Strikeforce's Alexis Davis on Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate: This Is MMA, Not Judo

Nick CaronNov 30, 2011

The too-often overlooked sport of women’s MMA has suddenly received quite a bit of attention this week following controversial comments coming from new Strikeforce contender Ronda Rousey, who recently flawlessly submitted Julia Budd in her second fight for the promotion. The young fighter has already made a splash by calling out current Strikeforce 135-pound women’s champion, Miesha Tate.

After competing in just a total of four MMA fights, though, Rousey has received quite a bit of backlash from her fellow contenders as well as Tate herself, who believe that Rousey should have to take her place in line behind those who have established themselves in the division already.

One of those competitors who has already made a name for herself as a contender, is Strikeforce 135-pounder, Alexis Davis. The Canadian mixed martial artist is on a three-fight win streak which includes two huge victories in recent months over Julie Kedzie and Amanda Nunes.

Davis was not going to sit on the sidelines while a new face to the division shot past her into immediate title contention. Still, she understands that while Ronda Rousey has frustrated some, what she has been doing since her most recent victory has put the kind of spotlight on women’s MMA that it has rarely received.

"Morally, I wouldn’t do it quite that way, but it’s gotten everyone’s attention, hasn’t it? With her being so forthright about it, it’s really getting everybody talking," Davis told Bleacher Report MMA. "If she gets a chance in there, that’s going to be why... She’s coming out, she’s calling out people, she’s causing controversy with all of women’s MMA. Everybody’s looking at her, she’s going to sell tickets. But a lot of us aren’t like that. We’re humble. That’s just the way we are."

That humble way of addressing the media, and respectful way that Davis and other women in the sport have gone about presenting themselves, has done a great job of bringing legitimacy to women’s MMA. However, while Davis admires what Rousey has done throughout her young MMA career, she is not quite sold on the budding star as a championship contender at this point.

"I think Ronda is a great fighter, she has a lot of skills," Davis admitted. "But do I think she should get a title shot? I don’t think so. Not right now. She’s had four fights and that’s fantastic. You did awesome in those four fights, but to go from where you haven’t even fought in the division to ranked in the top of it, I don’t agree with that."

This sentiment was shared by Miesha Tate, who joined Bleacher Report MMA’s Steven Muehlhausen on the Fight Club Chicago earlier this week. Davis and Tate seem to agree that while Rousey is a former Olympic medalist Judo player, that should not change the fact that she has only fought in four professional MMA fights.

"That’s great, she fought Judo in the Olympics, but that’s been how long ago? It wasn’t yesterday," Davis explained. "No one can take those accomplishments away from her. She’s a great Judo fighter, but it’s not Judo! Just like if somebody comes in and wins the world [championship] for jiu-jitsu. Do you think, right away, they should be high-ranked? No, because it’s MMA. It’s mixed martial arts. It’s not Judo, it’s not jiu-jitsu. It’s not Muay Thai, it’s not kickboxing. It’s combined martial arts."

While she didn’t discount the chances of Rousey eventually earning a title shot, Davis does believe that the newcomer needs to prove herself against a higher level of competition before she starts calling out the top 135-pound women’s fighter in the world.

"I think there’s a lot of people out there who underestimate Miesha Tate. She is the women’s champion and she’s the women’s champion for a reason."

Fellow top-level contender Sarah Kaufman has also been involved in this situation, as some believe that she should be the next contender for the women’s 135-pound title. Davis understands why Kaufman feels that way, but has a differing opinion from the woman who defeated her in her professional MMA debut.

"I want a title shot and I think I deserve one. If it was my decision, I would say I should have one, and I bet Sarah [Kaufman] is thinking the same way," Davis said. "But if I have to fight another fight before I get that opportunity, then I will. If Strikeforce thinks that Ronda should be a top contender, then obviously I’m going to prove, not just to myself but to Strikeforce, that it should be me."

Davis’ management told Bleacher Report MMA that Strikeforce has instructed them to be ready to compete in January 2012. While no opponent has officially been named, Davis has quite a few options with whom she would be satisfied fighting.

"I would love to fight Miesha, obviously, she’s the title-holder. If I can’t have her, I’d love to have a chance at Sarah Kaufman to avenge a loss," she continued. "[Sarah]’s got a target on her back, too, because she’s fought so many top contenders out there. And you know what? I’d like to see Marloes [Coenen] come back, too. So there are some top contenders out there who you can have other than Ronda. If it is Ronda, I’m obviously going to fight her. I’m not going to let her walk by me to get her title shot. I think I deserve it more than she does and I won’t sit on the sidelines."

No matter who she fights, though, Davis understands that women’s mixed martial arts needs to get more attention somehow. She’s just not sure that the way Rousey is going about is the best solution.

"We may all disagree with Ronda and the way she’s doing it, but there’s a problem... We need to get more attention on women’s MMA. It’s just a shame that it’s got to be bad press and we have to talk crap about each other in order to get attention."