MMA fans have always wondered what would happen if the sport grew to the point where it could attract the types of elite athletes that have historically gone to, say, the NFL or the Olympics. Surely once that happened, we’d see a marked rise in athleticism and potential in the sport we all love.
Well, that new breed of elite MMA athlete has arrived. He isn’t the dominant and other worldly athletic Jon Jones. He isn’t the pound for pound great and all-around lethal weapon Georges St. Pierre. She’s Ronda Rousey.
The Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion successfully defended her title again Saturday night against Sarah Kaufman. In about the last year and half the Olympic Judo bronze medalist Rousey has had her first six professional fights, winning all six by arm bar in the first round.
Kaufman couldn’t last a minute in the cage with Rousey before being forced to tap out. The thing is, Kaufman is a damn good fighter. So is Miesha Tate, Rousey’s prior victim.
Kaufman is a former champion and has only lost twice in her career. Tate has only lost three times. Both women have almost three times the professional MMA experience as Rousey.
“Rowdy” Ronda isn’t perfectly well-rounded yet. She hasn’t been tested in a fight yet and she simply hasn’t fought nearly as much as the women she faces. But she’s been able to dominate them all because she brings a lifetime of doing a couple things at a higher level than even most MMA champions have ever done anything.
He was the third name I thought about putting in there along with Jones and GSP of other great fighters who also don't have the athletic pedigree as Rousey.
Elias Cepeda - He was the third name I thought about putting in there along with Jones and GSP of other great fighters who also don't have the athletic pedigree as Rousey.
What are those couple of things she does at a higher level?
Elias Cepeda - He was the third name I thought about putting in there along with Jones and GSP of other great fighters who also don't have the athletic pedigree as Rousey.
What are those couple of things she does at a higher level?
I believe the answer to that question is in the very next sentence of the story. Click the link, don't be scared, homie!!
Elias Cepeda - He was the third name I thought about putting in there along with Jones and GSP of other great fighters who also don't have the athletic pedigree as Rousey.
DeusEx - A bronze medalist in a weak division is our super Athlete....LMFAO.
We had #1 guys from other sports like BJJ,Sambo,Judo(Satoshi Isshii),etc.
But this is our Super Athlete...Wtf.
lol this. Have you guys not paid attention to how terrible the women are?
I don't think you've paid attention or just don't know anything about what it is to fight because if you squared up against any of the people Ronda has beaten, I'd put money on the girls.
I think the crossover athletes are why the UFC and other Orgs need to set up their own minor league system. If they do that they can use their money to attract the bigger names from Olympic Judo and Wrestling over to MMA.
The real super fight for Rousey is going to be Sara McMann, an Olympic Silver Medalist in Wrestling and a 135lb fighter. This fight needs to happen down the road though, in a year or 2 when both have accumulated some wins and have more well rounded skill.
i'm sorry but that is a total joke. calling her a super athlete is a joke.
so why not call ken shamrock a super athlete he beat up on people that just wasn't very good just like she has. womens mma has not evolved like the mens. the hype she gets is insane. she is so super that a avg male would still destroy her. it just kinda insulting to all the real athletes in mma to call her the super one when she is nothing compared to even the worse male mma fighter in zuffa
Good article. This is what people seem to e forgetting. For a women ronda is a physical beast. Couple that with technique and hard work and it puts her light years ahead of pretty much everyone else.
i won't comment on the super athlete title. i don't aknow enough of her back ground, although if it's just judo as mentioned in the article...there are plenty of other mma fighters out there from other backgrounds who have racked up 6 wins in a row.
my question...if she REALLY thinks she can take Cyborg, it should be her place to gain weight and go to Cyborg's class as opposed to telling Cyborg to cut weight. sounded like a cop out, call out.
A bronze Medalist isn't MMA's super athlete when we have already seen a gold medalist of judo in MMA.....or countless of other #1 guys in other combat sports...hell we never seen the #1 guy in strongman in MMA
