Gina Carano, Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino and Holly Holm — those are the three women most frequently mentioned as possible opponents for reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Between them, the triumvirate of suitors has exactly zero appearances inside the Octagon, let alone victories.
Holm has been the most active of the three, earning her fourth victory in the last 10 months this past Friday to push her professional MMA record to 7-0. Justino is the most accomplished of the bunch as far as MMA is concerned, having rolled through the competition in the 145-pound ranks, but there have been concerns about her ability to make the 135-pound limit for a potential title fight with Rousey.
And then there is Carano, the most unlikely challenger of the group given that she hasn’t competed since losing to "Cyborg" five years ago and had her own share of troubles making weight. But when you look at things in terms of potential box office returns, the Haywire star suddenly surges to the head of the list of non-UFC competitors that could potentially face Rousey.
"Every time I see a post, I’m like, ‘This is ridiculous!’" admitted women’s bantamweight contender Alexis Davis, speaking with Sportsnet on Tuesday.
You can’t blame the 29-year-old Canadian for being annoyed. Davis has earned a trio of wins since moving to the UFC from Strikeforce last year, most recently edging out Jessica Eye by split decision at UFC 170. Prior to that, she dominated former title challenger Liz Carmouche, who returns to action in the co-main event of slot of this month’s UFC on FOX event in Orlando. Davis currently sits No. 2 in the women’s bantamweight rankings, with only Cat Zingano standing between her and Rousey.
While the unbeaten Zingano earned the opportunity to fight for the title by defeating Miesha Tate in her UFC debut this time last year, a torn knee ligament forced her out of her coaching position opposite the women’s bantamweight champion on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A second knee injury and the death of her husband, Mauricio, in January have her future up in the air.
"It’s very frustrating for me (listening to people) talk about No. 1 contendership when you haven’t even had a fight in the organization," said the 19-5 Davis, who has won eight of her last nine fights. "I feel like I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am, I’ve fought some very tough opponents, and I feel like I should be next in line.
"In regards to Cat, I’m not sure what the whole situation is, but I’m dying — just give me that chance."
Ever the realist, Davis understands that big names and box office returns play a part in putting championship fights together. She sees the "business sense" behind a potential bout between Rousey and Carano, the two biggest stars during women’s MMA’s brief time in the spotlight. That said, the self-described "quiet girl" isn’t very high on the fight’s potential in the cage and admits that she needs to turn up the smack talk in order to get more attention.
"It’s very hard for me to talk smack because I really just want to fight. It’s almost like you have to become an actor or actress — you have to put yourself out there and play this part. It’s almost like what the WWE does — you have to portray a character in order to get fans to notice you.
"I saw the other day, something about Gina Carano going to talk to Dana White. Obviously the UFC looks at that and that’s a huge selling point. Regardless of how long it has been since Gina has fought, everybody knows who Gina Carano is — she was the first big name for women’s MMA — and for them, it’s a business.
"But do I think it would be a good fight for a true fight fan? Not really."
With the UFC schedule for the second half of the year beginning to take shape, Davis is eager to see what the organization has planned for her. While an opportunity to fight Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title remains at the top of her wish list, the Port Colborne, Ont., native wants to remain active and do whatever it takes to get her closer to that ever-elusive title shot.
"You can only do this for so long, and the point where I am in my career it’s like stopping at brown belt — you haven’t quite gotten to your black belt, so you’ve got to keep going," said Davis, who holds black belts in both Brazilian and Japanese jiu-jitsu.
"If they keep me on the bench and I get that opportunity for a title fight, I’ll take it, but I want to keep active. With the UFC having so many events, there are plenty of opportunities.
"We’re looking at late summer," she continued, noting that she could walk to weigh-ins for the UFC on FOX event scheduled to take place San Jose at the end of July. "I want to fight one of the top players, an opponent that is going to be able to push me to earn that contender’s spot."
Given that she already sports a 3-0 record inside the Octagon, it’s hard to believe Davis hasn’t already earned that spot. But getting your name out there is as important — if not more important — as collecting victories when it comes to determining contenders in the UFC these days.
While boasting about her accomplishments and trying to draw attention to herself outside of the cage isn’t her forte, Davis knows it’s something she needs to embrace more moving forward in order to get what the opportunity she believes she deserves.
"I’m going to have to do something crazy," Davis joked. "I going to have to hand over my Twitter and Facebook to someone else that can talk better smack than I can. This is the most outspoken I’ve been in years, but it’s something that you have to dig deep down and do."
Considering all the focus is falling on fighters competing outside of the UFC — and not competing at all right now — it’s not a bad idea. With that in mind, Davis has one final message for the UFC and the rest of the title hopefuls in the women’s bantamweight division.
"I’m still here and I want the opportunity to hold that belt."
