By the time I first shared a space with Ronda Rousey, I had been covering Conor McGregor’s astronomical rise for more than half a decade.
Up until that moment, I hadn’t met someone with the same presence — kids would probably call it “aura” nowadays — as the Irishman. Yet, while I sat at the UFC 187 post-fight press conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, awaiting the post-fight insights of newly crowned light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, Rousey entered the room.
Every pair of eyeballs followed “Rowdy” as she strutted through. At the time she was the reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion, an untouchable force, a cultural icon and arguably the only person who could rival the star power of McGregor, and she had the game in a chokehold as deadly as her signature armbar.
Fresh off her fifth win for the promotion, Dana White was proclaiming her the female equivalent to prime “Iron” Mike Tyson. Just two years into her UFC tenure, she had transcended the sport, landing roles in gargantuan Hollywood franchises “The Expendables”, “Fast & Furious” and “Entourage.” Four months after UFC 187, Beyoncé would feature Rousey’s “Do Nothing B****” speech during her main event performance at the Made In America festival. That same year, her autobiography, “My Fight/Your Fight,” was featured on the New York Times Best Seller List.
That balmy night in Sin City, you couldn’t have convinced me that we would only see Rousey win one more time in the Octagon —
“Similar to when we did [Jake] Paul vs. [Mike] Tyson, people ask are you going to do more with Netflix. What I said then, and what I’m saying now is, if it goes well, I anticipate we’ll do more,” said Bidarian on Tuesday’s episode of ”The Ariel Helwani Show.”
While Rousey is adamant that her focus will be on family in the aftermath of Carano, there are some appetizing opponents for her beyond Saturday in the Intuit Dome. Unlike the case of heavyweight Francis Ngannou, there is far more than Philipe Lins equivalents on the menu should it be more than a one and done for MVP, Netflix and Rousey.
A rematch with Holm — now signed to MVP — would be perfect fodder for Netflix, but first we have to see if Rousey can still deliver.
The bookmakers’ odds would have you believe that Carano, fighting for the first time in nearly 17 years, is the perfect dance partner to provide an emphatic answer to that question. But, at least for Rousey, delivery is about far more than having her hand raised. Much like her first stint with the UFC, this second coming feels as much about protest as it is about performance. The first time around it was about forcing the door open for women; now it’s about achieving new standards for MMA athletes.
Can she compel the world to tune in again? Can she make them care about her new cause? Can she give us a spectacle as well as a sporting event? Does she still want to put herself through the rigors of fight camp at 39 years old? Is she still comfortable with every set of eyeballs being on her in every room she walks into, like that night at the MGM?
We’ll find out when “Bad Reputation” hits the speakers, the camera cuts to her signature mean mug and she makes that walk for the first time in 10 years.
