How GOOD was Ronda Rousey Actually?

[ClaytonB]

Summary: She's a pioneer and a legend.

There's nothing that irritates me more than armchair critics who have nothing better to do with themselves than tear others down. Rousey's MMA career was pioneering in every sense of the word, both in her game (rare and unique mix of stand-up and ground game) and in opening up entire new markets for women's competition. In fighting sports, every champion eventually reaches a point in their career where someone stronger, faster and better comes along and pushes them aside. It has happened to every legend who didn't die young and I don't know why Rousey has gotten so much flak -- she was a damned MMA champion fighter for years. And her current career in professional wrestling deserves no less respect than her MMA career.

Professional wrestling is, of course, an entertainment sport first and foremost, but the future of women in this sport has enormous potential for a lot of practical reasons. Specifically, women are much less likely to cause serious injury to one another while performing stunts (especially those involving impacts and strikes) and this makes it easier for them to really sell the moves, which is what makes the sport entertaining in the first place. Please do not misunderstand me to be predicting the demise of men's professional wrestling, but I think that a lot of the entertainment potential in the heavyweight men's division has already been mined out and a lot of commentators out there have observed an increasing stagnation in this division. Women's professional wrestling is still in its infancy and has enormous potential for future evolution ahead of it.

I enjoyed this video (that's why I'm sharing it), the only qualification to my recommendation is that the question isn't how good was Ronda Rousey, the question is how good is Ronda Rousey. I can tell you that she would beat my ass in a ring and, unless you're a top MMA fighter in your prime, that's true of you, too. Go Ronda!

 

[Anti Federalist]

Not half as good as the first trans queeer man that comes along and pummels her, or some other tough broad, into hamburger.

Competitive women's sports are finished, unless this trans queeer lunacy gets shoved back into the closet where it fucking belongs.

 

[Swordsmyth]

I'm sure she has excellent skills which would be well used in defending herself but I have absolutely no desire to watch members of the fair sex engaged in physical combat.

It's against nature.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

I'm sure she has excellent skills which would be well used in defending herself but I have absolutely no desire to watch members of the fair sex engaged in physical combat.

It's against nature.

It's sport, bro. Weight classes, timed rounds, ringside refs, etc, etc. Women's Tae Kwon Do has been in the olympics since 1988 and women's judo (Rousey's first sport) has been an olympic sport since 1964. "Against nature" is utter nonsense. Only n00bs to the world of martial arts would say such a thing.

 

[Swordsmyth]

It's sport, bro. Weight classes, timed rounds, ringside refs, etc, etc. Women's Tae Kwon Do has been in the olympics since 1988 and women's judo (Rousey's first sport) has been an olympic sport since 1964. "Against nature" is utter nonsense. Only n00bs to the world of martial arts would say such a thing.

Women fighting is not entertainment, nature intends women to be protected from combat by males, if a woman ever needs to fight it is because a man isn't there to defend her and sitting there watching her should be uncomfortable to any real man.

Women shouldn't enjoy watching other women fight either.

 

[ClaytonB]

Women fighting is not entertainment, nature intends women to be protected from combat by males, if a woman ever needs to fight it is because a man isn't there to defend her and sitting there watching her should be uncomfortable to any real man.

Women shouldn't enjoy watching other women fight either.

Naw. Our ancestral mothers could kick ass if they needed to. They are the fair sex in the good times, but they're quite capable of getting their hands muddy, bloody or anything else they need to do in order to survive and protect their offspring. There's nothing wrong with women having a sports class for competition that allows them to perfect the practice of martial arts in a way that would not be possible if the sport did not have a segregated class for women. Women can go full-contact with each other in a way that is simply not possible with male-female competitors.

 

[Swordsmyth]

Naw. Our ancestral mothers could kick ass if they needed to. They are the fair sex in the good times, but they're quite capable of getting their hands muddy, bloody or anything else they need to do in order to survive and protect their offspring. There's nothing wrong with women having a sports class for competition that allows them to perfect the practice of martial arts in a way that would not be possible if the sport did not have a segregated class for women. Women can go full-contact with each other in a way that is simply not possible with male-female competitors.

I have no objection to the training, it's the idea that it's entertainment that I disagree with.

 

[ClaytonB]

I have no objection to the training, it's the idea that it's entertainment that I disagree with.

I respect the motives behind that view but I think the modern view is that entertainment is part of what motivates people to become interested in something. More women will become interested in MMA and join a gym because of women's combat sports entertainment, as well as other martial arts competitions (e.g. Olympic Judo). Is that good or bad? I think it's good but I can see why some people will disagree.

As for why I find it interesting (I wouldn't use the word "entertaining" even to describe men's fights, but it's technically all entertainment), I think that female combat competition (a) makes women as a class more autonomous (and I view this as a positive thing) and (b) enables innovation in female martial arts which have always had some small, but important, differences with male martial arts (and I view this as definitely a positive thing).

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Naw. Our ancestral mothers could kick ass if they needed to. They are the fair sex in the good times, but they're quite capable of getting their hands muddy, bloody or anything else they need to do in order to survive and protect their offspring. There's nothing wrong with women having a sports class for competition that allows them to perfect the practice of martial arts in a way that would not be possible if the sport did not have a segregated class for women. Women can go full-contact with each other in a way that is simply not possible with male-female competitors.

This^^ The syllabus of Wing Chun kung fu was invented by a woman. (an abbess at that)

 

[Anti Federalist]

I agree with Sword.

I find the "sport" of watching two women beat each other to a bloody pulp, repulsive and off putting.

There is nothing sexy or attractive or feminine about it, and even the athleticism is tarnished by that.

Of course, YMMV...that's just my opinion on it.

And as I already noted, it's a dead end anyways, unless someone is willing to put the trans queeers back in their closet.

 

[tebowlives]

Summary: She's a pioneer and a legend.

There's nothing that irritates me more than armchair critics who have nothing better to do with themselves than tear others down. Rousey's MMA career was pioneering in every sense of the word, both in her game (rare and unique mix of stand-up and ground game) and in opening up entire new markets for women's competition. In fighting sports, every champion eventually reaches a point in their career where someone stronger, faster and better comes along and pushes them aside. It has happened to every legend who didn't die young and I don't know why Rousey has gotten so much flak -- she was a damned MMA champion fighter for years. And her current career in professional wrestling deserves no less respect than her MMA career.

She got in early. Womens MMA was nothing when she started fighting. She's a pioneer.

That said, there are a lot more fighters and a lot better fighters nowadays. Her specialty was on the ground but for some reason her trainers got her to stand up more and she's not good at that. She doesn't have much head movement and doesn't possess the real good punching power like a Holm or Nunes or Cyborg. Holm and Nunes won by going toe to toe and punching her.

 

[ClaytonB]

This^^ The syllabus of Wing Chun kung fu was invented by a woman. (an abbess at that)

+Rep

 

[pcosmar]

I have no objection to the training, it's the idea that it's entertainment that I disagree with.

???
Big time wrestling is not sport.. It is Entertainment..

There is athleticism involved,, but no real contest beyond ratings.

That said,,
I find women highly entertaining,, regardless of the dance.

 

[dannno]

I'm sure she has excellent skills which would be well used in defending herself but I have absolutely no desire to watch members of the fair sex engaged in physical combat.

It's against nature.

There is def something to this, but if you wait it out till the end, sometimes they hug it out, which is especially nice if they spent a lot of time on the ground wrestling. Pretty sure one time after a draw, one of the chicks asked the other one if she wanted to hook up after the fight. Ain’t nothing against nature about that.

 

[Swordsmyth]

There is def something to this, but if you wait it out till the end, sometimes they hug it out, which is especially nice if they spent a lot of time on the ground wrestling. Pretty sure one time after a draw, one of the chicks asked the other one if she wanted to hook up after the fight. Ain’t nothing against nature about that.

Did I just read that correctly?

Or are you using "hook up" in a different sense than is typical?

Because there is nothing natural about two chicks "hooking up".

 

[dannno]

Not half as good as the first trans queeer man that comes along and pummels her, or some other tough broad, into hamburger.

Competitive women's sports are finished, unless this trans queeer lunacy gets shoved back into the closet where it fucking belongs.

Fortunately MMA announcer Joe Rogan is outspoken on this topic.

 

[specsaregood]

I agree with Sword.
I find the "sport" of watching two women beat each other to a bloody pulp, repulsive and off putting.

Ditto, it sickens me. There isn't much that would get me to change the channel quicker.

 

[ClaytonB]

I think it's eventually going to be pushed to the point where a third category will be created. It's blatantly unfair to put transgender men into fights -- or any sports competition -- with biological women. A cynical observer might wonder if social conservatives who are opposed to women in competitive combat sports are responsible for lobbying to get transgenders into women's fights. It's blatant sabotage, IMO.

 

[Anti Federalist]

A signpost, in moving pictures, of a dead and decaying society.

 

[Anti Federalist]

I think it's eventually going to be pushed to the point where a third category will be created. It's blatantly unfair to put transgender men into fights -- or any sports competition -- with biological women. A cynical observer might wonder if social conservatives who are opposed to women in competitive combat sports are responsible for lobbying to get transgenders into women's fights. It's blatant sabotage, IMO.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Woemen are reaping the whirlwind of the tolerance and diversity wind they themselves have sown.