Joe Rogan Hints At ‘Madness’ Surrounding ‘Secret’ Ronda Rousey Fight Announcement

Directly before UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey scored her latest finish with a first round stoppage of Sara McMann at UFC 170, Invicta FC featherweight champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino took to the airwaves to publicly declare her intentions of cutting down to 135 pounds in order to face “Rowdy” for the title.

UFC President Dana White was hesitant, saying that “Cyborg” would need to successfully make bantamweight a few times before he booked the huge super fight with Rousey, but there’s no denying the bout would be the biggest women’s MMA fight of all-time.

Apparently, it could be happening a lot sooner than we all thought. Despite Rousey supposedly fighting Cat Zingano sometime this summer, UFC ringside announcer Joe Rogan recently appeared on KROQ’s Kevin and Bean Show to discuss “Rowdy’s” next move. According to the excitable Rogan, there’s going to be an announcement that will rock the MMA world (transcried via MMA Mania):

“I wish I could tell you what I know. I wish I could tell you. I know some secret stuff. I know some secret stuff, but I can’t tell you. You might actually know, but I can’t tell you. I can say no more than I’ve already said. I will tell you this, and this is a KROQ exclusive, within the next probably week or so a huge announcement will come about women’s fighting and I’ll be back in [the studio] and we’ll talk some more. It’s going to be crazy. Madness. I wish I could [talk about it now], but I would betray the confidence of my friend and employer.”

Rogan seems buzzing about the whole scenario, and first glance would suggest that the announcement is going to center on the long-awaited Rousey vs. “Cyborg” title fight. However, there are couple of outside chances at other bouts, such as undefeated former boxing champion Holy Holm, who is scheduled to fight in Albuquerque on April 5, making her way to the octagon in order to square off with Rousey.

Another outside possibility would be the rumored return of Gina Carano, who was last seen in a 2009 TKO loss to “Cyborg,” but that’s an unlikely proposition.

Regardless of what the announcement is, it most likely isn’t a confirmation of Zingano’s title shot: there’s just no way Rogan would create so much fanfare over what was has already been discussed on several occasions.

Zingano earned her shot by defeating Miesha Tate in a classic bout at last April’s TUF 17 Finale, but has since undergone a run of bad luck that included a serious knee injury and the apparent suicide of her husband Mauricio.

Zingano may not be ready to fight soon enough because of her torn ACL, and it sounds like the UFC is ready to keep the momentum of women’s MMA rolling.

Alexis Davis was rumored as a possible title contender, but with so many big-name possibilities on Rousey’s plate, the talented Davis may be left out in the cold for the time being.

The UFC needs a big fight, and it sounds like this upcoming announcement will entail just that. Will it be a confirmation of Rousey vs. “Cyborg,” or something else altogether?

Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie for USA TODAY Sports