In lieu of Ronda Rousey’s :34 second knockout victory of Bethe Correia last night, her sixth UFC Women’s Bantamweight title defense, every sports blog around the world has been posing the question: Is Ronda Rousey the greatest athlete of all time?
This article won’t attempt to answer that question. However, I will explain my choices for the top five most dominant athletes ever. This distinction is key. While Michael Jordan was one of the greatest players in sports history, he won’t make this list due to the level of competition he faced.
Sure, there were days, months and even entire years where he was consistently the best player on the court, but there were others that could occasionally be better for a short time. Jordan did not “dominate” to the extent that these five athletes did. There may be better and greater athletes than some on this list, but these are the most dominant to ever grace us with their talents.
5. Babe Ruth- OF, P Red Sox, Yankees
I don’t think Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player ever, but there was no one more dominant. In a time when home runs were less common, Ruth hit 714. As a pitcher, he had two 20-win seasons in six years, and a 2.19 ERA in six years with the Red Sox. From 1918 to 1931, Ruth led the majors in home runs in 12 of 14 years and finished his career with a .342 lifetime batting average.
Ruth transformed the game of baseball and is still a household name nearly 100 years later.
4. Jim Brown- RB Browns
Jim Brown is the greatest athlete of all time. Period. Despite playing just nine years of professional football, he left as the record-holder in career rushing and all-purpose yards and touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl every year he played, and reached 106 rushing touchdowns despite playing shorter seasons.
He led the league in all-purpose yards a record five times and led the league in rushing eight of nine seasons. It doesn’t hurt that Brown is also a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was selected in the 1957 NBA draft. Did I mention he also qualified for the Olympics in the decathlon?
3. Michael Phelps- Swimmer
The career Olympic medal record-holder has notched 22 medals in his career. Phelps was the most decorated Olympian in 2004, 2008 and 2012. His eight gold medals in Beijing in 2008 are a record. For a time, he was unbeatable, often blowing out his competition Phelps came out of retirement in 2014 and still dominates most of his competition.
For a time, opponents stood no chance against Phelps and each event would essentially become a competition for second place. It remains unclear in Phelps will swim in the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, but if he does, he will once again be the favorite in nearly every event in which he competes.
2. Wilt Chamberlain- C Philadelphia 76ers
Wilt Chamberlain was a man among boys. A seven-footer during a time when 6-foot-8 centers usually had a height advantage, Chamberlain set a number of unbreakable records.
We’ve all heard of his 100-point game, but he scored more than 50 points a record 118 times. He also owns the record for season scoring average with 50.4 points per game in the 1961-1962 season.
In 1968, Chamberlain led the league in rebounding, points and assists in the same season, a feat never matched. As a rookie, Chamberlain averaged 27 rebounds per game. He is the only player to average 30 points and 20 rebounds in a season, which he did nine times.
Simply put, ‘Wilt the Stilt’ dominated.
1. Ronda Rousey- Mixed Martial Artist
Much like Phelps, Rousey has become a cultural icon. From starring in action films to gracing the cover of various health and fitness, lifestyle and sports magazines, Rousey has made MMA fans out of ordinary people.
Rousey is 12-0 in her MMA career and 6-0 in her UFC, with just one fight making it past the first round. Rousey won her first eight fights via a first-round armbar before defeating previously undefeated Sara McMann by a technical knockout, also in the first round.
Rousey is so dominant, that it has become difficult for Vegas to pick the odds of Rousey losing a fight. Instead many betting companies place their odds on how long ROusey’s opponents will survive.
Rousey’s last three fights have lasted a total of 1:04 including the shortest fight in a UFC Championship Match when she submitted Cat Zingano in :14. In that match, Rousey did not attempt a single strike.
Rousey won the 2015 ESPY for “Best Fighter” over Floyd Mayweather, who recently defeated Manny Pacquiao to move to 48-0-0 in his career, a feat in its own right.
Rousey proved once again last night that she is the most dominant athlete on the planet. No woman can even challenge her. Much like the other men of this list, Rousey is the pinnacle of athletic success, and it may be a long time before any athlete gets close to her level of domination. She won’t be falling off the map anytime soon.