5 Reasons why Ronda Rousey is the greatest champion in the UFC today

With her demolition of Bethe Correia, Ronda Rousey solidifies her status as one of the UFC’s greatest championsAfter the record breaking precedents that were set by UFC 189, there lay a natural weight of expectation on the UFC 190 card to deliver in a manner befitting its predecessor. In a card featuring a bevy of legendary Brazilian fighters though, it was Rowdy Ronda Rousey that stole the show with a faceplant KO of her nemesis Bethe Correia.Ronda Rousey’s new and improved stand-up game came to the fore as any pre-match stylistic predictions that deigned to suggest a match-up between Rousey’s ground game and Correia’s brawling were set aside hastily. With her demolition of the Brazilian, the Rowdy one has finished all of her opponents barring Miesha Tate, with whom she looks set to lock horns for the third time, inside of the first round.With her last four fights totaling a meager 2 minutes and 10 seconds, Ronda Rousey is very much part of a dwindling group of dominant champions in the UFC along with the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Jose Aldo. Unlike them however, there seems to be no appreciable threat to her crown in her division. After laying to waste yet another undefeated streak in solidifying her own at UFC 190, let us now examine 5 reasons why Ronda Rousey can be considered to be the greatest champion in the company today.

#1 Dominance in her division

With the exception of Miesha Tate, no other challenger has even remotely pushed Ronda Rousey

With the exception of Miesha Tate who doggedly refused to give the fight up until she got caught in an extremely painfully looking armbar in the third round, every other contender in the Women’s bantamweight division has looked out of place opposite Ronda Rousey.

After vanquishing Correia, the Rowdy one has extended her win streak in the UFC to 6 fights; a statistic only bettered by the impressive Demetrious Johnson and Jose Aldo. However unlike the duo that have to reckon with the looming threats of John Dodson and Conor Mcgregor respectively, Rousey has thus far established herself head and shoulders above the competition in her division.

In a day where MMA fighters are much more complete and well-rounded, Rousey’s battering ram-like performances have mowed down each and every opponent that has stepped up to the plate in truly awe-inspiring fashion. Despite having admitted that Miesha Tate presents one of the greatest challenges in her career, few would bet against Ronda Rousey from turning in yet another stellar performance when they face-off again later this year.

#2 Mainstream appeal

Ronda Rousey’s success in the Octagon has translated onto the mainstream

If appearing on the cover of ESPN’s Body Issue and Maxim wasn’t enough, Ronda Rousey’s mainstream appeal has been greatly augmented with the occasional cameo role in the movies as well. Having already starred in the Expendables 3, Furious 7 alongside another cross-over Superstar in The Rock and the Entourage, dipping her toes into the realm of Hollywood has thus far proven to be a fruitful endeavor for the 28 year old.

With UFC representing the face of the fastest growing sport in the world today, Ronda Rousey’s cross-promotional exploits augurs well for both her and the company’s mainstream image. The very same Dana White who once was categorical in his denial of allowing women into the UFC, is now banking on her continued dominance in the Octagon and reaping the benefits of her marketability outside of it.

With another WWE appearance possibly in the works, Ronda’s mainstream clout looks set to sky-rocket yet again. Without Jon Jones, Anderson Silva or George St.Pierre to aid in the effort off late, Rousey’s contribution in translating the UFC’s appeal onto the world stage cannot in any way be understated.

#3 Expanding skill set

Despite being undefeated, Ronda Rousey has not stopped short on improving her skill set

Considering how Miesha Tate was able to take the fight into the third round by avoiding going to the ground, there has long been a notion that an elite striker that could keep the fight standing may finally prove to be Rousey’s undoing.

After beating Bethe Correia at her own game though, those fears have been assuaged to a certain degree. As Joe Rogan succinctly put it, Ronda Rousey was already the best fighter before she started to incorporate an effective striking game into her repertoire.

Despite already looking nigh invincible, Rousey has also addressed the stylistic issues in her game and looks increasingly a more complete and well-rounded fighter with each passing fight. At just 28 now, one can only imagine that she would get better from here as she approaches her fighting prime.

#4 Polarizing character

Unlike George St.Pierre who was always associated with a “good boy” image, Ronda Rousey is a self-professed antihero or heel. Be it the twitter bust up with Miesha Tate and Brian Caraway, the scathing remarks about Floyd Mayweather or her straightforward opinion about sex, Ronda Rousey speaks her mind irrespective of the feathers it ruffles.

While her detractors’ commonly-themed accusation that she is too arrogant or brash may not be completely misplaced, it is undeniable that the hype that is created in the build-up to her fights are rivaled only by the “take-overs” of Conor Mcgregor and his contingents of fans. However one may perceive her, it is indubitable that a Ronda Rousey fight is a must-watch occasion for haters and fans alike.

#5 Pioneer

The Rowdy one has been single handedly responsible for bringing greater spotlight and attention to WMMA

Of all the credentials in her CV, perhaps the most telling contribution stems from the fact that much of the attention that women’s MMA receives today has been engineered on the back of her dominance in her division. Without Ronda, it may still be unlikely that Dana White and the UFC would have embraced and featured WMMA in the manner that they do now.

If her dominance in the Octagon is not advert enough, she has also managed to maintain an otherwise clean profile in her personal life. Without the scandals and controversies that usually tag along with celebrity, she has evolved into much more than a highly marketable fighter for the UFC and into a pioneer par excellence for WMMA and for women in general.