Thursday 13 August 2015 06:17, UK
UFC female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has claimed she could beat Floyd Mayweather in a 'no rules' fight.
The 28-year-old made her comments during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, during which she was asked if she could overcome the unbeaten five-division world boxing champion.
Rousey – a bronze medallist in judo for the USA at the 2008 Olympics – said: "Do I think I would legit beat Mayweather in a ruleless fight? Floyd is one of the best boxers of all time.
"He would definitely beat me in a boxing match. I unfortunately don't get into ‘matches’. I fight for a living. In a no rules fight, I believe I can beat anyone on this planet.
"Boxing is a sweet science with strict rules that I respect very much and aspire every day to improve at. But you said ruleless fight, and that's my honest answer."
There has been bad blood between Rousey and Mayweather – who meets Andre Berto in what he says will be his last fight on September 12 – since last year.
She is also undefeated and was angered when her fellow American claimed he didn’t know who she was last July, something she insisted was untrue.
Rousey said then: "He was running against me for Best Fighter that year and he had signed MMA fighters so his feigned ignorance was meant to really be a snarky remark to me."
Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor said in a Guardian interview this week he felt both he and Rousey could defeat Mayweather.
In a real fight I would dismantle him in seconds. Ronda would dismantle him in seconds – 100 per cent.
McGregor said: "In a real fight I would dismantle him in seconds. Ronda would dismantle him in seconds – 100 per cent.
"When you don’t know how to grapple you don’t stand a chance. For us, it’s like playing with a baby. People who don’t understand the sport cannot understand how vulnerable they are.
"There are always clinches and Ronda is a judo Olympian. She would throw Floyd on his head in a second. Me? I would knock him out. Cold."
