Ellenberger: Rousey competitive in men's division |
Rousey generated significant controversy when she said emphatically and repeatedly that could beat UFC men's bantamweight Bryan Caraway. Caraway is the longtime boyfriend of Rousey's arch rival UFC women's bantamweight contender Miesha Tate.
"I just said that I could beat up her and boyfriend in the same day," Rousey to Dan LeBatard in 2012. "He's just some average to below average MMA guy and I'm the women's world champion. It would be expected that I'd be able to beat the average MMA guy in my weight class, right? Is that such an unbelievable thing to say? No."
Rousey repeated the remarks during a Metro PCS chat last year.
"People ask me this question all the time and it's the same answer all the time," said Rousey. "I would love to beat the s--- out of Bryan Caraway, but apparently it's not legal. And he seems like the kind of b---- that would sue me."
In fact, back in 2012, Rousey told LeBatard that she had beaten up men and been sued for it in the past.
"It's happened to me a couple times," said Rousey. "Not in a sanctioned, legal way, but it was entertaining to everybody that saw it. I got applause afterwards.
"I got jumped by a bunch of guys in a movie theater and I beat them up and then everyone clapped. and then I was like, 'Maybe I should fight in front of people, people tend to like it.' That was one of my first MMA experiences."
"They wouldn't let me leave and they pushed me. So, I was technically in the 'kidnap situation,' I learned this from my lawyer, and was fearing for my life, so I had to defend myself. So I did defend myself very well ... and so they sued me. Whatever."
Many fans scoffed at the remarks.
However the #5 ranked welterweight in the UFC, Jake Ellenberger, spoke with Mike Chiappetta for FOX Sports, and Ellenberger too thinks that Rousey would be competitive in the UFC men's bantamweight division.
"Oh, yeah. She could and she would," said Ellenberger. "I've known her for a few years but what really stands out with her is she works harder than most people in this sport. Male or female, it doesn't matter. She's always in the gym whether she has a fight coming up or not. And it shows. There's no secret to success but hard work, and she's one of the hardest-working people in the sport in my opinion. That's really what's stuck in my head from being around her. But she's very skilled and very strong and she throws everyone. She absolutely could beat a lot of the guys in that division."
So what do you think UG? You agree with Jake Ellenberger?
Ellenberger fights Robbie Lawler at UFC 173 next weekend.
Rousey fights Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on July 5.
