In what amounted to another massacre of a severely overmatched opponent, Ronda Rousey destroyed Bethe Correia and remained undefeated at 12-0.  Her performance was nothing short of dominating, not unlike the early days of Mike Tyson.

So the question must be asked and answered.  Is Ronda Rousey that good?

One thing is certain.  She has a better pedigree than any of her opponents.  Ronda Rousey is that good against opponents who have absolutely no business being in there with her.  Rousey is very talented, no doubt but against women who are inferior to her in every way imaginable.  It is not her fault of course.  This sport of MMA for women is in its infancy.  It’s an expansion team not unlike one of the worst teams in history, the 1962 New York Mets.  Rousey is an excellent Judo player, a skill that has given her a distinct advantage in several of her fights.  She is fearless and for good reason.  She has nothing to fear.  None of the women she has fought are a threat to her.  So she is that good facing less than quality or equally talented opponents.

To put this in perspective, if she was to attempt to make the US Judo team in the next Olympics there is little chance she would qualify.  And even if she was able to make the U.S. team, there is very little chance she would medal.  That’s because there are many world-class, competitive athletes in Judo, unlike the MMA.  Judo is a mature sport played around the world.  The Japanese are great Judo players as are the Eastern Europeans.  She would not be special in that arena other than through the name she’s making for herself as she beats up women who simply aren’t in her league.

In no way do I wish to downplay what she’s done.  I simply want to put it into perspective.  She has put women’s MMA on the map but unless the MMA comes up with other competitive athletes, who were trained by Olympic Judo parents, interest in the sport as far as women are concerned, may wane.

One final point, there has been some silly talk about her fighting Floyd Mayweather.  Please let’s stop such nonsense because that’s all it is.  No doubt she might be able to hold her own against some men out there but not against the elite men in boxing or MMA.  She simply lacks the power or ability to physically hurt a larger man and I’m not addressing untrained reporters.  If Mayweather landed one clean shot to her head, it would quickly become apparent how silly it is.  And again, Ronda Rousey would not be capable of hurting Mayweather, except perhaps on the ground, which would be her only chance.  That’s just how it is.  And while it feeds the imagination of some, those same people know very little about fighting.  This topic should be put to bed.

Rousey may be that good but unfortunately we may never know.  So until the time when a formidable challenger steps into the cage with her, we must simply say that Maybe she’s as good as she appears to be.