The UFC has itself a megastar in women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who improved to 10-0 at UFC 175 on Saturday night. She defeated Alexis Davis in a mere 16 seconds, her most dominant effort yet and second consecutive win by TKO as opposed to her famed armbar. The question now, though is whether or not Rousey's dominance is too much.
Only one opponent has ever gotten out of the first round against Rousey--Miesha Tate in their rematch at UFC 168. Her run through the division, and especially her quick work as Saturday night's co-main eventer, will reignite dreams of a clash with Invicta fighter Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino.
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UFC president Dana White may be realizing that fans could tune out if they feel Rousey has no shot at being beaten. He has been a staunch opponent of bringing in Justino based on her history with performance enhancing drugs, and the stereotype surrounding her. Following UFC 175 though, the door to Justino joining the UFC seemed ajar.
"I just don't want to hear your b******t if I do (sign her) because this s**t is going to flip as soon as I sign her - about drug testing and all the other b******t," White said. "It'll be the biggest f*****g topic. It'll be the biggest f*****g story for you to write. Oh my f*****g God. The script will flip immediately."
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White also revealed that there was previously an offer out to Cyborg to fight in the UFC after a positive test for PEDs in 2011 that she had turned down. "Just so you know, when we bought Strikeforce, we offered them the same exact deal that we offered Ronda, and they turned it down," White said.
"Listen, there are certain things to do to get out there. If you really want to fight for the UFC and you want to fight for the title, there are ways to get that done. There are ways to do it. It's not like we never offered 'Cyborg' a deal. We offered 'Cyborg' a deal, and they turned it down. She got offered the same deal that Ronda got offered, and she turned it down. She was on a medical suspension too, for performance-enhancing drugs."
While the door's open a crack, don't expect White to go running to Justino; he isn't betraying any worry that Rousey's red-hot run will kill interest in her fights. "Not concerned whatsoever. There's still nine other girls out there in our top 10," White said.
"Anybody on any given night can step into that octagon and have their worst performance, while their opponent can have the greatest performance of their life. ... There's always somebody."
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