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Ronda Rousey won't fight at 145 due to trust issues with drug testing

Ronda Rousey could fight Cris Cyborg at 145. She doesn't want to though, because she doesn't trust the drug testing in place.

Greg Bartram-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has risen to superstar status in a little over a year, and has created waves of controversy along the way. One of of the things she did to get this far was to drop from 145 pounds to 135, where she won a championship. But a lot of people thought she did it because she was avoiding the 145 champ at the time - Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos. After Cyborg's steroid suspension, Ronda has asked Cyborg to make 135 before she'd fight her. She's made it clear she won't do it at 145. But why? She explained it to Sherdog Radio recently:

"I could, but I'm choosing not to because honestly, I don't trust any of the drug testing. I've been doing this a very, very long time and I was in the Olympics with the most stringent drug testing in the world. You know a lot of those people are doping. There's new advances in drug testing every single year because people find new ways to cheat. The only way I can really feel like it would be a fair fight is if it's down at 135. If she's doped to the gills and making 145, it's not really that far-fetched for me to think that someone not on steroids could move down a division."

Cyborg has said in the past that she can't make 135 because she was advised against it by her doctors. Rousey had a quick response to that:

"Is this the same doctor that was giving you the steroids? What do you think he tells his other girls when you’re pumped full of roids, pummeling them in the face? It just sounds so hypocritical to me. I can’t stand it."

It's smart of Ronda to keep this fight in the spotlight, because while she states that she is Cyborg's only option, she really doesn't have that many herself. Sara McMann could definitely be a challenge if she can get through Liz Carmouche. But another bout with Miesha Tate isn't going to move the needle much, and there aren't many other top challengers at the moment. Is it wrong for Rousey to want Cyborg to come to 135? Or is she ducking her as some attest?

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