Ronda Rousey may be one of the UFC’s biggest stars, but according to Amanda Nunes, she’s not as important as winning the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
It wasn’t that long ago that Ronda Rousey wasn’t just the champion of the 135 lb women’s division, she essentially was the division. Her reign as title holder overshadowed all when it came to the women fighting at bantamweight. Fighters were, generally, only judged by how they’d hypothetically match up with Rousey if they ever got the chance to face her. And then Ronda lost, badly, to Holly Holm back at UFC 193. And not much has been seen of her since.
If recent beachfront footage is anything to judge by, she may be gearing up for a return to the cage sometime soon, but even Dana White doesn’t seem all that sure of just when, if at all. And, as the buildup to UFC 200 ramps up, current bantamweight title challenger Amanda Nunes seems pretty comfortable with the idea that a big-money fight with Rousey may not be immediately on offer. She sat down for a fan Q&A before UFC 198 last weekend and here’s what she had to say when asked if a potential fight with Rousey would be bigger than winning UFC gold (transcript via MMA Fighting):
“After I get the belt, I will be well prepared to face anyone they put in front of me,” Nunes said during a Q&A with the fans prior to UFC 198 weigh-ins Friday. “What matters the most now is the belt. Winning it, I’ll train specifically for each opponent, and I will be ready for Ronda, for sure, because she’s no big deal. She just lost, and will lose again if she fights me.”
Nunes also spoke about her upcoming title fight with Miesha Tate, suggesting that Tate has yet to face a fighter that has Nunes’ finishing power. She touched on her recent win over Valentina Shevchenko, as well, and while she suggested taht she doesn’t know why she gassed in that fight, she and her team at ATT are doing everything they can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
UFC 200 goes down July 9th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card will be headlined by a light heavyweight title unification bout between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. In the co-main event, Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar will compete for the interim featherweight title. Nunes vs. Tate will round out the top 3 in their bantamweight title scrap. Stay tuned for more news and updates.