Ronda Rousey usually blushes and looks nearly embarrassed when she hears the notion that she is the lone reason why women are currently in the UFC, but her influence is undeniable.UFC president Dana White has told the story dozens of times -- he saw a lopsided women's fight several years ago that turned him off from ever wanting to see two females compete in the Octagon, but once he saw the skill and fury Rousey displayed in the cage, his mind was changed forever.
Now Rousey stands as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and arguable the promotion's biggest star. The reception of the women's division also prompted the UFC to focus an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter around the 115-pound weight class with a whole division being added to the roster at one time.
As the new season of the show kicked off, Rousey now stands as the proud matriarch for the entire women's division, but she mostly enjoys knowing that the females will flourish, with or without her presence.
"I'm so proud of this new division and so happy that they're killing it, that they're doing such a great job. I wanted to see women's MMA survive me and not to be the least bit dependant on me. I want it to be able to thrive when I'm gone," Rousey told FOX Sports. "These women being here are the first real big step where this division has nothing to do with me. It's all on them and people are going to love their division just as much.
"They're great athletes and they're great at what they do. They should love them just like everybody else and possibly even more."
Rousey looks at the strawweights the same way many of the top male fighters competing at 205-pounds or middleweights do with the lightweights. The speed and agility are just different for the smaller fighters and Rousey marvels at the way these ladies can bounce around the cage during a bout.
"They're so small -- I think they're more of a contradiction than the bantamweight girls cause they literally look like a bunch of Tinker Bell's running around and then you jump into the phone booth and come out and they're little ninjas!" Rousey said. "I love that part of the women's division. It really shows that other side of fighters that is there. It's easier to see in the women than the men that we're more than just brawlers. We're just normal people that found an unconventional way to make a living."
Leading up to the new season of the show, Rousey has heard her name mentioned by several of the women about to appear on The Ultimate Fighter, but not in a negative way. While she's gotten quite used to every woman in the bantamweight division talking trash about her and saying they will be the ones to dethrone her, the new 115-pounders are holding her in a much different regard.
The strawweights look at Rousey as a role model. They see her as the kind of fighter and star they hope to be one day.
"I'm not really so used to that yet. I'm more used to the girls talking about how they want to take me down and not really thinking about them celebrating what's been done," Rousey said. "I didn't think that would really happen until I retired and to see it start now, it's heart warming in a lot of ways.
"The dog with the bone is always in danger and you're always a little bit on edge and to see that warmth from people that you really respect and the sport that I've really dedicated my life to now, I don't even know what to say."
In China a few weeks ago when Rousey was traveling for the UFC doing public relations work, she met one of the cast members for the first time and was immediately taken back. The fighter gushed about joining Rousey on the roster and was just over the top with enthusiasm to be alongside the UFC's bantamweight champion during fight week.
"I've never had a women's UFC fighter say that to me. I was just shocked because I'm so used to hearing 'I'm going to be the one to take her down!' and to see that kind of support from women doing the same thing I do and caring about the same things I care about, I couldn't be more touched," Rousey said. "I wasn't expecting it."
Rousey still probably won't enjoy being told that she's the reason why women are in the UFC and she probably likes it even less when being called a role model to other fighters. Rousey still has to figure out how to lower her defenses just enough to allow a few compliments to flow her way.
Ronda Rousey on the 115-Pounders: Its Good To See 115 Pounder
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