Is Ronda Rousey vs Katie Taylor A Bigger Mismatch Than Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua?

Reports emerged last week that former UFC champion Ronda Rousey is in serious talks to face Katie Taylor. That fight, if it does indeed take place, would be a bigger mismatch than Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, the heavyweight encounter slated for Netflix on December 19th.

Taylor was last seen defending the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring female light-welterweight titles against Amanda Serrano earlier this year. Rousey hasn't been involved in combat sports in eight years.

For History 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/AwHdna4Jnp
— Katie Taylor (@KatieTaylor) April 30, 2022

Given ring rust and Rousey's previous disclosures about brain damage, a Taylor-Rousey fight is dangerous, and any boxing commissioning body should take a hard look at it before approving.

The Case For Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

By comparison, Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul is typical boxing fare. Despite coming to his status through a bizarre path, Paul is easily one of the top 30 cruiserweights in the world, and he's on a winning streak.

Joshua is coming off a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in the United Kingdom. A glance at any undercard shows mismatches just as significant as this fight, which is slated for Miami later this month. The fight is only eight rounds, so maybe Jake Paul is elusive and dances and holds for eight boring rounds.

Taylor (who was married earlier to real estate agent Sean McCavanagh) is an Irish boxing legend and one of the best of her era. Taylor is 25-1 and is fresh off two wins over Amanda Serrano, herself one of the best of the era.

The Rise and Fall of Rhonda Rousey

Rousey at her height was more than just the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion. She had massive crossover appeal and became one of the few "name fighters" of the era that even non-fans recognized.

Her career at that stage had an aura of invincibility. UFC Hall of Famer Jon Jones claimed during her height that she could beat Floyd Mayweather in an MMA match. Some on social media even said she could beat Mayweather in boxing. However, her career soon spiraled downward.

Ronda Rousey | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Rousey last stepped into the Octagon eight years ago. Her Ultimate Fighting Championship career ended with back-to-back knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.

In interviews and memoirs, she has been candid about the medical issues she has faced since her family history of epilepsy. She has battled the lingering impact of concussions.

"I'd get hit and I'd basically lose big chunks of my vision and my depth perception and my ability to track movements quickly and make snap decisions," Rousey admitted in an interview looking back at her career.

"Which is basically all the things that I need and I thought I have a concussion, I'm out on my feet, but I wouldn't be stumbling around. I didn't lose my balance. This was like, I had to retire because this kept happening to me more and more often to the point where I would get a jab and I would basically go blind."

Rousey has given combat sports a lot, and she has nothing to prove in a Katie Taylor fight. If this is a three-round exhibition with headgear, that's another matter. On paper, this is a bigger mismatch than Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, and boxing commissions should take a hard second look at this fight before sanctioning it as a professional fight.

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