RONDA ROUSEY IS the most dominant athlete in MMA at the moment and she further enhanced that reputation in her latest bout.
The UFC women’s bantamweight champion took just 14 seconds to emerge victorious from the main event at UFC 184 in Los Angeles, submitting Cat Zingano with her trademark armbar.
A bronze medallist in judo at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Rousey is undefeated since making the switch to MMA five years ago and the UFC seem to be running out of opponents for the 28-year-old.
Rousey has also begun an acting career in the meantime, so in an attempt to ensure that she doesn’t swap the octagon for the big screen on a permanent basis, we’ve scoured the earth for some suitable challengers to her UFC title.
1. Jet
You need to be versatile to compete with a fighter of Ronda Rousey’s calibre, and whether it was Atlaspheres, Duel, Gauntlet or The Wall, this Gladiators star proved that she’s capable in all disciplines. However, the step-up in competition might be a big ask for Jet. She’s been padding her record against librarians and IT consultants up until now, so facing an undefeated UFC champion might be a bit daunting.
2. Frau Farbissina
As Dr Evil’s trusted henchwoman, the hard-as-nails Frau was a thorn in the side of Austin Powers. But having reportedly left the criminal mastermind business behind to open a boarding school for girls, it might be difficult to coax her back for one last joust.
3. Daenerys Targaryen
This leading player in Game of Thrones might have minimal MMA experience, but after walking through fire and emerging — unscathed and in the nip — with a few dragons hanging off her, she’s surely capable of turning the heat up on Ronda… or surviving for more than 14 seconds, at the very least.
4. Sister Assumpta
Anyone who’s brave enough to come between Jack Hackett and a bottle of brandy has earned their place on this list. But as was the case in Father Ted, if Sister Assumpta doesn’t address that chocolate obsession, she’ll exceed the 135lbs bantamweight limit and Ronda vs. Assumpta won’t make it past the weigh-in.
5. Chun-Li
With a background in taekwondo, karate and capoeira, the Street Fighter has certainly got the stand-up tools to pose the champ some problems. She’s also an undercover agent for Interpol, although we’re not sure how useful that will be when Ronda Rousey is about to snap her arm in half.
6. Xena Warrior Princess
Xena has formidable fighting skills and, in her prime, would surely have put Ronda to the sword. It’s now two thousand years since her last scrap, however, so she might be a bit rusty and probably needs a couple of tune-up fights before being ready for a title shot.
7. Katie Taylor
Why? Because Katie doesn’t lose. Unfortunately she ruled out any potential move to MMA recently, so we’re unlikely ever to see her in the octagon against her fellow Olympic medallist… unless Ronda says something terrible to antagonise her.
Who do you think should face Ronda Rousey next?
