Are you ready to rumble?!!
Cris Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey: next to Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones (or maybe Rousey vs. Mayweather), it’s probably the most talked about fight in MMA History to never have come within earshot of actually happening. And with the former holding dominion over the division the UFC practically built around her and the latter enjoying the (deeply isolated) bliss of marital life, the chances of anything changing in that regard seem less likely than ever.
That is…at least inside the octagon. It’s a widely known secret that Ronda Rousey has been training for a possible run in the WWE — multiple sources close to the former bantamweight champ have even gone so far as to say that she is “finalizing the details of her move” to the company — and recently, Cyborg attempted to throw her own hat into that ring by calling out former WWE Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. despite being just a couple weeks away from her first featherweight title defense against Holly Holm at UFC 219, it appears that Cyborg is already looking ahead to a good ol’ fashion wrasslin’ match with Rousey next year. At Wrestlemania, of course.
Speaking with Flo Combat about Rousey’s impending departure, Cyborg put on her best Paul Heyman face and tried to play matchmaker with her oldest enemy.
“I think Ronda Rousey in the WWE would be an amazing thing,” said Cyborg.
“If she really is done fighting and not returning to the UFC, I think the idea of a WWE match between us for the fans is still something everyone could get excited about.”
“Could the Brazilian Vale Tudo Fighter beat the American shoot fighting champion? That seems like a pretty natural story line to a WrestleMania if you ask me. I know 70,000 fans who would still be willing to pack a stadium to see Cyborg vs. Rousey even if it took place in a three-rope ring instead of a cage.”
With all due respect to Cyborg’s hustle here, I think it goes without saying that, no, for the love of God, do not do this, WWE. Do not even consider it for one second. MMA and WWE fans may not agree on much, but it’s a safe bet that the last thing either side would want is a poorly choreographed street fight between two amateur wrestlers (on the biggest stage in wrestling, no less) serving as the cap to a feud that half of them no longer care about and the other half have never heard of to begin with. Ronda Rousey may still carry some clout with the WWE thanks to her appearance at Wrestlemania 31 a couple years ago, but Cyborg is a complete unknown in that world, and carries even less of a wrestling pedigree with her than the “Rowdy” one.
Honestly, the only way this thing could even possibly work would be to have Rousey and Cyborg serve as backups (or possibly tag team partners) to some more experienced wrestlers. Rousey, for instance, could partner with her friend/teammate Shayna Baszler, who is fresh off a second place finish in the WWE’s May Young Classic, and Cyborg with Kari Sane, the woman who defeated her. That way you get the satisfaction of Rousey and Cyborg finally “throwing down” without nearly the risk of the confrontation itself laying an egg. Actually, that’s not a half bad idea…
You know what, forget what I said earlier. Let Cyborg put the boots to Holm and then get her training in the WWE ring ASAP so we can make this happen. Hell, throw Conor McGregor in there as the special guest referee and then have Floyd Mayweather KO him after the match with a steel chair. It’s not like this would be Money’s first rodeo.
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Jared Jones is a writer, musician, and filmmaker currently residing in Boston, MA. Angry comments can be directed to his Twitter and/or Facebook pages.
