UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who on Saturday defeated Cat Zingano in the fastest submission win in UFC championship history, "very well could be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport," according to Kevin Iole of YAHOO SPORTS. Rousey is "becoming such a phenomenon that it hardly matters that just two years into her UFC career, she's effectively already cleaned out the division." Fans will "almost certainly come out to see her fight, because sports fans are attracted to greatness and uniquely talented stars." When Rousey "zipped up her sweater, pulled tight her hood and strode purposely toward the cage" on Saturday, "not a person in the building missed Vitor Belfort or Chris Weidman or Jacare Souza or any of the other fighters who were supposed to appear but did not." The card did a $2.65M live gate and "attracted a slew of celebrities." UFC President Dana White said, "Staples Center in Los Angeles, 17,654 people, a gate of almost $3 million and pay-per-view trends have been very nice. It's looking like it's going to be a good pay-per-view. No women in the history of combat sports have ever done anything remotely close to this." Iole wrote besides being a "brilliant marketer," Rousey is a "brilliant athlete who is never satisfied" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/1). ESPN Radio’s Mike Golic: “She has become a big enough character. She’s been in some movies now. She’s getting that unbelievable exposure. She's very pretty. She’s got a great personality. That all adds to it and she will kick anybody's butt out there. … She is bigger than life right now.” ESPN’s Mike Greenberg added, “She is bigger than the sport right now” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 3/2).
A WORTHY ADVERSARY? USA TODAY's Brent Brookhouse writes Rousey has now "entered Mike Tyson territory," as her brand of "violent dominance has made her a must-see combat athlete." But this "level of dominance is creating a problem for the UFC." Brookhouse asks, "Who can be signed to face Rousey, and will the public buy into the idea of that person as a legitimate contender?" (USA TODAY, 3/2). In L.A., Lance Pugmire wrote Rousey's dominance will "make it increasingly difficult to sell her fights if marketing any doubt of the outcome." White quickly "altered Rousey’s branding" in Saturday's post-fight news conference, "embracing the suggestion that she has become 'the female version of' Mike Tyson." Pugmire: "In other words: Come for the fighter, not the fight" (L.A. TIMES, 3/2). White said, "There’s very few situations where a fight goes 14 seconds and the crowd is cheering and going crazy and looking at each other with their mouths open." In Las Vegas, Adam Hill writes Rousey "has that effect on people." But the "question remains how long that is sustainable if she can’t find a worthy adversary" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/2).
