Rousey's loss does not diminish her legacy, or footprint on sport

Having watched mixed martial arts for several years, I’ve seen many fighters fall at the hands of a better opponent.

That’s why I wasn’t too surprised when former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey lost to current titleholder Amanda Nunes in the first round of UFC 207 last Friday.

Rousey, who was heavily favored to win the fight, came to the octagon, seemingly ready to compete. Once the introductions were over the fight began, she produced little offense while taking some heavy punches from Nunes. At the 48 second mark, the referee stopped the fight. It wasn’t a record finish by any means, but it was still a shock to mixed martial arts fans.

When Rousey will return to competition is anyone’s guess. In a statement, the former champion said she is taking some time off and contemplating her future in mixed martial arts. To be honest, I don’t think it would be all bad if she chose to permanently hang up her gloves and walk away from the sport.

That’s not a shot at Rousey. In fact, I would argue that she’s accomplished enough in mixed martial arts, not just from a career standpoint — though her UFC run does include a 1,074 day championship reign, six successful title defenses and several bonuses — but in that she paved the way for women in the sport.

Rousey began her mixed martial arts career in 2010, two years after she won the bronze medal in judo in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This was a time when women’s bouts were considered more of a feature attraction on fight cards. If a promoter wanted to sell tickets and get some extra publicity for his event, he’d put on 1-2 bouts featuring women. There were a couple of promotions that established divisions for women to compete in, but those fights were held on the preliminary portion of a fight card and didn’t make television.

Rousey began making a name for herself after winning her first four fights in under a minute —using an armbar to submit her opponents. After she won the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship from Miesha Tate in 2012, her stock began to rise.

Rousey started appearing everywhere, on magazine covers and television shows. It wasn’t just her abilities that captivated fans, it was also her attitude, trash talking ability and that she spoke what was on her mind, which at times angered some fans and peers.

On the flip side, I had friends who didn’t watch MMA, become interested in the sport because of her.

Rousey was gaining more fame than some of the UFC fighters at the time. UFC President Dana White, who at one time said women would never compete in his organization, made the move to sign her to a contract, make her the women’s bantamweight champion and build a division around her — something he told Rousey, in an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, “was the best decision I ever made.”

But like all mixed martial arts champions, Rousey’s place at the top wasn’t permanent. After ruling the women’s bantamweight division for three years, Holly Holm knocked her out to capture the belt.

Critics quickly point out that Rousey wasn’t the first woman to compete in MMA, which is true. However, she’s one of the first female athletes in the sport to build her own brand. Some fighters talk about how they want more opportunities and endorsements, which I understand, but they haven’t put in the extra time and effort to establish themselves and become household names. Fighters like Nunes, Paige VanZant, Cris “Cyborg” Justino and current strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk are making a name for themselves, but it may be a while before they achieve the notoriety that Rousey has.

Rousey has nothing left to prove. She can sit back and enjoy the fruits of her career, knowing she set a new standard for the sport.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].