Anyone and everyone who knows me knows that I am a die-hard Ronda Rousey fan. Say what you will about her back-to-back losses or her impending retirement, but the recent criticism she’s received does not in any way diminish all the good she’s done for women’s mixed martial arts.
Not only did Rousey prove to Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, that women belong in the sport, but she also won Best Female Athlete at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards in 2014 and 2015, as well as Best Fighter in 2015. Currently, she ranks sixth among men and women for most title defenses. Last year, she was even featured in the foreground of the cover of EA Sports’ “UFC 2” video game for Xbox and PlayStation, with Conor McGregor standing close behind.
But that brings me to my main concern. I very much disagree with the cover art they’ve chosen for the 2018 release of the game’s sequel, “UFC 3.” The cover will feature McGregor, alone, holding his two title belts, one on each shoulder.
A disclaimer about McGregor: he is, without question, an entertaining fighter. He is someone who has gone to extreme lengths to get to where he is. McGregor climbed the ladder of success from being a plumber to winning two titles to making his boxing debut in the second-highest grossing pay-per-view boxing fight ever. But to put only him on the cover of “UFC 3” (after he’s already been featured), and labeling it the “Champions Edition” just isn’t fair, especially to Joanna Jędrzejczyk, who was the reigning champion in the women’s strawweight division up until Saturday night.
Jędrzejczyk, who still ranks eighth among men and women for most title defenses, put her belt on the line against Rose Namajunas in an attempt to tie Rousey for sixth in those rankings. Despite coming up short, I can’t help but feel like she was cheated out of her spot on the “UFC 3” cover. After Rousey’s second loss, the women’s MMA community looked to Jędrzejczyk as the prominent female champion of the sport. And with her name being so difficult to pronounce, fans even largely took to referring to her as “JJ Champ.”
If EA Sports was able to feature two star athletes on their last game’s release, they should have been well and able to let McGregor share the cover with Jędrzejczyk, maybe even without stripping the “Champions Edition” subtitle. And their lack of consideration towards Jędrzejczyk and her former title reflects poorly upon their attitude towards women in the UFC. Frankly, it’s a step backwards from their positive endorsements for Rousey.
I read an article that claimed putting McGregor on the cover of the game was a “no-brainer” and “the only logical choice.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, I agree that this is an exciting time for McGregor. He has two titles, and of course he’s the sport’s most marketable fighter. But that doesn’t condone the absence of a successful female fighter alongside him, even if she was to be standing in the background. I wouldn’t care about Jędrzejczyk being second in line on the cover, because McGregor has earned more recognition than her. I just would’ve liked to see her on the cover, point blank.
At one time, Rousey was in the biggest spotlight of any female athlete in history. When she fell from grace, twice, she had a hard time picking up the pieces. The most I can hope for Jędrzejczyk is that she knows, even without receiving that same amount of spotlight, that she’s made a huge impact in both women’s MMA and for women in sports as a whole.
She may not have the video game cover as proof, but I’m confident that she will continue making waves in the UFC.