Analyst Daniel Cormier: Rousey's win over McMann is bad news for Zingano

Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier no longer has any doubts about Ronda Rousey’s place in MMA. He is convinced the UFC women’s bantamweight champion is unstoppable at 135 pounds in the UFC’s octagon.

“She is far and away better than the rest of the division,” the onetime UFC light heavyweight title challenger and FOX Sports 1 analyst told MMAjunkie Radio.

On Saturday, Rousey’s next challenger arrives as Cat Zingano tries to deny the champ of her fifth title defense. The two headline UFC 184 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. (Main card fights air on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.)

Some MMA pundits will talk about Zingano (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) as a great test for Rousey (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), and even Cormier admits that may be true. But after watching the champion dispatch previous contenders, he’s doubtful much will change after the fight.

Cormier has been down this road before, and it only wound up confirming what he thought might be true. When Rousey, an Olympic bronze medalist in judo, faced off with Olympic silver-medal wrestler Sara McMann at UFC 170, it was a turning point.

“We were sold on Sara McMann being the girl that could compete against (Rousey), and I went on MMAjunkie (Radio) and said it. I’m like, ‘This is the girl that gives her her toughest fight.’ And you know what, man, I really believed it.

“And then, she got stopped by Ronda really early. So it still left some thought that maybe it could happen. But then after the Miesha Tate fight (against McMann), and seeing how close they were, in terms of how competitive they were before Miesha got the victory, it just shows you that even the Olympian, even the person that’s second to her, is a ways behind her – because that person, who has the type of athletic accomplishments that she has, can’t compete with her in this atmosphere.”

Of course, Tate is not currently second to Rousey on the hierarchy of UFC women’s bantamweights. That spot belongs to Zingano, who handed Tate a late-fight beating when they met in April 2013. A bad knee injury benched Zingano and put Tate back in the spotlight when she coached opposite Rousey on “The Ultimate Fighter 18? and then lost a rematch.

Now, it’s Zingano’s time. After a triumphant return this past September, she finally gets the fight she earned by beating Tate.

Rousey is an 8-1 favorite. The champ has called the also-undefeated Zingano a challenger with more “heart” of any previous challenger. Cormier noted that Rousey is going to be bigger than Rousey and may be stronger when they lock up in the cage.

Zingano also has displayed an ability to overcome difficult situations in the cage, he added. In fights against Tate and, most recently, against Amanda Nunes, she had to fight her way back from a deficit. Rousey, meanwhile, has yet to be truly tested.

And yet, Cormier said Zingano’s tenacity may not be enough to overcome Rousey’s speed and aggression.

“I think Cat will test her, but if she leaves any opportunity out there, Ronda will get it and Ronda will get on it,” he said.

Cormier said it isn’t just McMann who made up his mind, however. It was Rousey herself that helped do that. In preparation for his broadcast duties on FOX, he watched the champ describe what sets her apart from her competitors on an episode of UFC’s “Embedded” Web series.

“She said the person I want to impress is my mom,” he said. “(She said), ‘My dad told me as a kid that I would be the best in the world, so this is just something I’ve done my entire life. It’s a thought process that’s been battered home so many times, it’s all I know.’

“These women had lives before they decided to become the best in the world. That sh-t can’t be made up, and what she meant was the distance between her and them can’t be made up.

“That’s the truest statement I’ve ever heard, because I always try to find the words to describe the difference of her athletic career before this, as opposed to the rest of the women. I could never really summarize it, but she did it for me.”

For more on UFC 184, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM channel 92, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.