More: "I see a war playing out"l Rousey's plans post-Correia
Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey are the two most polarizing fighters in the UFC.
They're both champions (Albeit an interim title for McGregor), both undefeated inside The Octagon, and both incredibly gifted on the microphone. With Rousey set to defend her UFC women's bantamweight championship against undefeated Brazilian Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Saturday, Aug. 1, McGregor was asked what he thinks would happen if the two got inside The Octagon together.
“I certainly would not like to end up in a tie-up with Miss Rousey,” McGregor proclaimed during an interview with Sports Illustrated's Maggie Gray. "I remember one time when I’d seen her and I greeted her and I said ‘what’s up champ?’ and we embraced. I swear on my life her back muscles were the solidest back muscles I’d ever felt in my life."
Rousey, a bonze medalist in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, relies on her grip and upper body strength to grab a hold of her opponents and toss them to the ground, where she then sinks in a fight-ending armbar.
McGregor knows it wouldn't be much different with him. “I thought if this lady was to get a hold of me she would throw me on my head in literally one second flat. So I would not like to engage in a clinch fight with Ronda.”
Although the UFC does not have the wealth of high-profile stars it had in the late 2000's, the future is bright with McGregor and Rousey leading the way.