Ever since Ronda Rousey dispatched top contender Cat Zingno with an an armbar in just 14 seconds to retain her UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship at UFC 184, anyone and everyone in the world of combat sports has voiced their opinion on how Rousey would fair against the UFC's men's bantamweight division, Floyd Mayweather and a litany of other unrealistic competitors.
But on Monday, a new name popped into the discussion: Laila Ali.
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That's right, the former undefeated women's boxing champion and daughter of arguably the most entertaining pugilist of all-time has thrown he hat into the ring — err — cage.
"No woman can beat me, period," she told TMZ Sports this weekend.
Now, Ali did make the distinction that comparing a boxer to a mixed marital artist is not easy to do. She also was quick to point the notable size difference. Ali stands 5-10 and fought at 160 pounds, while Rousey, who Ali said is "like the size of my 3-year-old daughter," stands 5-7 and weighs in at 137 pounds.
Conjecture like this is fun, but it's also pointless because a fight between the two will never happen. Not only is the size difference way off, but Ali has been retired since 2007, finishing her professional career undefeated with 24 wins, 21 coming via KO or TKO.
But since we are talking boxer vs. fighter, it is important to point out that former multi-division champion James "Lights Out" Toney famously claimed he could dispatch the best light heavyweights the UFC had to offer, only to succumb to a Randy Couture arm-triangle choke in just over three minutes at UFC 118 in August of 2010.
A boxer should be able to beat a mixed martial artist in a boxing match, just mike a mixed martial artist should be able to beat a boxer in a cage fight.
Rousey is the best female mixed martial artist on the planet, and while hypothetical "super fights" are fun to discuss, they are seldom, if ever, realistic.
Perhaps it just goes to show how dominant Rousey has been.