Written by Ricky Leone at MMA Manifesto
The Legacy of a Queen
In fear of insulting you in explaining what this article could be about, we all know it: Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey this past Saturday at UFC 193. When Holm’s left shin landed on Rousey’s neck, and the seemingly unbeatable champion’s head bounced off of the off-white canvas like a deflated soccer ball, it sent the whole mixed martial arts world in a frenzy. Even the outside world took notice. We knew something significant had just happened. MMA’s biggest star, Ronda Rousey, had been defeated. We just didn’t know what the consequences would be.
What happens when a Queen dies? Mary I — “Bloody Mary” — Queen of England and Ireland during the Tudor dynasty in the mid-16th century had earned her nickname by burning Protestants by the hundreds. Though, the bishop at her funeral painted a much nicer picture of Mary as a wife, a sister, and a daughter — it would take some time before a more objective view of Mary’s actions would mar her legacy. But who is the bishop in the case of Rousey — who goes out of their way to paint a nicer picture that is somewhat contrary to popular opinion?
UFC commentator, Joe Rogan, who for a while now has had a strange fixation, attraction, emotional attachment (evidenced by him breaking down in tears on his podcast when discussing Rousey) or whatever it was he had towards the former champion, publicly stated on his latest podcast that the people insulting Rousey after her loss are the “weakest aspects of humanity” (somehow, terrorists, murderers, and other criminals were given a pass here). On the same podcast, Rogan and one of his hanger-ons threw a crude insult towards longtime Rousey rival, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, with no apparent justification — hiding under the guise of “comedy.”
To say nothing of Rogan’s “she’s not once-in-a-lifetime, she’s ‘once-ever’” overstatement after Rousey defeated 11:1 underdog Bethe Correia, it did appear that there was a favoritism towards Rousey by UFC’s main hypeman, and when there’s someone who otherwise has a lot of credibility — like a bishop — informing a mass audience of the good deeds of one while ignoring any and all negative facts, then that person is using their influence to sway public opinion. This is called propaganda.
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