“Once they get to be No. 1 contender, they get a peek into what kind of workload I have and when they go through that process when they get ready to fight me, they realize what they’re fighting for is something they don’t even want. A lot of times that title run is visceral, it’s hard and it’s a lot of work that they’re not used to doing and by the end of it, by the time the fight actually comes around they’re second guessing whether they even want to be there and that’s what I mean when I say that’s something they don’t really want. The life that they don’t really want…Nobody’s ready. They all think they are though and that’s why they show up but then they leave and they are quite aware that they were never ready and they will never be ready. I’m in there not to convince the judges that I’m the best – I’m in there to convince my opponent that I’m the best. They always walk out knowing who’s the best and that’s me.”
-Ronda Rousey explains why her opponents aren’t prepared for her or the life she leads as the UFC’s top star in an interview with FoxSports.com.
Penick’s Analysis: There’s definitely a different type of mindset required to handle the spotlight that comes with the position her skill has brought her. Because make no mistake, fighters get to the top on their abilities first and foremost, but they can stay there longer by being ready to handle all that comes with it. Rousey may be right that no one else is ready to take over that mantle, even if they might think they are, and she makes it harder for those others by not only deftly navigating the out of the cage chaos she’s built up for herself, but still putting in the work to remain as dangerous as ever in the cage. It’s an unmatched combination right now, and she aims to prove that once again on Saturday night in Melbourne.
[Photo (c) Jason da Silva via USA Today Sports]
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