While having brunch on Sunday morning, I was distracted by loud cheering coming from the inside of the restaurant. I quickly located the source of the noise: a group of male Valley rugby players who were watching the television. I expected to see a rugby match going on but was surprised to see two women on screen. For the next few minutes I was treated to replays of Ronda Rousey knocking out Bethe Correia. Each time the knockout punch was shown from a different angle, the rugby players burst into thunderous hooting.
I am not a fan of UFC. I engaged in my share of bare knuckle boxing when I moved to Florida and offended the locals with the horror of a mixed race spawn. With the exception of Sharon H, I
gave back better than I got, but hitting someone with your fist hurts almost as much as getting hit. I didn't like all of that pain and this is coming from someone who loves playing rugby. Sharon H was the first person in my school to drop out, by the way.
Despite my distaste for fighting, I was pleased to note that no one watching the fight seemed to be judging the fighters by their genders or making exceptions for them because they were women. What I heard was hearty appreciation for the prowess and power displayed by Ms. Rousey in dispatching her opponent in 34 seconds.
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