5. She's Getting Ahead In A "Man's Game"
John Locher/AP/Press Association ImagesI don't for a second care about gender politics. If a girl wants to fight and is good, let her. I'm all for equal rights. However a lot of fight fans and fighters are old-school. Fighting is a man's game. Women don't hit hard enough. Whatever. Ask Alexis Davis how hard Rousey hits. The point is, there's still some discomfort with the "boy's club" being invaded. Where there once was a sign that said "No Girls Allowed" there is now one that reads "Come one, come all - girls welcome" - and there are some hurt feelings, not that there should be. As a WMMA fan for quite some time I don't get it - didn't we get past this in about every other pro sport already? - but fighting has always been different. People get hurt, and we're taught as young men to protect women, to never let them get hurt - so it's a bit unnerving for some. It's time to get over it however. The girls are here to stay. On top of that, Rousey has crept into the top 10 of the UFC's Pound for Pound rankings - and I agree. Not everyone does. As a disclaimer - I don't consider P4P ranking to be "who would win in a fight" because Mighty Mouse Johnson vs. Cain Velasquez is a squash match 999 times out of 1000. We have weight classes for a reason. It's more about who is the most dominant champion/fighter in their respective weight class. And Rousey is damn dominant. So here she is, now considered by some to be a pound for pound great, and you've got another backlash, because how dare she be considered a top fighter overall? I guess there are still some struggles ahead for WMMA, but at least we're getting somewhere.