How To Beat Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey gave Miesha Tate the finger at the UFC World Tour Event in Los Angeles. Miesha remained calm and professional while Ronda displayed the latest example of her childish, immature behavior.

UPDATE BELOW

It might appear the pressure of being UFC Champion along with the upcoming fight with Miesha Tate at UFC 168, Dec. 28, 2013 is getting to Ronda Rousey. However there is more going on here than nerves or fight hype. Her callow and disrespectful conduct will lose fans but not viewers. Ronda knows what she is doing but if one scrutinizes her actions one discovers exactly how to beat Ronda Rousey in the octagon.

Miesha is wise not to play into Ronda’s trash talking tactics. She knows Ronda’s insulting routines are meant to force her to fight emotionally in Round 1. That is part of Ronda’s strategy and she’s very good at it.

Read the latest: Cris Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey For Invicta FC 145lb Featherweight Belt

Ronda’s best chance at victory against any top 135 female fighter is to finish her opponent in the first or second round. The UFC 135 Women’s Championship is a five round fight and Ronda Rousey cannot fight effectively for five full rounds. I’ll explain why in a moment but first let’s look at Ronda’s professional MMA experience.

If we add the total minutes Rousey has fought in all her pro fights to equal complete 5 minute rounds, her entire experience as an MMA pro fighter is approximately 2 Rounds!

She has less experience by far than any UFC Champion. All the veteran female 135lb fighters have much more experience than Ronda. Even the up and coming females at 135 dwarf Ronda in the complete rounds experience category.

Using the same formula, Miesha Tate has approximately 30 full rounds of MMA professional experience compared to Ronda’s 2.

Of course that lack of experience is attributable to Ronda’s excellent Judo and submission skills. She is the real deal, an excellent MMA fighter.

Still, her total pro MMA career is an anomaly. Many will say this aberration in experience is testament to Ronda’s amazing MMA skills and ability to finish fights quickly. I agree but there is a flip side to this that reveals exactly how to defeat Ronda.

First, an opponent should not buy into Ronda’s trash talking insults. The opponent who defeats Ronda will not lose control and fight emotionally right out of the gate in Round 1. That is a trap Rousey sets for most of her opponents because Ronda knows the longer a fight goes the more likely it is that she will run out of steam. This is true for all fighters but especially so for Ronda Rousey as you will see.

Here’s why. Before Ronda became famous she fought at 145lbs. When she fought in Judo competitions she competed at close to 160lbs. She had to cut much weight to make 160! In those days when not training Ronda’s walking around weight ballooned up to 180lbs.

Photoshopped Maxim Magazine cover shots aside, Ronda Rousey is naturally a large woman. There’s nothing wrong with that except when that woman starves herself to make 135lbs and attempts to fight effectively for five full rounds. She has publicly stated that she has to sacrifice nutrition to make 135lbs. Her routine to accomplish this is an arduous and tortuous diet.

She has published videos of her efforts to lose weight. It’s a liquid diet and one green leafy meal (with one protein) a day. She alternates one day with carbohydrates and one day without. She forces herself to do this for six to eight weeks or more. All the while training at least twice a day…with only one meal! It is the only way she believes she can make 135. This is not a secret. Ronda has admitted this several times.

Here’s what Mike Dolce, famed sports nutritionist and MMA diet guru has said about Ronda’s training diet:

“Without being part of Ronda’s camp, and without knowing what she’s doing, I wouldn’t really be able to say, but I can speak for my own camps, where I work with some of the best athletes on the planet, and my athletes typically eat eight times a day, and perform consistently at world class levels, with single digit body fat percentages.”

Mike continued by discussing Ronda’s recovery time:

“I think for a high level athlete like Ronda Rousey or any elite mixed martial arts practitioner that’s training twice a day, in my opinion, it’s impossible to sustain the level of performance in training necessary on just one meal a day. There’s overwhelming scientific data and practical data that supports this. Athletes in the gym need to replenish glycogen delivery and restore insulin levels immediately prior to training. If you’re training twice a day, but only eating once a day, you’re at a deficit. An elite athlete like Ronda Rousey genetically and through her work effort might be able to outpace some of those issues, but eventually, it will catch up. It always does.

The Warrior Diet has been around forever, for thousands of years. The author made it sexy again, a few years back, because he wrote a great book, which I read and enjoyed. He kind of brought it back to the modern era, but not many athletes have adopted for a long period of time. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but when you’re an elite athlete, and you’re training twice a day, five days a week, you need to recover from that, and if you’re only eating once a day, you’re not recovering satisfactorily. That will, in time, catch up to you, and create a performance deficit.”

Source: Bloody Elbow

She cannot fight effectively for five full rounds emaciated and drained. Ronda knows this hence her desire to “Git R Done” in Round 1.

So the key to defeating Ronda Rousey is getting the fight into rounds 3, 4 and 5. That is easier said than done but the opponent who accomplishes this will easily defeat a gassed out, weak Ronda Rousey.

Ronda’s success has been so amazing that Round 2 is uncharted territory for her. To get her there and the rounds beyond her opponent must use an effective jab, straight punches, punishing kicks, side to side movement but most importantly circling away from power (which means circle to your right) and avoid early clinches with the Judo expert.

A strong wrestler like Miesha Tate can take Ronda down with a strong double leg and/or well timed ankle picks but she must maintain top control while throwing vicious elbows and strikes. However, straight jabs and circling wide to the right is the best strategy in Rounds 1 and 2. By Round 3, Ronda will be out of gas. If the fight goes to the Championship rounds, Ronda will be a shell of her Round 1 self.

Of course arm bar defense training is a must but avoiding situations where Ronda can attempt an arm bar is more important. Smart opponents will know Ronda Rousey has a shallow gas tank. Getting her into the Championship rounds is the key to beating Ronda but Ronda’s athleticism and in your face bullying has so far been enough for her to clinch with her opponents, toss them and submit them.

It won’t be easy but if an opponent displays great footwork and a strong jab to accompany that circling movement, she will lessen Ronda’s ability to clinch in the early rounds. Ronda is always looking to grab an opponents head. An opponent must jab and circle away to avoid this. Do not throw looping punches or hooks, only straight hard punches.

I don’t see anyone at 135 completely shutting down Ronda’s clinch but when it does come her opponent must win the clinch battle at least to the point she can break away, continue her circling movement with strong jabs and strikes, all the while tiring the Champ until that tiny gas tank runs dry.

An excellent way for an opponent to prepare for Ronda Rousey would be to spend significant time practicing the tips I mentioned above with a judoka, male or female, who is better at Judo than Ronda.

That’s how to beat Ronda Rousey.

UPDATE: Ironically Ronda Rousey did follow my advice. Above I was critical of Rousey’s draconian training and weight cutting diet. I mentioned how MMA nutritionist Mike Dolce felt Ronda was making significant, serious errors with her diet.

With only a few weeks left in her training for Rousey vs. Tate 2, Ronda hired Mike Dolce! He helped her reach a healthy 135lbs.

Ronda is not only a great MMA fighter, she’s very intelligent too.

BJJScout has an excellent video which breaks down Ronda Rousey’s technique and how to effectively combat it. Have a look:

Update: How Sara McMann Can Beat Ronda Rousey. Including new video from Ronda’s former judo coach and team teammate.

For those who missed it here is the full version of Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate at the UFC World Tour Event press conference in Los Angeles:

Next For Ronda Rousey? Only A 145lb Fight With Cris Cyborg Makes Sense