Ian “Uncle Creepy McCall / Photo credit: ProMMAnow.com
Despite UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey’s 14 second armbar win over Cat Zingano at UFC 184 over the weekend, as well as a co-headliner featuring Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington, not everyone is a fan of women’s MMA. And while UFC flyweight Ian McCall says he’s “turned a new leaf” regarding women fighting in the Octagon, he still doesn’t care for Rousey and spoke about it in this recent interview when asked if the men’s flyweight division will ever get the respect women’s MMA and the “Rowdy” one are getting right now.
McCall’s words:
“I’ve turned a new leaf on women’s MMA, I guess. I still don’t like Ronda. I don’t even know her, I just don’t like her. Something in the eyes I guess. But she’s so much better than everybody else. I had faith in Cat [Zingano] and I’m just like wow. That was a slick armbar. I’m just going to keep my other comments to myself about the whole situation. She’s that much better than everybody else. Are we ever going to get the attention? I’m the only person that can do it and I’m kind of unreliable at this point. Who knows? It’s going to take someone like myself to really stand out and make us different and give us the star power. Women’s MMA is exploding. … You see all these comparisons to her fighting men. Even like Joe [Benavidez], I need to have a conversation with Joe about it because she’s not beating up a man. I’m sorry, it’s not going to happen. I come from wrestling and before there was a big female scene in wrestling they [the women] would wrestle men. And, it’s not going to happen. A good man will not lose to Ronda Rousey. I can put a judo gi on, you’re an Olympian. You’re not throwing me. It’s not going to happen. I will throw you on your head, pretty simple. And you weigh more than me. I can’t compartmentalize it or whatever. It doesn’t make sense to me. I know it’s all talk, being compared to [Mike] Tyson. She’s dangerous, she’s good, I get it. It’s just silly and I could rant about it awhile but I’m not going to. Ronda is definitely not the best pound for pound fighter in the world. She’s the best woman on the planet. That’s cute. Cool. We’re doing men things. I get it, you’re good and all, but comparing her to Jon [Jones] or Jose [Aldo] or Demetrious [Johnson] or Cain [Velasquez]… come on… any of the champions… It’s a different world. It just frustrates me.”
Do you agree with McCall’s sentiments or do you think Rousey could beat some of her male counterparts and has earned her spot in the discussion for pound-for-pound best?
Watch the full interview [courtesy Rick J Lee] with McCall below where he also talks about his beef with Team Alpha Male:
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