UFC 184: Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg Are on a Collision …

Cat Zingano came charging out of the corner, launching herself at UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey with a fierce determination, murder in her eyes and weeks of muscle memory twitching in every fiber.

That didn't end up being the best decision she's ever made.

Fourteen seconds after the bell rang to signal the commencement of the fight, Zingano was tapping desperately, her arm contorted at a horrible angle, her title dreams dashed. She had no hope of beating Ronda Rousey.

Perhaps no woman in the UFC does.

Last week, Jeremy Botter and I discussed Rousey's place among the most dominant female athletes of all time. But no matter who you pick out of a crowded field of greats, all of them have met defeat. Martina Navratilova, for example, crushed the competition for more than a decadebut she also lost 13 of every 100 matches.

When you watch Rousey fight, you're not watching a typical athletic competition. Her record stands at 11-0. Only one has lasted more than a single round.

The idea of losing never seems to cross her mind.Rousey is an outlier, a fighter without compare. Even the most dominant teams and individuals face the possibility of losing, whether or not it ever comes.

Rousey's unquestioned excellence makes it hard to compare her, even to someone like the famously undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. Floyd has won 47 consecutive fights. A handful of them, however, were close calls.Not Ronda Rousey. Even the most active imagination would be hard-pressed to concoct a case for any of her opponents winning a single round, let alone a whole fight.

Twice an Olympian in her first 21 years, Rousey has improved with age to the point that no one seems to remotely be competitive. Within a year, she was fighting the best 135-pounders in the world. Now, nearly four years into an already-legendary career, she's better than she's ever been before. Her ferocity, athleticism and single-minded obsession with winning is almost frightening.

The very idea of matching her with any of the UFC's top contenders seems vaguely ludicrous. Bethe Correia? Come on. Holly Holm? She doesn't seem close to being ready. A third fight with Miesha Tate? Why bother?

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UFC 184: Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg Are on a Collision ...

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