’s dispatch of Correia. “She can do it all. Ronda just gets better every time she fights.”
That’s why UFC neophytes should heed this advice: Be in your seat when Rousey hits the octagon. She now has finished opponents in 14 seconds, 16 seconds, 25 seconds (twice), 34 seconds, 39 seconds and 49 seconds. Other foes have lasted just 1:06, 4:27 and 4:49. Miesha Tate — Rousey’s likely next opponent, White confirmed — once took her to the third round before submitting to her infamous armbar.
Rousey didn’t need that armbar Saturday night, instead standing up and trading hands with Correia, who mistakenly provided pre-fight motivation by seemingly joking about the champ’s father’s suicide. That didn’t sit well with Rousey, who mentioned the slight a few times before the fight and once again after she dispatched the Brazilian in front of her home fans.
“I hope no one brings up my family anymore when it comes to fights,” said Rousey, who dedicated the win to her late father and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, her nickname namesake who died Thursday night. “I hope this is the last time.”
Now the ranks of Rousey’s real challengers are thinning by the win. Just look behind her in the bantamweight rankings. Tate, the No. 1-ranked challenger to Rousey, has lost to her twice and most likely will a third time, no matter what she says. Cat Zingano, the No. 2 challenger, fell to Rousey in just 14 seconds earlier this year. Alexis Davis, the No. 3, lasted just two seconds longer than Zingano in 2014. Sara McMann, the No. 4, had the good fortune to go more than 1 minute before losing. Correia, the No. 5, was vanquished, insane pre-fight staredowns and all.
Invicta FC featherweight champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino looms as a dream opponent, but can she drop to 135 pounds? If so, she’d most definitely be the toughest task for Rousey, who’s fourth in UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings.
She’s the only woman on the list.
Here, at just 28 years old, sits Ronda Rousey, on top of the world. Can she get any higher? She’ll try. She’ll train. And train. And train. With movie, commercial and magazine shoots mixed in, of course. She is the UFC, after all, and that comes with obligations, all of which she has fulfilled.
And then some.
Thumbnail photo via Jason Silva/USA TODAY Sports Images
