Ronda Rousey backs down from no challenge — not even from Cowboy Cerrone
The discussion about UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey actually beating male fighters in the Octagon always seems to come up, especially after she dispatches of the top contenders in her weight class in 14 seconds like she did with Cat Zingano at UFC 184.
While Rousey has shot down the idea of actually fighting any man in the UFC, she promises that her willingness to believe she could beat anyone — male or female — is something that will never waver.
Take, for example, Rousey's recent appearance in Dallas as part of the festivities surrounding UFC 185 this week.
The most dominant champion in the women's division was making press appearances alongside top-five-ranked UFC lightweight contender Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone when the subject of fighting men came up. Cerrone clearly had been paying attention to all the chatter about Rousey besting some of the male bantamweights in the UFC and he decided to poke the bear.
"The coolest thing probably ever had to do with her was I told Ronda, 'I'm a man — there's no way you will ever armbar me. You will never beat me in a fight,'" Cerrone recounted during a Q&A with fans on Friday prior to the UFC 185 weigh-ins.
Cerrone said he was just joking at the time. But from the sound of things, Rousey didn't hesitate for a second to step up and take Cerrone up on his challenge, because that's just the kind of fighter she is.
"I told her this at the gym and (she) straight looks me in the eyes and says, 'We've got gear right there,'" Cerrone continued.
While the two never actually sparred or trained that day, the veteran lightweight acknowledges his opinion of her changed forever just from that one exchange.
"(She's) a bad (expletive)," Cerrone said. "It's cool like that. As real as can be."
So chances are Rousey never will face a man outside of the gym when she's preparing for a fight, but her response to Cerrone should answer the question of whether or not she's actually willing to step up when challenged.
