I hope Ronda Rousey gets well soon.
I really do.
Being kicked in the head and then repeatedly punched in the face is a tough day at the office, even for a UFC super-legend.
As you can see, here: (Post continues after video)
If you are scratching your head over the name Ronda Rousey, you have clearly been out of the culture bubble for the past 12 months. The female UFC champion has broken into the top 10 of the world’s most highly-paid female sports stars, is touted as a begrudging feminist icon, has written a best-seller and appeared on every late night talk show of note and guest-starred in an ever-growing list of movies and TV shows.
Rousey is sold to us as an empowering pin-up for young women, someone who refused to become what she rather offensively terms a “Do Nothing Bitch”, and whose body does not conform to the rule of tiny-tinier-tiniest – the body shape of almost every other woman you might see gracing a magazine cover.
I really hope Ronda Rousey gets well soon. A split lip is one of those inconvenient injuries that reminds you that everything worth doing – from eating and drinking, to talking, laughing and kissing – involves your mouth.
But I do not buy Rousey as a role model for our times. I can’t join the parade of people who are convinced that her gender elevates her to hero status.
Because: The UFC is a violent sport. And if there’s one thing that we all need less of right now, it’s violence.
Watch the closing seconds of that fight again. Watch how Rousey’s neck snaps back as she kicked in the head. Listen to how the crowd bays as their heroine hits the floor. See how Rousey’s opponent, Holly Holm, lays more punches to the head of the woman now lying on the floor.
Top Comments
Im not overly impressed with boxing or MMA or any sort of fighting as a sport, but that shouldnt dictate how you see the athlete. Ronda, Holly and any other UFC fighter dedicate their whole lives - i.e. SERIOUS training regimes, extreme diets etc - to be the best. They do so willingly and with passion. From someone who wishes I had the motivation to take care of my body like they do, to be in the sort of shape they are in, I applaud them. After all, there is nothing harder than constantly eating chicken and rice or going to gym every morning when all your friends are out partying or eating cold rock or whatever the vice may be.
Give them the respect they deserve, just as you would a footballer or sprinter, for excelling at the sport they chose to participate in.
All those earnings - and she will almost certainly develop Parkinsons and/or early dementia from serial concussions, and not be placed to enjoy the money.
How many concussions has she had?