On Friday, Ronda Rousey tweeted that she had “never been more ready in her life” for her UFC 184 championship fight against Cat Zingano and, on Saturday night, the world learned just what that meant.
Zingano came out charging and Rousey floored her with an armbar, winning the bantamweight fight in 14 seconds in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was tied, according to UFC, for the fastest submission in UFC history.
It was a stunningly quick finish, even for a fighter of Rousey’s unquestioned ability, and it came against Zingano, one of the few fighters believed to have a chance at ending her undefeated streak. But Rousey (11-0 in Mixed Martial Arts, 5-0 in UFC) extended her dominance of 2014, when she needed 1 minute, 22 seconds in two fights combined to defend her belt.
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“We expected she might do something like flying right at me . . . but I have faster transition than anyone because my mom taught me,” Rousey said afterward (via the Los Angeles Times) of her judo-fighting mother.
Zingano (9-1) was ready to go at it again, in spite of the finish. “I want to do it again. . . . She had my arm, I saw her leg, went to grab it, and all of a sudden, I’m tapping [out],” she said. “I just want to do it again.”
Rousey’s latest win set Twitter on fire.
You get the idea. It was a breath-taking finish. And now what does Rousey do? Well, next up is a movie role, according to the UFC’s Dana White (via Fox Sports), then her next fight will be scheduled. Rousey, though, told the Washington Post’s Rick Maese that she understands fighting is most important for now.
“I always prioritize fighting first,” Rousey said. “Everything comes from fighting. The only reason Hollywood is interested in me at all is because I fight and I win. So I have to protect that.”
For now, she was happy just to celebrate the moment.
After spending most of her career in traditional print sports journalism, Cindy began blogging and tweeting, first as NFL/Redskins editor, and, since August 2010, at The Early Lead. She also is the social media editor for Sports.
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