MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, in the wake of her 34-second victory by knockout against Bethe Correia on Saturday night at UFC 190, is "the sport's engine," according to Jason Gay of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Just four years after UFC President Dana White said that women "wouldn't fight, believing his audience didn't want it, White now routinely describes Rousey as the biggest superstar in the organization." Rousey is a "transformative athlete, whose fights are stepping beyond the UFC’s loyal following and becoming bona fide cultural moments" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/3). SI.com's Jeff Wagenheim wrote, "'The Rowdy Ronda Show' is a sparkling extravaganza, even when her supporting cast doesn’t have any believable scenes onstage." Rousey has "drummed up passion among people who are deeply into MMA as well as people who don’t even care for the sport, but love this woman." She is a star "unlike anything the UFC has seen, crossing over into worlds into which the promotion had not yet been invited" (SI.com, 8/2). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole wrote Rousey is "quickly becoming one of the most iconic athletes in sports." She is "simply one of the greatest athletes in the world and she performs under the pressure like few others." She "has her critics, who mostly show jealousy because of her fame and success" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/2). Iole wrote the only reason Rousey "hasn’t been widely discussed as the greatest active fighter or the best of all time already is because of her gender" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/2).
WAITING ALL NIGHT: USA TODAY's Nick Schwartz wrote the "only problem" with UFC 190 "was the schedule." The main card fights began at 10:00pm ET, and Rousey and Correia "didn't start walking to the ring" until 1:18am. UFC making the main event of its show start after 1:00am "isn't just a disservice to fans, it isn't good for the fighters either" (USATODAY.com, 8/2). SI.com's Wagenheim asked, "Did the UFC really think it was wise to keep its biggest crossover star offstage until the middle of the night?" (SI.com, 8/2).
MAKE IT A BLOCKBUSTER NIGHT: White on Saturday said that the UFC is "targeting a fight card" in Dallas that will include title fights between Rousey and Tate, as well as Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. White added that UFC is "aiming for a December date, possibly Dec. 5, for a fight card at AT&T Stadium, a venue that can seat over 80,000 spectators" (MMAWEEKLY.com, 8/2).
