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Who's next for Ronda Rousey? Who's left?

Who's next for Ronda Rousey? Who's left?

It didn’t take long for fans and pundits to wonder what was next for UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey after her 14-second decimation of Cat Zingano at UFC 184 this past Saturday. It was Rousey's 11th win in 11 fights, and Zingano was the last legitimate contender in the division who could challenge the 28-year-old phenom.

Rousey has effectively wiped out any and all competition in the last two years on her warpath to UFC superstardom. Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, Alexis Davis and former Olympian Sara McMann have all fallen victim to world’s most dangerous female. To make matters more aggravating for UFC matchmakers, Rousey is finishing these opponents in record fashion; her last two opponents – Davis and Zingano – were finished in 30 seconds, combined.

‘Rowdy’ is running out of people to fight, and UFC announcer Joe Rogan thinks he may have a solution: Fight men. Or, at least, Rogan had an opinion on how she would stack up against her bantamweight counterparts in the men's division.

“There [are] a lot of guys her size she could beat," Rogan said on The Dan LeBatard Show last week. "I mean, a lot. If you took the roster of the UFC's bantamweights, 135 pounds, and you paired them up against Ronda Rousey, she might be able to beat 50 percent of them.”

Whether or not Rousey could actually beat a man is a moot point since no commission would ever allow something like that to take place. However, given Rousey’s almost unbelievable ability to dominate her division, the prospect of the former Olympic judoka fighting a man has become a lightning rod in the MMA community.

Ronda Rousey reacts after defeating Cat Zingano (not pictured) on Saturday at UFC 184. (USAT)
Ronda Rousey reacts after defeating Cat Zingano (not pictured) on Saturday at UFC 184. (USAT)

Rogan is well versed in mixed martial arts, receiving his black-belt in taekwondo at 15, and receiving his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt from Eddie Bravo years later, so he is completely aware of what making such a statement means. But this is Ronda Rousey, and as Rogan has seen first-hand on numerous occasions by now, there is something special about the UFC’s first and only women’s bantamweight champ.

The division is short on contenders and Rousey hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. There is former world champion boxer, Holly Holm, who defeated Raquel Pennington on Saturday’s UFC 184 co-main event. Holm is undefeated and with a great pedigree, yes, but her performance on Saturday was more of a glimpse into the future, than a coming-out party.

Another name that has been offered up by Rousey herself is Bethe Correia. Like Rousey, Correia is undefeated (9-0). Unlike Rousey, Correia has gotten the majority of her wins via decision (seven). She also hasn't faced anyone even remotely close to Rousey's caliber.

The champ’s only other logical competition comes from Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, who is not even in the UFC at this moment and most question if she could ever make the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds – as Justino has competed her entire career at 145 pounds and above.

Rousey, who starred in the Expendables 3, and has upcoming roles in the Fast 7 and Entourage films, is scheduled to begin filming a new, unnamed film now that the Zingano fight is in her rear-view. And since Rogan’s idea of competing with the men is never going to happen, perhaps the UFC would be wise to let Rousey build her stock in Hollywood while they attempt to find suitable contenders for their most dominant champion.

What say you, Cagereaders. Who do you want to see Ronda Rousey fight next? In a commission-less world, does Rowdy have the goods to give the men a run for their money?