Nathan Forest
nforest@uwyo.edu
On Nov. 13, Ronda Rousey was one of the most popular and loved MMA fighters in the world.
On Nov. 15, her hater base expanded 100 fold.
Up until Rousey’s fight against Holly Holm on Nov. 14, Rousey had an undefeated record of 12-0. Most of her wins came in dominant fashion. Holm was one of the first fighters to give Rousey an actual challenge.
Rousey, to put it simply, just lost. This does not indicate she is now a worse fighter, she is just now a defeated fighter.
If you asked an average person to name an MMA fighter before that fight, 95 percent of people would have named Ronda Rousey. People only know Holly Holm now because she toppled a giant.
But let’s not forget that Ronda Rousey has forever changed the face of the UFC.
Before she made her meteoric rise to super stardom, the president of the UFC – Dana White – had said that there would never be women’s MMA. Without Rousey it is highly unlikely that women’s UFC would exist at all today, let alone have a few headlining fight cards.
She has ushered in a new age of the UFC, one in which people are excited about the women’s fight card and what is happening in each weight class.
When I first heard that the UFC was introducing women to the sport, I didn’t care at all. I figured it was just a way to maybe squeeze out a little more money, but didn’t take the idea of female fighters seriously.
Now, with a fighter as exciting and personable as Ronda Rousey, I have had my mind pleasantly changed. Now, whenever I hear that Rousey has a fight coming up, I get excited the same way I get excited to see male headliner fights.
Rousey also changed the face of the UFC to one that was more inviting. Her bubbly personality has changed quite a few people minds about the kind of people that compete in such an intense sport.
But Rousey’s personality was also a major help in breaking many of the stereotypes that typically surround fighters of all stripes. In any interview with her, you will see an intelligent, likeable person who is very gentle but who also has an incredible desire to win.
This drastically helps change the stereotypes around fighting as a sport that it is just a bunch of violent meatheads who only know how to beat things up. The truth to MMA is that quite a bit of finesse and thinking goes into fighting, and Rousey helps bring out that truth to the general public.
So when you praise Holm for how she took it to Ronda Rousey, just remember what Rousey has done for the sport. As well as the fact that Holm’s fame is due almost exclusively to the groundwork Rousey did to allow female fighters to become celebrities.
