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Why Ronda Rousey should consider a break from fighting

Ronda Rousey’s announcement on Good Morning America of her next defense of the UFC women’s bantamweight title that she has held on since the introduction of women in the world’s top mixed martial arts organization was met with a shrug of indifference. Not necessarily because of Rousey, but because of her competition.

Or, lack thereof.

Rousey will face former professional boxerturned MMA fighter Holly Holm at UFC 195 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas. While many presumed that two-time Rousey victim Miesha Tate would get a third crack at the undefeated champion, the fight ended up going to Holm, who has only had two fights in the UFC and wasn’t terribly impressive in either of her decision victories. In some ways it is better considering that Rousey has trampled Tate in both of her fights. However, considering that Holm is still relatively rough around the edges and the 'Rowdy' one has dispatched her last four opponents in just under two-and-a-half minutes cumulatively, there is a reason that Rousey has opened up as a 12.5-to-1 favorite, according to BestFightOdds.com.

No disrespect to Holm, but the reality is that Rousey has simply run out of quality opponents and she is now being fed undeserving fighters in an effort to keep her cycle of destruction fresh for fight fans. But, sooner or later, it’s going to get old and fans will begin to lose interest.

Ronda Rousey celebrates after defeating Bethe Correia at UFC 190. (Getty)
Ronda Rousey celebrates after defeating Bethe Correia at UFC 190. (Getty)

For that reason, it might be best for business if the UFC gives Ms. Rousey a mandatory paid vacation. Because, at the rate she is going, there will be nobody left for her to fight by this time next year (with the exception of Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, but that’s a totally different conversation that has been beaten down beyond recognition).

While Rousey’s run has been fascinating to watch, the freakish frequency that she violently sends contenders tumbling down the mountain does the division no good. As Brock Lesnar said in a recent interview: “I think she is a man amongst women in the women's division.”

But while the “man amongst women” quote was the one that grabbed the headlines, what Lesnar prefaced it with was of significant importance.

“I think she's a super athlete in a weak division.”

With women’s MMA still having a fresh new car scent, Rousey is a Hennessey Venom GT amongst a legion of Ford Model T’s. While that statement is clearly hyperbole, the fact of the matter is that the 28-year-old is about two years ahead of her competition in the evolution department. If you look at Holm, the former light welterweight champion in boxing has an impressive pugilism pedigree. However, her ground game is subpar and is there to be taken advantage of. Miesha Tate might be an exceptional wrestler but she is simply no match for Rousey in the jiu jitsu and striking departments. A lot of women in MMA specialize primarily in one art and are still developing in others. Meanwhile, Rousey has lapped the division several times.

Women’s MMA is still evolving and it doesn’t help when the hungry lion continues to feast on undeveloped cubs. Ultimately, it will only do more harm than good for the entire division.

Although UFC president Dana White was taken to task by fans when he declined to open up the UFC to a women’s division before Rousey’s emergence, his reasons weren’t totally unwarranted. The one criticism he had was that the talent pool wasn’t quite deep enough to justify the introduction of women in the Octagon. Rousey changed all of that. However, while the women have put on some thrilling performances since being introduced in 2013, his concern about a shallow talent pool is beginning to rear its ugly head.

Which is why this tongue-in-cheek concept of Rousey being forced to take a paid vacation actually makes some sense – so new talent can emerge and some intrigue for potential challengers to Rousey’s throne can bubble up. As it stands right now, all a bantamweight in the women’s division needs to do is string together a couple of wins to get a shot at Rousey. And the armbar machine is knocking them off the ladder faster than they can climb it. The fight with Holm is a perfect example of this.

Holly Holm kicks Raquel Pennington during their bantamweight fight. (Getty)
Holly Holm kicks Raquel Pennington during their bantamweight fight. (Getty)

It’s evident that the former boxing sensation could hypothetically be a legitimate challenger to the champion. However, a few more fights to shore up her ground game against the likes of Meisha Tate or a Cat Zingano wouldn’t hurt. They say that steel sharpens steel, but when Rousey’s steel is the equivalent to the Hattori Hanzo sword of "Kill Bill" fame while the rest of the division is still in the kitchen knife phase, it becomes quite a challenge to convince fans that there lies any true threat to the queen of women’s MMA. For some fighters, being laid to waste by Rousey in a matter of seconds does more damage to the psyche than the body/mind and they may never be the same again. Winning is a confidence builder for both the fighter and the fan.

With Rousey away, title contenders can be lined up and new talent can permeate into the division to sharpen their skills in competition without having to be concerned with seeing their record gutted by the champion. If Rousey is busy shooting a couple of films and honing her craft, we could see some new blood emerge and create an atmosphere that suggests that they could be the one to snatch the crown off the queen’s head. But if you keep allowing Rousey to devour opponents in rapid succession, only to see them again a year later, the drama is removed from the theater.

What fun is it for fight fans to see Rousey vs. Tate 5 or Rousey vs. Zingano 3? As silly as it sounds, there’s a reason we have gotten to the point of hypothetically putting Rousey in a no-rules fight with Floyd Mayweather.

It’s unfair to tell one of the most competitive individuals on the planet to take a seat on the bench because she is too good to fight.

Even if boxing has taught us that there is always a potential Buster Douglas lurking nearby, it's hard to believe that Rousey will be falling asleep at the wheel anytime in the near future.

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