Sara McMann: I will always be Ronda Rousey's hardest opponent inside the Octagon

Swallowing a loss, in any sport, is a tough thing to do.

More so in combat sports, where in the blink of an eye the tides can turn, as you can be in the fight one minute and on your back staring at the lights the next. Just ask Alistair Overeem, who says despite getting flattened by Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 50 a few months back, he wasn't knocked out and will easily win the rematch.

Or Dustin Poirier, who despite getting finished in the first round at UFC 178 by Conor McGregor, still believes he just "got caught" and has the tools to defeat "Notorious."

And while Sara McMann isn't disputing her loss or making excuses for getting creamed by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in the very first round earlier this year, she believes she is and will be "Rowdy's" hardest opponent inside the Octagon.

Which is why she is hell bent on a rematch against the Judoka, as she recently told FOX Sports:

"I thought that anyways. I will always be the hardest one, because I'm the hardest one for her to control. Compared to everyone else, I have the strongest wrestling background."

Rousey wasn't too impressed with McMann's promotional skills, as she criticized her fellow Olympian for not putting it all out there during media duties in the lead up to UFC 170.

That's why Rousey felt the need to say that Sara didn't want everything that came with being a champion -- media included -- which may have affected her fight. Sara, for one, wholeheartedly disagrees with that claim.

Her words:

"I don't want somebody else speaking about what I am or am not. I don't say what Ronda Rousey is and isn't, because I don't know her personally. She is not the authority for what I am and what I am not ready for. I had to come to terms that it is part of my job. I enjoy privacy. But I know if I want to be the No. 1 girl, I have to compromise. She wasn't right in that respect. Once I accepted the title fight, I was a big girl. I put my big girl panties on."

Before McMann gets her much-desired rematch against Rousey, she will have to rack up a few impressive wins to get her back to the No. 1 contender's spot; and is well on her way as she defeated Lauren Murphy at UFC Fight night 47 earlier this year.

According to the wrestling powerhouse, she has verbally agreed to face Miesha Tate later this year, though nothing has been confirmed by UFC.

A fight and subsequent victory over Tate -- who has two losses to Ronda -- will be a good jumping off point on her way back to a title shot.