UFC 170: Rousey is ‘willing to die in the cage, McMann is not’

Ronda Rousey faces Sara McMann this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada at UFC 170 in a women's Bantamweight title fight. Both are undefeated. Rousey…

By: Nate Wilcox | 9 years ago
UFC 170: Rousey is ‘willing to die in the cage, McMann is not’
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Ronda Rousey faces Sara McMann this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada at UFC 170 in a women’s Bantamweight title fight. Both are undefeated. Rousey is 8-0. McMann is 7-0. Both are Olympic medalists. Rousey won the bronze in judo in 2008. McMann won the silver in wrestling in 2004.

However, according to Rousey there’s one big difference between them. In this Fight Hub interview, “Rowdy” Ronda is willing to die in the cage and she claims that McMann is not.

“I think it’s more of an advantage for me, fighting 56 days after my last fight than Sara fighting 10 months after her last fight. This would never happen in boxing. You would never see two guys fighting in boxing with one guy having a 10 month layoff. No promoter would do that. They’d be so worried about ring rust that they’d have a tune up fight and then fight for the title.

“Everybody presents their own unique problems. She brings a lot of things to the table. We focus not so much on my opponent’s weaknesses, we focus more on the holes in my game.

“On paper Sara is an amazing athlete. As athletes you could say we’re very close to equals and that’s why people are excited for this fight. But I’m more of a fighter than she is. I can tell this title is more important for me than it is for her. She has a kid and she has to go home to that kid. I can afford to be selfish and she can’t. I’m willing to die in there and she’s not.”

Troubles with the player? Watch it on YouTube.

Share this story

About the author
Nate Wilcox
Nate Wilcox

Nate Wilcox is the founding editor of BloodyElbow.com. As such he has hired every editor and writer to work for the site. Wilcox’s writing for BE is known for its emphasis on MMA history, the evolution of fighting techniques and strong opinions. Wilcox developed the SBN MMA consensus rankings which were featured in USA Today from 2009 to 2011. Before founding BE, Wilcox was a political operative working for such figures as Senators John Kerry and Mark Warner and an early political blogger. He is the co-author of Netroots Rising, a history of the political blogosphere from 2003 to 2007. Wilcox also hosts the Let It Roll podcast on music history for the Pantheon Podcast Network.

More from the author

Recent Stories