Ronda Rousey Says She Would Beat Floyd Mayweather in Ruleless Fight

The war of words between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ronda Rousey shows no signs of ceasing, with the latter insisting she could take the undefeated American boxer in a no-rules fight.

As ESPN.co.uk noted, UFC women's bantamweight champion Rousey was speaking on a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session, and a fan asked if she could take down Mayweather in a no-holds-barred bout. Her response, as you'd expect, was confident:

"

Floyd is one of the best boxers of all time. He would definitely beat me in a boxing match. I unfortunately don't get into 'matches.' I fight for a living.

In a no-rules fight, I believe I can beat anyone on this planet. Boxing is a sweet science with strict rules that I respect very much and aspire every day to improve at. But you said ruleless fight, and that's my honest answer.

"

The barb from Rousey was the latest in a line of recent swipes between the two undefeated athletes.

After Rousey trumped Floyd for the ESPY award for Best Fighter, she said, "I wonder how Floyd feels being beat by a woman for once. I'd like to see him pretend to not know who I am now." This was after Mayweather had infamously claimed in July 2014, "I don't even know who he is," when discussing Rousey.

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Mayweather responded to the jibe at the ESPY Awards by telling SportsCenter, "I've yet to see any MMA fighter, or other boxer, make over $300 million in 36 minutes. When she can do that, then call me."

The UFC's official Twitter feed backed its athlete recently after releasing this video of some of Rousey's standout moments:

While boxing is a technical sport, in terms of pure combat, Rousey could be better versed to cope in a ruleless bout. UFC President Dana White said last year, "Ronda wins that fight and hurts him badly."

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After her latest lopsided win over Bethe Correia, up next is Miesha Tate, who she dispatched twice already via armbar. Meanwhile, Mayweather has announced he will fight Andre Berto this September as he looks to take his professional record to 49 wins from 49 fights.

But as FightNights.com notes, the ongoing feud between Rousey and Mayweather has captured the imagination of fight fans around the world:

It's mere fantasy at the moment, though. While it would be exciting to see these two athletes, who have long been dominant in their respective disciplines, push boundaries, as sports fans we should just continue to enjoy their majesty while they remain at the peak of their performance.

A backdrop of animosity is something to keep supporters entertained and will do little to harm the reputation of either competitor. But the prospect of seeing these two squaring off will remain a debate to be had in boxing gyms, MMA centres and pubs; nothing more.