Imagine you’re a former MMA champion, itching to get back at the belt that was once yours. You’ve put together two solid wins since losing your title, making your case for another run at the top. You’ve even beaten the current champ before. Then, you hear that you’re not getting the title shot, and it’s going to a fighter with only four fights, none of which were in the division that she will contend for the championship in. You’d be pretty pissed, right?
[caption id="attachment_151" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Ronda Rousey will face Miesha Tate for the title March 3rd."]
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That scenario is exactly the one that former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman finds herself in now. It was just announced that MMA newcomer Ronda Rousey, not Kaufman, will fight current titleholder Miesha Tate in March for the Strikeforce belt. Rousey has obvious talent: she won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Olympic Games and has submitted all of her MMA opponents by armbar in under a minute. But many in the MMA world, including Kaufman, aren’t convinced the dynamic judoka has earned a shot at a world title just yet.
"Ronda talks a lot," Kaufman told MMAjunkie.com. "She's really told everyone that she's attractive, and for that reason, she is marketable and should get a title fight. But what doesn't make sense is that she hasn't done anything at 135 pounds.”
Rousey vs. Tate brings up the debate we seem to be having a lot in our sport lately: do athletic accomplishments overshadow marketability and ratings? Can you really talk your way into a title shot? Apparently you can, at least in Strikeforce.
Before her title shot was announced, Rousey explained her tactics in an interview with Ariel Helwani. “I think that if you want to bring in new fans you have to really play up that entertainment aspect,” she said. “If the fans are already there, they’re going to start and appreciate the actual skill and athleticism that goes into fighting, but if you want bring those new people in you’ve got to show them something bright and shiny.”
Look, Rousey is a talented fighter, and in the long term, she will be great for women’s MMA. A personality like hers may be just what the doctor ordered after Christiane Cyborg, the former “big draw” in female fighting, failed her drug test and was subsequently suspended for a year. And yes, this sports entertainment, where storylines and marketability play a role, but it’s a sport first. To put it bluntly, Rousey has no legitimate claim to fight for the 135lb title other than her popularity.
The fight is signed, set, and scheduled now, but there were other options that, frankly, would have painted the sport in a more legitimate light: Rousey takes a 135lb fight against Alexis Davis, Kaufman’s current opponent on the March card, to get used to the weight and establish herself in the division. Meanwhile, Kaufman fights Miesha Tate for the belt on the very same night. The winner of Rousey vs. Davis fights the winner of Tate vs. Kaufman.
In that scenario, assuming Rousey wins, she will have a legitimate claim to the belt and will have had more exposure on television, making her title bid an even bigger fight. If Rousey loses? Then you have a new contender in Davis who just beat a hyped-up Olympic medalist. As for the anticipated Rousey vs.Tate matchup? Both women are going to be at the top of division regardless, given the depth of the weight class and their fighting skills. The fight will happen eventually.
Sarah Kaufman deserves to fight for the title. She is a veteran, a former champion on a win streak, and she already has a win over Tate on her ledger. The whole situation sets a precedent that the fighter who talks the loudest gets the biggest fights, not necessarily the fighter who has earned them. Is that the kind of sport we want?
Regardless, Rousey will challenge for the belt on March 3rd, and she may very well win it. It should be a good fight and she will make a great champion someday. It just shouldn’t be right now.
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