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The Savage Truth: Cyborg or Bust

Ronda Rousey is in need of a capable dance partner. | Photo: Photo: Dave mandel/Sherdog.com



She did it again.

And in less than a minute … again.

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Ronda Rousey has wiped out everyone in her division and in just 30 months has gone from a young woman gifted an Ultimate Fighting Championship championship belt to one of the most dominant athletes and recognizable faces in the sport’s world.

It really is an impressive career arc.

The only problem I can see is she is making this fighting stuff look too easy.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t even watch Rousey’s knockout of current lamb Bethe Correia in real time. You see, it really didn’t matter if I watched or not because it was a foregone conclusion long before anyone donned their Power Ranger gear and headed out to the arena in Brazil Saturday night. The massive favorite continued her unprecedented run as expected and, as has been the case lately, I was able to catch her entire fight on my phone Sunday afternoon when I made it back to civilization.

It is a tough conundrum for the UFC. Arguably their biggest crossover star just doesn’t have any real competition. I’m not trying to be a jerk or belittle other really good fighters like Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano or Alexis Davis but they have all had their crack (or two in Tate’s case) at the champ and have failed miserably.

Things have gotten so slim in the bantamweight division that a fighter who’s claim to fame was beating two of Rousey’s training partners -- neither of which has done anything to impress in their own UFC runs -- was chosen to be the next sacrifice at the altar of the Church of Ronda.

The next logical step for Rousey is to square off with Tate for a third time to cement … Yeah, you’re absolutely right, that doesn’t make any sense at all.

(+ Enlarge) | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

Cyborg is the only true test for Rousey.
What everyone really wants to see is her face the wrecking ball known as Christiane Justino in a long-anticipated showdown of the two clear-cut top women’s fighters in the world.

I know, I know, there is the whole weight class issue but I have been told for years the best part of having all the top talent under one roof was that it allows for the best fighters to face each other. Is anyone really buying that a few pounds is going to derail a mega-fight of these proportions?

In boxing -- you know, the sport where none of the top fighters face each other because they are under different promotional banners -- fighters slide up and down between divisions with regularity so fights can be made between marketable opponents. Hell, in MMA we have seen a number of fighters dipping their toes in multiple divisional pools. Most notable among them is Anderson Silva, who fought at light heavyweight whilst packing the UFC middleweight strap.

I get the thought process behind Rousey’s reluctance to give in and move up five or 10 pounds to make the super fight a reality, but in the end that fight would be the most significant fight in women’s MMA history and by a long shot. It’s a legacy-making fight as well. Despite everything she has done to date, the absence of a fight with Justino on her record would always be something her detractors could point to.

We’ve seen it time and again in combat sports where two fighters seem to be on a collision course only to have it delayed by one thing or another until one or both athletes are diminished goods. This narrative has been woven into the fabric of fighting for as long as people have been gloving up. I am hopeful Rousey and Justino -- as well as the UFC -- can come up with an equitable solution that will conclude with the two best female fighters finally squaring off in what will likely be the defining moment of at least one of their careers.

I really don’t care how it comes about but I think the best path would be for the UFC to create another Ronda-class to go along with 135. They could craft a 145-pound women’s featherweight division and have the ladies duke it out for the title.

If Rousey can take care of business she would become the first ever-simultaneous two-division champion in the UFC and add to her already impressive legacy. If she loses then she heads back down to 135 no worse for the wear and women’s MMA gets another boost in the process.

Dana White has long stated that his job is to make the fights people want to see. I know it wouldn’t be an easy task to convince Rousey to move up even five pounds for a catch-weight fight much less the 10 it would take to unfurl the scenario just stated but I think it is a noble one if nothing else.

I’m not 100 percent certain the outcome of the potential super fight would be any different but I am certain there in no one else on the horizon is going to pose even a remote problem for Rousey no matter what the PR machine will inevitably crank out before her next fight.

This is the fight we all want to see; let’s bang this drum until it happens.

Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached via email or on Twitter @TheSavageTruth.

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