If The Ring Magazine were looking to cause some controversy with their Ronda Rousey cover, then they can consider their job done.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey completed yet another first this week, by becoming the first MMA fighter to appear on the cover of boxing publication, The Ring.
The magazine went with the UFC superstar on the cover of their “100 Best Fighters” issue, with the quote “She Conquered MMA, is boxing next?”
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People have been very critical of the cover, claiming that Rousey should not have been featured on the magazine considering she’s not a boxer, nor is her striking game impressive enough to suggest that she could do some damage by trading the Octagon for the ring.
Boxing fans are unimpressed at the publication’s decision to feature a female MMA fighter as opposed to a female boxer, which some have hinted is a means of using Rousey’s celebrity status to sell issues.
Others also found it baffling that the magazine didn’t choose Holly Holm as their cover star for the issue. Holm, who held multiple world championships in professional before making the permanent switch to MMA, is set to take on Rousey for the bantamweight belt at UFC 193 on 14 November.
