After dismantling Alexis Davis in 16 secs on Saturday night at UFC 175, Ronda Rousey went through the usual post-fight interview with UFC announcer Joe Rogan, only this time Rogan put her on the spot.
In closing out his line of questions, Rogan spoke into the microphone letting us know that the production truck requested he ask Rousey if she’d be willing to headline UFC 176 on Aug. 2 Now that Jose Aldo can no longer fight because of an injury suffered in training camp. So Rogan asked. And Rousey answered, offering up a non-committal response.
Then things got really awkward — and tense — when UFC president Dana White came into the picture, because it became very clear the folks in the production truck went rogue in asking Rogan to put Rousey on the spot. White immediately approached Rousey and seemingly apologized to her for Rogan’s actions.
And then Rogan put his hand on White’s shoulder as if to say, “Hey, relaaaaaax, man.” To which White responded with a death stare and something along the lines of “that’s the dumbest (expletive) question ever,” according to my lip-reading skills
So UFC 175 is gone,bring on UFC 176!
So UFC 175 is gone,bring on UFC 176!
Meanwhile the burning question now is Who are the top 3 contenders in line to face Ronda Rousey next?
Ronda Rousey's undefeated streak continued on Saturday night at UFC 175 with a win over top contender Alexis Davis moving her record to 9-0 overall and a perfect 3-0 in three title fights in the UFC.
In just 16 seconds Rousey annihilated Davis with strikes, knocking out the Canadian to the point where she had to be revived and told what just happened to her in the cage.
Rousey's dominance has been nothing short of spectacular thus far as she's also become one of the UFC's biggest stars, but with Davis now in the past, it won't take long for everyone to wonder who is left in the division to challenge the champion?
So with Rousey now awaiting word on her next bout, here are the top three contenders in the division and how likely they could or could not be to land a fight for the championship in the near future.
1) Cat Zingano: At the top of the list is top ranked fighter Cat Zingano, who has been out well over a year now due to a serious knee injury that forced her
to have ACL surgery and miss her previous shot at Rousey and coaching on The Ultimate Fighter. Her road to recover has been going well and it appears she's ready to return to action right away. |
| Cat Zingano |
If Zingano's healthy and ready to go, is there a possibility she could face Rousey in a main event at UFC 176 in Los Angeles?
First things first let's get the commentary out of the way. Does Gina Carano deserve a title match against Ronda Rousey after not fighting for nearly five years? Absolutely not. Should Carano -- a fighter who has never made 135-pounds before be expected to cut down and fight a champion like Rousey right now? Absolutely not. Should Gina Carano leap to the front of the line after getting trounced in her last fight against Cris 'Cyborg' Justino before leaving the sport? Absolutely not.
2) Gina Carano
First things first let's get the commentary out of the way. Does Gina Carano deserve a title match against Ronda Rousey after not fighting for nearly five years? Absolutely not. Should Carano -- a fighter who has never made 135-pounds before be expected to cut down and fight a champion like Rousey right now? Absolutely not. Should Gina Carano leap to the front of the line after getting trounced in her last fight against Cris 'Cyborg' Justino before leaving the sport? Absolutely not.
Now that those questions have been answers, here's the real reason why Carano is No. 2 on the list -- huge pay-per-view sales.
Say what you will about Carano's lack of fighting over the last half decade, she's still one of the most talked about and well known MMA fighters on the planet. The mere mention of her return sparked a huge groundswell of attention for the possibility that she could face Rousey, and a bout between the two women who have defined women's MMA for the last 10 years would be nothing short of gargantuan.
3) Bethe Correia
Now this choice comes along with a big asterisk next to it based on one major factor -- Correia is fighting Shayna Baszler at UFC 176 in Los Angeles. But if the 8-0 Brazilian fighter moves to 9-0 based on a win over Baszler, the stage would be set for a Rousey/Correia grudge match and here's why.
It's well documented that Rousey, Baszler and former TUF 18 fighter Jessamyn Duke are all friends, training partners and roommates and along with one other fighter (Marina Shafir) they are known as the 'Four Horsewomen', a play of the famous professional wrestling faction 'The Four Horsemen'. When Correia beat Duke at UFC 172 she held up four fingers and put one down as if to say 'one down, three to go'.
She's now facing Baszler in August with a chance to take out another member of the team. Now Shafir isn't in the UFC so in reality she can't count towards the total equation, but if Correia wins again, that would be a great storyline as she looks to eliminate the champion and add to her resume by becoming the woman to defeat Ronda Rousey.
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