UFC 207: Amanda Nunes Destroys Ronda Rousey
Amanda Nunes annihilated Ronda Rousey to retain the women’s bantamweight title in the first round of the main event at UFC 207. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas came to a standstill, as the former bantamweight champion’s return ended inside a minute.
Ronda Rousey was once again battered by her opponent and lost her second consecutive fight. Her last defeat was at the hands of Holly Holm on November 14, 2015. Amanda Nunes proved to be far superior to Rousey, as she knocked her out inside the first round. The fight lasted only 48 seconds.
The Fight: Breakdown
Ronda (12-2) returned from a 13-month absence and never managed to secure a win against Nunes (14-4). Rousey was caught off guard by a flurry of punches carried out by Nunes in the first few seconds of round one. Nunes landed a big right hand in the opening seconds into the fight and hurt her. Rousey tried to throw punches of her own but landed none. Ronda displayed an uncharacteristic way of fighting, and whatever she did in the ring, did not help her overpower Nunes. Rousey moved unsteadily, and momentarily lost her balance while Nunes unceasingly followed her and landed multiple shots.
Amanda Nunes showed amazing defense by not letting Ronda take her to the ground. Ronda Rousey is known for her Judo, but her opponent, who boxed her way toward a spectacular win, kept her at a distance. Amanda Nunes overwhelmed Rousey by landing 23 of the 35 strikes she threw. All of them were powerful shots and Ronda just couldn’t keep up. At the end, Herb Dean (referee) had to step in and stop the onslaught. Nunes knocked out Rousey in 48 seconds of the first round to retain her bantamweight title for the very first time. “This is amazing,” Nunes said in jubilation.
Is This The End For Ronda Rousey?
Ronda Rousey’s much-awaited comeback didn’t even last a minute. Her future in the sport is clearly in question. She’s the biggest star in the women’s game. Rousey made her return for the first time since losing to Holly Holm in November 2015. She lost her title to Holm and went into a state of privacy. The public couldn’t even get a glimpse of her. There were no promotional appearances by Rousey. She appeared to be totally focused and determined to get the title back. On ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, Rousey said that she’s heading into the final fights of her career. But, it seems she’ll reconsider continuing in the sport, as she got brutally defeated by Amanda Nunes. It’ll be hard for Ronda to move ahead as she had so vigorously prepared for her comeback. Sadly for her, it was all in vain.
After the fight, Nunes stated that people should move on and not talk about Ronda Rousey anymore. “Forget about Ronda Rousey!” Nunes shouted to the crowd. Amanda went on to say that there are many other talented fighters in the women’s division, and Ronda’s time is over. Prior to the fight, Amanda Nunes didn’t get much attention as Ronda Rousey did. Rousey was the favourite and Nunes was set aside. However, this did not affect the latter in any way. She showed up in the octagon and delivered the goods. She made Rousey look like an amateur in the ring. To add insult to injury, Nunes posted a meme that featured her pushing Rousey around in a baby stroller.
It looks like Ronda Rousey has lost her flow as a fighter and no one knows what her next step will be. She was the first woman to register in the UFC. Ronda is the reason why Dana White (UFC president) considered women fighting. She has amassed great respect and admiration from around the world. Even if she decides to retire, she would still have the respect of her fans, and it would be an end to a great run.
Photo: Getty images