After nine consecutive wins to start her MMA career, Ronda Rousey has earned her place as the best female fighter in the sport. With another title defense against Alexis Davis on Saturday night, the Women's Bantamweight Champion is set to make waves yet again at UFC 175.
Despite her success in the ring, Rousey has also become one of the most polarizing figures in MMA. One thing fans can't deny is that she's been perfect up until this point. Rousey has turned away every competitor and done so in dominant fashion.
But overconfidence has rubbed some fans the wrong way, along with fellow fighters. Davis spoke about Rousey leading up to the match about her trash talking, per Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports:
It's all karma. Karma is going to come right back at you. … That's why I'm going to win the belt. Karma is going to come back to her.
… There's some boundaries you have to have. But I can only imagine the pressure she feels in this situation. She's brought it on herself, all this s*** talking, calling people out.
No, she might not always be the most likable character in the sport, but she has certainly staked her claim atop the women's MMA landscape. Equipped with a 61 percent success rate on strikes and an elite ability to avoid strikes and takedowns, Rousey is unmatched in the octagon.
How big has Rousey now gotten in the world of MMA? She's now drawing comparisons to one of the most dominant fighters of this generation by Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com, as the UFC official account notes:
.@Tgerbasi Column on @RondaRousey: "Ronda most menacing fighter since Mike Tyson." http://t.co/OW4bAjJogM pic.twitter.com/o6MmNBzYfh
— UFC (@ufc) July 3, 2014
As for Davis, she's been a contender on a rise for a while now. On the cusp of making history with a five-match winning streak currently on her side, it's difficult to see her matching up favorably in any sense against Rousey on Saturday night.
When it comes to common opponents, one that stands out is Sarah Kaufman. The 17-2-1 fighter has a 2-0 record against Davis—including her most recent loss in a majority decision—but was dismissed by Rousey in the all-too-familiar first-round armbar submission.
Still, Davis appears to be happy just to be a part of the fight on such a huge stage. The Ontario, Canada native spoke about the chance to simply take on Rousey, per Bleacher Report's Duane Finley:
I've always looked to fight the best people possible because that is what I got in this for. That's why I got into this sport. I don't just want to fight anybody...I want to fight the best. I want to fight whoever is at the top, and I'm going to get that opportunity at UFC 175.
I'm so excited for this fight because she is exactly the type of fighter you want to face.
Who ya got?
No disrespect to Davis, but this is simply not a fight Rowdy is going to let slip. She's already said she plans to step away following the fight, and won't be looking to go down with that lingering in her future.
As for the actual fight in the octagon, Rousey will use her grappling and striking abilities to wear Davis down in the first round. If the fight hasn't already finished by the close of the first, the close will of course likely be another armbar for the reigning champion.
Though Davis might truly be the No. 2 contender in the women's ranks, she won't quite measure up to the brutal force of Rousey. On Saturday night, it will once again be Rousey hoisting the belt and continuing her undefeated streak.
