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Ronda Rousey is one of the world’s most popular female combat athletes and the most successful MMA fighter of the moment. Since her last victory, the internet has been flooded with photos, videos, and expectations of and about this fantastic fighter. Never before has an MMA fighter, male or female, received so much attention.
Popularity of Women’s Sports
In various sports, there still seems to be much to be done to give women the same attention as men. Also in terms of income, we often see large differences between men and women in the same sport. You could call it unfair, but it could also be just a result of supply and demand. For some reason, on average, more people watch women taking penalties in lingerie during the men’s World Cup soccer than they do the women’s World Cup soccer [1,2]. In the Netherlands, apparently, we like to watch women play tennis and swim, and hockey can still enjoy some popularity.
Of course, I’m a sexist if I compare the clothing of female tennis players, swimmers, and hockey players with that of female soccer players and look for a cause of popularity. On one hand, there are women running bent over in a skirt or the female soccer players in their uniform.
However, the role of appearance seems clear. Why else would Sharapova have been the highest-earning tennis player last year when she “only” won $2.4 million in prize money compared to the $11 million Serena Williams won? Appearance certainly wouldn’t have influenced the $24.4 million Sharapova earned in sponsorship compared to the (other) $11 million Serena earned in sponsorship. Looking at America, we may also wonder why people watch American Football for women when they do it in lingerie [3].
Women in Combat Sports
Then we also have something like a supposed distinction between “men’s sports” and “women’s sports.” Women in combat sports may have even more difficulty getting the necessary appreciation for their work. The president of the UFC (the world’s largest MMA organization), Dana White, once said he would never promote a fight in the UFC for women. Women would apparently serve as ring decorations by announcing the rounds in a bikini for people who can’t count up to five (the maximum number of rounds). Who would like to watch women beat each other to a pulp?
Well, apparently quite a lot of people because the viewership of women in the UFC now exceeds that of men. At least the viewership of the UFC-affiliated TV program The Ultimate Fighter does.
Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey
The first time it became clear that women could indeed be popular in the UFC was in February 2013 when Ronda Rousey defended her title for the first time against Liz Carmouche, and that fight was watched by 450,000 people via pay-per-view [4]. Ronda has since won all 12 of her fights, 11 of which in the first round, 9 by submission via an armbar, and three by knockout [5].
That’s a pretty “record,” but they’re just the latest feats from a fantastic career in combat sports. Ronda started this with Judo and did so not unsuccessfully, judging by various World Championship medals and bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The success continued when she turned to MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). She fought for less than 2 minutes as an amateur before turning pro after three wins. She won all three in the first round with an armbar.
She moved to the Strikeforce organization where she quickly made a name for herself by challenging the champion in the bantamweight division, Miesha Tate, after two wins. This received a lot of publicity. Ronda said she achieved in six months what Tate had done in six years. Moreover, she could handle not only Miesha but also her friend who is also an MMA fighter. This led to this being the main event of the event, something that was rarely seen before (women as “main event”). A large part of the current popularity of women in MMA is attributed to this rivalry and the fact that they can now fight for the UFC themselves.
December 5, Rousey vs. Justino?
Someone who hasn’t (yet) made the switch to the UFC is Cristiane Justino, competing for Invicta FC, an MMA promoter for women only. There are rumors that December 5th will be the date of the fight. Not on the dam between supporters and opponents of Santa Claus, but the fight between the current top 2 female fighters in MMA: Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, both champions within their own organization.
Weight Class
The biggest problem for such a fight so far is that Justino is still too heavy to compete in Rousey’s weight class. The Justino camp said a few days ago that they received an invitation from the UFC for a fight on December 5th. UFC’s Dana White disputes this. What is likely the case is that there was an inquiry about Justino’s ability to reduce her weight (to 135 lbs). Dana White has previously stated that he would only consider the fight if Justino first proves within Invicta that she can cut to 135 lbs by fighting at that weight.
“Do Nothing Bitches”
Ronda Rousey is the emancipated woman 2.0. Not only because she has achieved the previously impossible in women’s sports by earning equally to a man, but also because she vehemently opposes women who base their success solely on their femininity. Ronda has absolutely nothing to do with women who rely mainly on their appearance. Women who, according to her, do nothing but be beautiful for a rich man who supports them [6].
I have this one term for the kind of woman that my mother raised me to not be. I call it a ‘do-nothing bitch.’ Or, I call it a ‘DNB’ a lot of the time,
“That’s why I think it’s hilarious if people say that my body looks masculine, or something like that. I’m just like, ‘Listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than fucking millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine.’ I think it’s femininely bad-ass as fuck because there’s not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose. Because, I’m not a do-nothing bitch*. It’s not very eloquently said, but it’s to the point. And, maybe that’s just what I am. I’m not that eloquent, but I’m to the point.”
Yet she is not afraid to show that this does not detract from her own femininity, as evidenced by the shoots she did for Maxim and ESPN.
Bad ass Rousey
Ronda is just a bad ass. She knows what she can do, is confident, and can sometimes come across as arrogant. This makes almost everyone have an opinion about her. You either think she’s fantastic (like me) or you dream of seeing her lose (like the fans of all the fighters whose elbows she’s dislocated). It’s precisely this controversial image that provides the right publicity that finally gives women the attention they deserve (in MMA at least).
Maybe Serena Williams (still) deserves a bit more by saying she’ll knock Sharapova’s head off with a first serve and volley attempt. Apparently, the audience doesn’t want to see a match but just a battle between two characters. Ronda Rousey is a character. That’s why she’s also snagging fun roles as an actress in movies like Expendables 3, Furious 7, and Entourage.
- International Judo Federation
- 2008 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
- 2008 Belgian Ladies Open Senior Bronze Medalist
- 2007 Jigoro Kano Cup Senior Silver Medalist
- 2007 Finnish Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2007 World Judo Championships Senior Silver Medalist
- 2007 German Open Senior Bronze Medalist
- 2007 Pan American Games Senior Gold Medalist
- 2007 Pan American Championships Senior Bronze Medalist
- 2007 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
- 2007 British Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 Finnish Open Senior Bronze Medalist
- 2006 Swedish Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 World Judo Championships Junior Bronze Medalist
- 2006 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 Pan American Championships Senior Silver Medalist
- 2006 World Cup Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 Belgian Ladies Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2005 Ontario Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2005 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
- 2005 Pan American Championships Senior Gold Medalist
- 2004 Ontario Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2004 Ontario Open Junior Gold Medalist
- 2004 World Judo Championships Junior Gold Medalist
- 2004 Rendez-Vous Senior Bronze Medalist
- 2004 Pan American Championships Senior Gold Medalist
- 2003 Rendez-Vous Senior Gold Medalist
- 2001 Coupe Canada Senior Cup Gold Medalist
- Summer Olympic Games
- 2008 Summer Olympics Senior Bronze Medalist
- USA Judo
- USA Senior National Championship (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)
- USA Senior Olympic Team Trials Winner (2004, 2008)
- 2007 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 USA Fall Classic Senior Gold Medalist
- 2006 US Open Junior Gold Medalist
- 2005 US Open Senior Gold Medalist
- 2005 US Open Junior Silver Medalist
- 2004 US Open Senior Bronze Medalist
- 2003 US Open Senior Silver Medalist
- 2003 USA Fall Classic Senior Gold Medalist
- 2002 US Open Junior Gold Medalist
MMA
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship (First; current)
- Six successful title defenses
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Miesha Tate
- Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Miesha Tate
- Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Cat Zingano , Sara McMann , Alexis Davis and Bethe Correia.
- First female UFC Champion
- Current #4 P4P fighter in the UFC
- Was one of the first two female coaches on The Ultimate Fighter
- First Olympic medalist to hold a UFC title
- Competed in and won the first ever women’s fight in UFC history
- Fastest finish in a UFC title fight (male or female) (14 seconds)
- First One-punch knockout win in UFC Women’s Bantamweight division history vs. Bethe Correia at UFC 190
- Has won the most post-fight bonuses among active women’s UFC fighters (6)[109]
- Most finishes in the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division (6)
- Longest active finish streak in the UFC (male or female) (6)[110]
- Longest title fight finish streak in UFC history (6)[111]
- Fastest title defense turnaround in UFC history (56 days) between UFC 168 and UFC 170[112]
- 2013 Best Newcomer of the Half-Year[113]
- 2014 Best Fighter of the Half-Year[114]
- 2015 Best Submission of the Half-Year vs. Cat Zingano[115]
- Strikeforce
- Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship (One time; last)
- One successful title defense
- Female’s Submission of the year two years in a row (2011 & 2012)
- ESPN
- 2012 Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on March 3
- 2014 Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
- 2015 Best Female Athlete ESPY Award[116]
- 2015 Best Fighter ESPY Award [117]
- First Mixed Martial Artist to win an ESPY Award
- World MMA Awards
- 2012 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2013 Female Fighter of the Year
- 2014 Female Fighter of the Year
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2015 February Submission of the Month vs. Cat Zingano[118]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Best Box Office Draw (2014)[119]
- Most Outstanding Fighter (2014)[119]
- MMA Most Valuable Fighter (2014)[119]
- AwakeningFighters.com WMMA Awards
- 2013 Female Fighter of the Year[120]
- 2013 Bantamweight of the Year[120]
- 2013 Inspirational Fighter of the Year[120]
- 2013 Fight of the Year vs. Miesha Tate at UFC 168[120]
- 2014 Female Fighter of the Year[121]
- 2014 Fan Favorite Bantamweight of the Year[121]
- 2014 Female Fight of the Year vs. Alexis Davis at UFC 175[121]
- 2014 Knockout of the Year vs. Alexis Davis at UFC 175[121]
- BloodyElbow.com
- 2013 WMMA Fighter of the Year[122]
- 2013 WMMA Fight of the Year vs. Miesha Tate on December 28 [123]
- HOV-MMA.com
- 2012 Fighter of the Year[124]
- 2012 Rivalry of the Year vs. Miesha Tate[125]
- 2012 Submission of the Year vs. Miesha Tate[125]
- 2011 Lady Violence Award[126]
- 2014 Lady Violence Award[127]
- 2014 Knockout of the Year vs. Alexis Davis at UFC 175[128]
- MMA-Freak.com
- Hall of Fame, Class of 2014[129]
- SevereMMA.com
- 2014 Female Fighter of the Year[130]
- 2014 Knockout of the Year vs. Alexis Davis at UFC 175[130]
References
- volkskrant.nl/media/hotshots-wk-lingerie-trekt-half-miljoen-kijkers~a809144/
- 1limburg.nl/leeuwinnen-roger-reijners-trekken-half-miljoen-tv-kijkers
- youtube.com/watch?v=A6Ox6s1GTSk
- mmamania.com/2013/2/26/4005420/ufc-157-pay-per-view-ppv-buys-400k-ronda-rousey-mma
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronda_Rousey
- foxsports.com/ufc/story/ronda-rousey-i-m-not-a-do-nothing-bitch-072915
