Ronda Rousey Losing UFC Fans' Interest, Claims Confident Miesha Tate
By Matt Jones - The Bleacher Report
Ronda Rousey’s punishing displays in the Octagon may have made her instantly recognisable for casual sports fans across the globe, but according to Miesha Tate, a lot of UFC fanatics are becoming a little disinterested by her dominant displays.
In her latest lopsided bout, Rousey took a meagre 34 seconds to beat Bethe Correia, asserting her already dominant position as the woman to beat in the bantamweight division. But Tate, tipped to go up against Rousey next, told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times it’s time for her opponents to improve in order to preserve interest levels:
It was so fascinating to see that happen — domination like that in any division, that's exciting — but then it gets to some point where people start losing interest, like, 'Well, there's no one who can give her a run for her money … we're not going to spend 50 bucks for 54 seconds, there's no one who can hang …’
It's getting to a point where the [UFC] girls need to step up and prove it's not a one-woman division, that others are pretty close, or on the same level, or potentially better. That’s what I see my role in this. I just know I have what it takes and I want to show the world that I can become a world champion.
After taking just 130 seconds to win her last four fights, it’s no surprise Tate is being tipped to go up against Ronda next. Although Rousey has won on the two previous occasions they have fought, the second bout was a pretty even affair, with Tate eventually succumbing to an armbar.
However, Chamatkar Sandhu doesn’t think Tate would be able to do much against Rousey, who seems to add new facets to her skill set every time she fights:
At the moment, the interest in Ronda seems to be unyielding. Her displays in the Octagon have catapulted her brand to stratospheric heights, and there has already been talk about the American sensation making a movie, per Nicholas Godden of the MailOnline. She also appeared as The Rock’s special guest at WrestleMania earlier in 2015.
But if Rousey was to swat aside Tate next and go on to topple someone like Cris Cyborg, the point about interest levels in the sport plummeting is certainly a pertinent one. After all, if Ronda was to pick up emphatic wins in those two fights, where on earth would she turn then?
There’s a long road ahead before that scenario arises, though, and with potential cards such as this one to come, for the immediate future the hype around the UFC is only going to get bigger and bigger, per Cageside Seats:
As Tate noted, the rest of the division is going to have to stand up and make an impression. Rousey is a force of nature in the sport at the moment and carries a deserved aura; but no fighter is infallible. Whether it’s Tate, Cyborg or someone else, if Ronda is to be nudged from the summit, it’s imperative someone halts her momentum quickly.
At this juncture, that looks unlikely to happen and there may be long-term connotations to consider. But the UFC and Ronda are currently riding the crest of a wave and should Rousey-Tate III go ahead on the same card as Jose Aldo-Conor McGregor, passion for the sport would surge to unprecedented levels. For a discipline that has had it’s ups and downs in recent years, that's something which should be celebrated.
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Originally Posted by DemonGeminiX
