Picture this – a title fight where both competitors are undefeated in a combined 19 fights.
The challenger Cat Zigano is the biggest threat the champion will face as her skillet, power and determination to will at all costs attitude will be hard to beat.
The champion Ronda Rousey has won every single bout in her MMA/UFC career and is the female-face of the MMA globally. The two combatants stand across from each other waiting for the bell to ring and the fight to begin. Ding!
Then, 14 seconds later it is all over. Ronda Rousey wins her 11th-straight fight with a arm-bar submission to remain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
You did read that right: 14 seconds! It was the fastest end to a Championship fight in the UFC ever, including all male championship bouts.
How is this for another stat: Rousey has won every single professional MMA bout in the first round except for one! That is plain scary.
What makes things worse for any woman thinking of taking Rousey on in the Octagon is that Rousey is only 28 and has years of performances at the top-level left in her. Good luck to anyone who wants to take her on.
When you look at the way Rousey finishes her opponents in quick time with flawless technique it is difficult not to think that you have seen performances like these before from a person who was a destroyer of all those who stood in front of them at a similar age. His name was ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
Tyson had the nickname of the ‘Baddest Man On The Planet’ and at the age of 28 had a record of 42-1, 21 of those fights ending in the first round. I shudder at the thought of standing in the same ring as Tyson knowing in less than three minutes I would be on my back staring at the lights, recovering consciousness from a knockout blow.
Both these fighters in their prime give their opponents no chance whatsoever to set the tone of the fight and get on the front foot.
Tyson was an animal and tore apart anyone who was dumb enough to stand in front of him (except Buster Douglas of course). Rousey is a fighter that has no hesitation to go toe-to-to with her opponent but due to her extensive judo background (she was an Olympic medallist in the discipline) uses grappling and throws to suppress their attacks.
And once she is on your back your chances of winning are finished as she slaps her ligament snapping submission holds on and the only option you have is to tap out.
Rousey is a machine and she makes me want to watch female MMA fights, something I would never have dreamed doing a couple of years ago. What she is doing for MMA and the UFC right now is what Tyson did for boxing during the 1980s and 1990s.
So as Cat Zigano watches the 14 second video of her fight with Rousey and thinks about ‘what could have been’ she needs to be a realist: there is no-one that will beat Rousey this year and she could go undefeated throughout 2016 as well.
Rousey is just that good – and unlike Tyson she is good to look at as well.
If you saw the fight and have a comment on Ronda Rousey or the comparison between Tyson and herself, what did you think? How long will we continue to see this Tyson-like dominance from Rousey?
Squidward
Roar Rookie
There's been a bunch of fight of the nights to women's bouts
DJW
Guest
This is a good question..
slammer
Guest
ronda is good but the rest are average can someone tell me why rousey was willing to fight gina carano at145 but not cyborg
Damien
Roar Guru
She's no way near Mike Tyson. Don't get me wrong, she is very very dominant in that division. The only one that looks like they can give her a run for her money is Cyborg. And I would take Cyborg over Ronda. Cyborg truly fights like a man (and in this context that is a compliment and yes, I do get the irony) Comparing her to Tyson is crazy. Boxing is generations old. There were so many fighters old & new to truly say that Tyson was terrifying. Mainstream (if it even is mainstream) Women's MMA is still very very young. There is not enough women competing in MMA to make that comparison. Ronda is the best of a small bunch where as Tyson (in his prime) was the best of a huge bunch.
Bondy
Guest
I just dont think the Ladies offer to the card ,and it isn't about the duration of a bout ....
Dave
Guest
Needs more jelly.
MikeD
Guest
Missing a lot. What really came to the fore in the match was Rousey's positioning awareness. It's something you will see from good judoka as they often need to avoid an ippon from a good throw during a match. Zingano basically ended up in the position of giving away her back or let Rousey get at her arm in order to try and escape the rear mount. She ended up in that position to begin with because Rousey was able to position herself really well when going to ground after the flying knee. Defending against an armbar is all what you do before the person can get in a position to put the lock on. Particularly in MMA where you can't use your gi as a last desperate defense.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Haha. Bondy wants a UFC free zone
Clark
Guest
Is that you Phil Rothfield?
Eden
Guest
Missing something. Arm bars are very technical, and as much training goes into defending them as it does performing them.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Bondy. Just showing how uneducated he is. I thought Miesha put up a good fight when she stuck to her game plan for round1 a year ago. Then she drifted from it and it all fell apart
tezza
Guest
NO WAY is she like Mike Tyson beleive me I never looked at Tyson like I look at her, Google her and check out some of the images. Oh and just for the record yes I have watched her fight and she is incredible coming from a judo background.
SpongeBob
Guest
I didn't really understand it. From the clips I've seen usually you fight more - UFC is "real" far as I know - it's not difficult to break an opponents arm, or almost like this to force them to tap out. As such it lacks entertainment value if people go "straight for the kill". I had a quick look and saw some 15 minute fights, didn't watch it all, within the first minute someone was on the ground and someone was on their back, they went for headlocks and other things that hurt but won't force the tapout, when they could have just pulled their arm back for example and ended it. Or am I missing something?
Bones506
Roar Guru
I completely disagree - Rousey has an amazing skill set and she would pull apart 90% of men on this planet in the Octagon. Holly Holm looks like she could offer a good mix of styles for Rousey but not sure her ground game will be good enough. Holm's leg kicks are very sharp but that is really her main attack weapon - whilst she can punch her shots don't have much power in them - they appear to just be the way to set up her kicks. I don't think anyone will defeat Rousey though - she will dominate for many years to come. World class Athlete.
Bondy
Guest
What these women do is not an enjoyable sports contest its like an illegal dog fight but this is sanctioned .
Christopher Pepper
Roar Pro
I know about the name. It was an error that needs to be fixed. Regardless if they are different sports the way the two dominate their opponents is very similar.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
Just a quick heads up... Her name is 'Ronda' not 'Rhonda'. Both Tyson and Ronda were/ are dominant, but in different ways. Boxing and MMA are very different sports. Can't see anybody beating Rousey, not even Cyborg.
Adam Smith
Guest
Her skillet will be hard to beat :)