Ronda Rousey's fastest UFC win was so good that Joe Rogan backed her to 'beat 50% of male bantamweights'
02/12/2025 09:34 AM
Between 2011 and 2015, 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey was widely considered to be unbeatable inside the UFC octagon.
The former Olympic medallist had claimed the women's bantamweight title in dominant fashion and was happily running through everyone that the promotion put in front of her.
Not only was Ronda Rousey making world-class fighters look like they'd never stepped foot inside an octagon, but she was getting them out of there in remarkably short order.
58 seconds, 54 seconds, 34 seconds, and 16 seconds a piece – but it was her lightning-quick finish at UFC 184 that had Joe Rogan hailing her as a cross-gender superstar.
Joe Rogan backed Ronda Rousey to beat 50% of male UFC bantamweights
The year is 2015 and ahead of Rousey's fifth defense of her UFC bantamweight title against Cat Zingano, veteran commentator Joe Rogan causes a major stir in the global MMA community.
Rogan had been one of Rousey's most vocal supporters and speaking to ESPN's Dan Lebatard, claimed that the submission specialist was so good that she could beat half of her male counterparts.
“There’s a lot of guys her size she could beat, I mean, a lot… If you took the roster of the UFC’s bantamweights, 135 pounds, and you paired them up against Ronda Rousey, she might be able to beat 50 percent of them. That’s not a joke.”
Rogan noted that the only thing that stopped that predicted figure from being upwards of 60% was that female fighters tend to not be able to sustain as much damage as male athletes.
“The ability to take punches is a significant difference. The structure of the face, the muscles in the neck. Women just cannot take the same kind of punches that men can. That’s the only reason why I only give Ronda a chance at beating 50 percent of the men.
"If she could take the kind of punches that some of these guys might possibly land it might get up to like 60 percent. She’s a truly special talent.”
Truly special indeed, not only would UFC 184 go down as one of Ronda Rousey's best-ever wins inside the UFC octagon but would also be her fastest MMA victory to date.
Almost as soon as the opening bell sounded that night, Zingano rushed across the cage to attempt a flying knee, which was dodged by Rousey with ease.
As the two tumbled to the ground, Rowdy found herself tangled up in Zingano's arms from top position – a death sentence for anyone facing a prime 'Rowdy'.
Sure enough, the champion locked in a reverse armbar, and Zingano quickly tapped, with the submission coming just 14 seconds into the very first round – so what did Rogan have to say about Rousey after the fight?
Joe Rogan defended Rousey comments after insane 14-second UFC finish
Those comments from Rogan, that Rousey could beat 50% of male bantamweights, caused a major stir within the global MMA community, with fans berating him for what they believed to be a bare-faced lie.
Yet the veteran commentator knows his stuff (certainly more than those fans roasting his take) and following Rousey's insane 14-second finish over Zingano at UFC 184, doubled-down on his assessment of her chances.
"People got upset when I said that I think she could beat a lot of men in her weight class," he countered on episode 625 of the JRE Podcast.
“They don’t know. They’ve never rolled with a girl who is really good… Technique is paramount, and her technique is so lazer sharp.
"If she got in there with a guy who doesn’t have that good of technique, just because he’s a man, the physical strength, the benefits of being a male aren’t necessarily going to counter the technique that she has when they’re the same weight.”
Rogan was well aware that this debate would be mute if Rousey came up against someone 30lbs, 40lbs, or 50lbs heavier – but continued to push that Rowdy could still 'catch you in something' if you weren't paying attention.
"OK, if you deal with her versus a guy at 170 like Johny Hendricks [then] Jesus, of course that’s a mismatch – Johny Hendricks is a powerful, big strong man and he’d most likely beat her up.
“But talking about a guy who is her weight and then even if he’s physically stronger than her, maybe he can hit harder, but how much of a technical advantage does she have on the ground?
"She could easily catch you in something in a scramble. Easily. She’s one, two, three, four steps ahead of you.”
Simply put, Ronda Rousey was just that good.
