Ronda Rousey was a trailblazer in women's MMA whether fans "love her or hate her", says UFC strawweight Jinh Yu Frey (Exclusive)
UFC strawweight contender Jinh Yu Frey recently shed light on Ronda Rousey's contribution towards the evolution and development of the women's MMA landscape.
From becoming the first American female to earn an Olympic medal in judo (bronze at the 2008 Olympics) to being part of the UFC's first-ever women's MMA fight and emerging as the inaugural women's bantamweight champion, Rousey's laurels in her multi-sport career are truly transcendent. She helped smash barriers and fought tooth and nail for equality, and her outsized impact on the broader culture cannot be questioned.
• First Women's title fight
• First Women's main event
• Ronda Rousey's UFC debut
#OnThisDay history was made at UFC 157.
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It's natural that the modern wing of female MMA fighters draw inspiration from Rousey's storied career. During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Jinh Yu Frey said the following about 'Rowdy':
"Obviously, I don't think this conversation could be had without Ronda Rousey. Love her or hate her, she progressed women's MMA so much further than anybody could have ever thought in such a short time. She really put it on the map and basically got us into the UFC."
Between 2011 and 2015, Rousey remained undefeated, collecting 12 victories in the process. Interestingly, all of her victories came with finishes, making her one of the most feared fighters during that period. As for Frey, the American is scheduled to face Polyana Viana on November 5, 2022 at UFC Vegas 64 this weekend.
Watch our exclusive interview with Jinh Yu Frey below:
Jinh Yu Frey isn't counting out Carla Esparza against Zhang Weili at UFC 281
Ahead of her highly anticipated return inside the octagon this weekend, Jinh Yu Frey weighed in on the upcoming championship fight in her division between Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili at UFC 281.
Esparza grabbed the 115-pound strap from Rose Namajunas via split decision in the co-main event of UFC 274. However, the fight is disreputable in the MMA community as one of the most lackluster championship fights. There has also been a visible consensus that Weili is the favorite to win the upcoming clash at UFC 281, and the odds reflect that notion.
UFC 281 Opening Odds:
Carla Esparza (+265)
Weili Zhang (-345)
fightodds.io/fights/carla-e…
#UFC281
Weighing in on the clash in the aforementioned exclusive interview, Frey claimed that while she believes there's a possibility of the championship changing hands, she isn't counting out Esparza's chances either:
"I kind of do [think that the title will change hands]. But, you know, there's something about her [Carla Esparza] you just cannot really count her out. There have been so many fights where I was just like...like I wasn't expecting her to do a lot. She finds a way to dig deep and like really shows a lot of stuff. She is tough and her wrestling is really good."
Meanwhile, Frey will be looking forward to bouncing back from her controversial split decision loss to Vanessa Demopoulos. She currently has two wins and three losses in the UFC in as many fights.
Viewers in India can watch the LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 4:30 AM IST on November 6, 2022.