Monday, April 1, 2013

Rowdy Ronda Rousey


Critical analysis and the Comodification and Deconstruction of Ronda Rousey

Who is Ronda?

” Everybody’s acting like it’s a Miss America beauty pageant out there, and to be as politically correct and not piss anybody off, and like walking on egg shells. "


Ronda Jean Rousey (born February 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and judoka. She is the first and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She has defeated all of her opponents by armbar in the first round. Rousey became the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008. Rousey made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur on August 6, 2010. She defeated Hayden Munoz by submission due to an armbar in 23 seconds. Rousey made her professional mixed martial arts debut on March 27, 2011 at King of the Cage: Turning Point. She submitted Ediane Gomes with an armbar in 25 seconds. Rousey faced kickboxing champion Charmaine Tweet in an MMA bout at Hard Knocks Fighting Championship: School of Hard Knocks 12 on June 17, 2011 in Canada, She submitted Tweet with an armbar in 49 seconds. All of her wins have come in the FIRST ROUND AND ALL BY ARMBAR. Yah that’s not a typo she is dominant and has taken the women’s division by storm.




Rowdy as always
The fact that Dana White just handed Rousey a belt shows that the UFC sort of fell into the cult of personality Rousey has developed.  Rousey has attracted a lot of attention for a fighter, who is really just starting a career 7W-0L, and she has attracted a lot on entourage and she has broken a lot of barriers.  White, rather than invest in a women’s division, has gone all in on Rousey.  If it doesn’t work out, look for the UFC to fold the women MMA early which adds more pressure on her but she just take it all in stride.
Rousey is notable for introducing trash talking to Women's MMA. In many interviews Rousey has used harsh language and openly downplayed the abilities of her opponents. Rousey doesn't deny the accusations and is not apologetic for something she explains is a way to generate more publicity for the sport. She has also spoken with ridicule of fellow Olympian Michael Phelps and Kim Kardashian.
“I'm like screw everyone's idea of 'oh what sports are supposed to be like” said Rousey. “I did what sports were supposed to be like, and I was living in my car. So you know what, fine. I'm gonna talk a bunch of s**t. I'm gonna pose in a couple of pictures. And I'm gonna break a couple of girl's arms, and I'm not gonna feel the least bit sorry about it because you know what? At least I can feed my dog.”
 Analysis
It is fir to say that Ronda Rousey is tougher than most women I know, to be honest tougher than most guys I know. She is an enigma that keeps on enchanting the people with her soft and friendly side tempered with her fierce warrior attitude in the cage she has shown that women fighters do have a place in mainstream MMA. She is shroud in controversy because of her comments and never backs down. She is a symbol that proves that women cannot and will not be denied the opportunities to prove themselves. Ronda has opened doors not only for herself but also for others. The UFC, previously sceptics of women’s mixed martial arts, now believe that the they possess an equal, if not superior technical ability and positioning them as the main event, with male former champions as co-main events shows their commitment to that belief. This quick integration of female competitors in the same spotlight as their male counterparts is almost unheard of in any other sport. There is also a lack of feminist empowerment support that surrounds her which surprises me. I would have thought that she would have been the perfect person for feminist movements to approach and use yet they have not yet done so. So let me be one of the first to get it out there. She is picture of women empowerment. She is someone who trains with men on the highest level of the sport. She has became an icon of not only women MMA but MMA in general. What ever people think about her that she is famous coz she is pretty or sexy or coz she did a photo shoot with ESPN does not matter to her and she will tell you all about it in no uncertain terms. She brings something new and fresh without being a novelty. She is a true credit to the sport.

If someone wants to play Twitter war with me, I'm the wrong person to mess with. I come from a family of a lot of quick-witted and accomplished women.


I wasn't looking to make friends in this sport. I just wanted to make a living so I didn't have to catch coins. But it doesn't matter if people don't like me because it's mostly current or former champs who think everyone should throw petals at their feet. Honestly, I don't care if a bunch of girls I don't know don't like me. I'm doing this to support myself and not work night shifts at the gym. 


Image sources:
http://blog.betdsi.com/ronda-rousey-and-the-ufc-perfect-together/


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