Who’s Going to Stop Ronda Rousey?

#2 contender Alexa Davis was supposed to test UFC Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

The fight ended like a blur, and Bruce Buffer stood longer in the Octagon than Alexis Davis.

Ronda came of the gates by landing a right hand to the ear and followed it up with a knee to the liver that stunned Davis. Rousey then thrust Davis with a judo throw that set up a headlock position. Rousey landed at least ten punches to the defenseless Davis’ face before referee Yves Lavigne halted the bout.

It was the fastest finish ever in Rousey’s 10 fight career, although it was the seventh time that Ronda’s finished her opponent in under one minute. All of Rousey’s wins have come by stoppage- She won eight straight matches by arm bar and then the last two fights by knockouts.  Her reign in the women’s division has been dominant and short of incredible, which makes us wonder if Rousey is unbeatable right now.

Olympic Judo Medalist

The picture perfect judo throw can be credited to Rousey’s being a former Olympic bronze medalist in Judo. She has successfully transformed into a dangerous submission expert in the UFC. Well actually, she’s not a submission expert, she is the arm bar goddess. Her dominance of the sport is well complimented by her trash talking personality and a villain persona that makes her one of the most polarizing superstars in the UFC.

But love or hate Rousey, one has to admire her evolution in the sport.  In the past, Rousey was criticized for the lack of an effective striking game. But she’s obviously addressed that by knocking out her last two opponents in round 1 with strikes. During the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Rousey confirmed that she has been boxing six times a week to improve on her supposed weakness. The result has been impressive so far.

One After the Other

Ronda Rousey has defended her title five times, and she’s defended it against top ranked opposition. Here is the list:

That list is impressive, but what makes it incredible is that if you add the total fight time of those five bouts, you’ll get a total time of 8:03. That’s not even two rounds in the Octagon. And that just shows how dominating a champion Ronda Rousey is.

Who Will Stop Ronda’s Run?

Notice that the #1 ranked female fighter is not on the list. It’s because that fighter is out due to injury. Cat Zingano (8-0 with 4 KOs and 3 submissions) has not fought since defeating Meisha Tate in TUF 17 finale in April 2013. She underwent PRP and stem cell treatment on both of her knees last October 3, 2013 at the Orthro Regenerative Institute in California.

Zingano was supposed to coach opposite Rousey in TUF 18 and was scheduled to challenge Rousey for the belt during the finale but she begged off due to the injury. Zingano has targeted a September comeback. But UFC President Dana White has said last May that Cat may have to win another fight before she gets a crack and Ronda. That being said, White and the UFC may be brewing a rematch with Meisha Tate or a fight with Sara McMann late this year and give her the first title shot in 2015 if she wins the tune-up fight.

If it’s not Cat Zingano, the next highest ranked fighter is #6 Jessica Eye. But Eye is coming off a loss to Alexis Davis at UFC 170. Prior to that, her split decision victory over Sara McMann was overturned and ruled as a no contest by the Texas State Athletic Commission due to a failed drug test.

Return of Carano

Before Alexis Davis was named as Ronda’s UFC 175 opponent, it was widely speculated that she would face women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano after it was reported that White met with Carano to discuss her options. Carano has moved on to an acting career after retiring five years ago, but remains as a popular name and figure in women’s MMA. A Rousey-Carano bout would be a money-rich blockbuster for the UFC, but given her time off the octagon and her age, Carano might not be a real threat to Rowdy Ronda.

And then there is Cris “Cyborg” Justino, the former Strikeforce Women’s featherweight champion and the current Invicta FC World featherweight titlist. Cyborg is the fighter who retired Gina Carano in 2009, and is considered the other legitimate threat to Rousey. But Cyborg is a complicated case. She reportedly turned down an offer to come to the UFC, even if that contract was supposedly the same as Ronda’s current contract.

Cyborg has a history of failing a drug test in 2011 which caused her bout against Hiroko Yamanaka to be ruled a no-contest. But even if both conditions are resolved, it remains to be seen if she can make the 135 lbs limit, considering that she once missed a 145 lbs weight limit in 2009. But if that fight can be made, it would be like the Mayweather-Pacquiao of MMA.