Jake Ellenberger Says Hard Working Ronda Rousey Would Beat Male Bantamweights

Jake Ellenberger will go up against the resurgent Robbie Lawler at this weekend’s UFC 173 as he looks to get his run at the title back on track. Both men remain highly ranked in the stacked division, but ‘The Juggernaut’ has been discussing the lower weight classes recently, bantamweight in particular.

While talking to Fox Sports, Ellenberger mused the women’s bantamweight division and its longstanding champion Ronda Rousey. Check out what ‘The Juggernaut’ said when asked if he thought Ronda Rousey could beat her male counterparts in the octagon:

“Oh, yeah. She could and she would, I’ve known her for a few years but what really stands out with her is she works harder than most people in this sport. Male or female, it doesn’t matter. She’s always in the gym whether she has a fight coming up or not. And it shows. There’s no secret to success but hard work, and she’s one of the hardest-working people in the sport in my opinion. That’s really what’s stuck in my head from being around her. But she’s very skilled and very strong and she throws everyone. She absolutely could beat a lot of the guys in that division.”

Although we would likely never see a man vs. woman fight in mainstream MMA, Ellenberger raises a good point. ‘Rowdy’ is renowned for her crazy work ethic, and her commitment has seen the former Olympic Judoka cut huge amounts of weight in just 24 hours. How elite Rousey is at grappling, and her high work rate in training has certainly set her apart from the rest thus far.

Unbeaten as a pro, and looking increasingly dominant, is the next challenge for Rousey to fight a man? I doubt it, there are too many ethical and moral potholes in that equation. But, one does wonder. The modern age we live in has (mostly) broken down barriers regarding gender that were bore from a more idiotic age, but the age old question once again rears it’s head here.

Hypothetically speaking, do you think Rousey could contend with the top 10 in the men’s 135-pound division? She certainly has the skillset to boss a lot of guys around in the gym, but would it be the same in the octagon?