If you blinked, you probably missed her.
After a week of silence, Ronda Rousey emerged at the UFC 207 ceremonial weigh-ins to look UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in the eye. Anyone hoping to finally hear her sell the fight, however, was left disappointed as she turned her back and walked off immediately after. Check out the video here:
Nunes would stick around and discuss how important this fight is for her, but Rousey was long gone by the time she finished her thought.
This is, more or less, par for the course for this fight.
While the 2008 Olympic medalist carved out a reputation as one of MMA‘s most media-savvy fighters during her lengthy championship reign, she has largely stayed out of the spotlight since dropping the UFC women’s bantamweight title to Holly Holm in 2015. After a few trips down the red carpet in early 2016, highlighted by appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated for its Swimsuit Edition and hosting Saturday Night Live, Rousey largely disappeared from the the public sphere.
She famously reemerged at the UFC 205 ceremonial weigh-ins and set the tone for the build to UFC 207 by storming off the stage after staring down Nunes. Since then, Rousey has kept her appearances to a bare minimum, doing just a few high-profile interviews while pulling out of numerous “Fight Week” functions, including the pre-fight press conferences and open workouts.
Many have questioned whether this is indicative of nerves or even a lack of interest on Rousey’s part, but the former champ seems to be completely focused on reclaiming her title. She was the first to arrive at the official weigh-ins on Thursday morning, hitting the scale at 135 pounds and walking away in under 15 seconds. Rousey certainly looked the part of a woman on a warpath at the ceremonial weigh-ins.
That said, sharp-eyed fans and pundits saw her flash a quick smirk. The reason, she discussed on Instagram, was the boisterous fan reaction at the weigh-ins. “Thank you everyone who came out to support at the weigh-ins today,” she said. “Looking forward to proving you all right tomorrow.”
Of course, she needs to take home a win over Amanda Nunes on Friday night to avoid being jeered for this controversial approach. If she can’t, she may be in for even more schadenfreude than when she faced Holm.
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