Ronda Rousey was never Mike Tyson. Granted there was some loose parallels, the intimidation factor and how quickly Rousey dismantled her opponents, but the reality Mike Tyson was something that we may only see once in a lifetime.
Rousey was 12-0 before taking her defeat to Holly Holm. She was well-known, but she wasn’t a LeBron, a Kobe or even a Mayweather.
At Tyson’s peak he was the baddest man on the planet and arguably the most recognized sports figure in the world.
Everyone knew Mike Tyson and when you are that high up on the food chain it is hard to feel the hunger you once did when you were trying to eat your way to the top.
Tyson got lazy, distracted and had way too many people in his ear. He wasn’t training as hard (if at all) and things that were happening outside of the ring were becoming bigger stories than inside of the ring.
He carried the weight of so many people and boxing on his shoulders. He started to believe he was a GOD, unbeatable and someone who simply would win by walking in the ring. But, deep down the insecurities were starting to creep in.
In fighting sports, if you aren’t prepared no matter who you are eventually you will get clipped and we all know what happened to Mike Tyson when he stepped into the ring with Buster Douglas.
While Rousey wasn’t spiraling out of control like Tyson in the late 80s, early 90s, you could see small cracks in the armor.
The problem was that Rousey built up this perfect persona, it reminded me a little of a Young Kobe Bryant, but no one is perfect. Rousey used Mayweather for PR routinely, but wanted to date an accused domestic abuser. She beat up Ex-Boyfriends and made terrible excuses for it. She was disrespectful to Holly Holm. She was rude to media who asked her legitimate questions. She wants to do movies, she wants to go to WWE and you could tell her head was filled with more things that just beating Holly Holm.
Holm didn’t just land a lucky shot it was a two round beatdown. There was nothing fluky about her win, it was done in dominate fashion, so where does that leave Rousey?
When Tyson lost to Buster Douglas, he rattled off four wins in a row, including two against a very tough Razor Ruddock. It seemed he was getting his career back on track then he went to jail and more or less ended his career.
When Roy Jones was knocked out by Antonio Tarver he was simply never the same.
You never know how a fighter will react to a BRUTAL loss or how an underdog will handle an upset win. Buster Douglas got fat and Holyfield knocked him out. Will Holm be as motivated for the rematch?
I think a weight has been lifted from Rousey’s shoulders, it is hard being everything to everybody while carrying an organization on your shoulders.
As Jay Z says, only so long fake thugs can pretend. Rousey isn’t the perfect person, she is a just a badass woman who likes men who may have beat their wives and really shouldn’t be a spokeswoman for feminism or domestic violence.
Maybe she will rededicate herself or maybe she will realize she can go to WWE and make more money without getting sidekicked in the head.
Only time will tell.