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Finding an opponent for Ronda Rousey no easy task

Steven Marrocco
USA TODAY Sports
Ronda Rousey at a Q&A session in Macau this week.

It would be hard for anyone to upstage Ronda Rousey at this moment, but the UFC women's bantamweight titleholder is ready to share the spotlight.

"That's what's so unique about Ronda," Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White said Tuesday in Macau, where he was with the 27-year-old fighter and budding movie star as she rubbed elbows with sponsors and bigwigs in advance of Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le. "Ronda gets excited about new women that get signed."

At the pace she's going, Rousey (10-0 mixed martial arts, 4-0 UFC) should be looking for a good co-star. A 16-second decimation of Alexis Davis in July — her fourth title defense in 17 months — was of questionable value to the long-term appeal of women's MMA.

The UFC recently added to its roster Holly Holm (7-0, 0-0), a former boxing champ who has knocked out several MMA opponents with head kicks and could be the one to sting Rousey with a good shot. Fresh off a public relations blitz for The Expendables 3, Rousey said she'd be happy to give Holm the chance.

"I think that she's not just great for a title fight, she's great for the whole division and giving the women some real legitimacy," Rousey said. "I couldn't be happier about her joining the company."

Unfortunately for Rousey, she can't celebrate the arrival of her most desired opponent. Gina Carano (7-1, 0-0), the former Strikeforce star-turned-actress, has hit a snag in negotiations with the UFC.

A fight with the former face of women's MMA is undeniably attractive for Rousey, though, not to mention the most potentially lucrative. She hopes a deal can be brokered.

"You ever heard the saying, 'Work until your idols become your rivals'? It would really be a dream come true to fight Gina — and not in a malicious sense," Rousey said. "It's the highest respect that I could show to her — to come and fight her and give her every single thing that I have."

While a fight with Carano, who hasn't fought in five years, wouldn't bring much credibility to Rousey's title reign, White is increasingly warm to the idea of signing her biggest rival and most serious threat: Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino (12-1, 0-0).

Once openly hostile to the former Strikeforce champ, White is skeptical about Justino's ability to make the move from featherweight down to bantamweight, but he said he would try to sign her if she hits the weight limit this year in her 135-pound debut for the all-female promotion Invicta FC.

"She's going to make the weight and do it in Invicta," he said. "We'll see what happens, and we'll go from there. (Ronda) does want this fight. I know a lot of people talk a lot of (expletive) like she doesn't, but she does."

"I'd love that, too, but I don't make fights," chimed in Rousey, striking a far more conciliatory tone than in previous interviews. "I just show up and win them."

Marrocco writes for MMAjunkie.

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