SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
August - 2015
11
now is the time for the
UFC to put on an all fe-
male card (at least, main
card), much like they did
an all heavyweight event
at UFC 146 back in 2012.
Don’t think women’s
MMA can sell a whole
card? Think again.
UFC 190’s dominance was
all Rousey. Even with a
weak opponent, the card
outperformed all expecta-
tions. No one was buying
that card for the TUF Brazil
fights that stretched it out
into an overly long event.
Shogun Rua and Nogueira
brothers might have add-
ed a few eyeballs, but in
the end, it was the Rousey
show.
Now consider this: back in
February at UFC 184 Rous-
ey managed to draw in
nearly 600,000 PPV buys
for her fight against Cat
Zingano — a fighter many
fans saw as legit competi-
tion, but who was hardly
a name with casual fans.
And Rousey did this with
a co-main event featuring
a debuting Holly Holm, a
fighter fans outside the
core MMA community
few had heard of, even if
she was touted as a pos-
sible Rousey-killer.
All that means Rousey is
one of the few true stars
the UFC has. Meanwhile,
at strawweight, you have
an incredible champion in
Joanna Jedrzejczyk who,
like Rousey, is undefeated.
She has some of the sick-
est striking in the UFC, and
has earned the respect of
her peers after virtually
coming out of nowhere a
year or so ago. She puts
on exciting fights and has
a marketable personality
with a quirky sense of hu-
mor — which is why the
UFC should be putting her
in the co-main event slot
of a Rousey PPV. Sure, the
allure of Conor McGregor
and Rousey on the same
card is compelling for the
promotion, but that’s a one
off. For a long term gain,
and to grow the women’s
divisions, the UFC needs
to get Jedrzejczyk’s name
(or just Joanna Champion,
if you prefer) out to the
masses.
Beyond that, you have
the other female fighter
who is really “over” in the
mainstream, Paige VanZ-
ant. You have proven tal-
ents like Tate, Zingano,
Sara McMann, Jessica Eye,
Claudia Gadelha, tough,
gritty fighters like Leslie
Smith, and marketable
names like Bec Rawlings
and Felice Herrig. In fact,
between the two weight
classes, you have more
than enough talent to sup-
port a card.
So now is the time to do
it, while Rousey is at her
peak as a draw, and can
help shine the spotlight on
the rest of the field.
