It is anybody’s guess whether Ronda Rousey will ever fight again. But if she does return, she’ll first need to wait until February 14 to do so, thanks to the damage she sustained in her knockout loss to Amanda Nunes Friday at UFC 207.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission released the details of every medical suspension handed out after UFC 207 (h/t Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting). Although the suspension list gave no specific injury in Rousey’s case, it stands to reason that the time off is related to the subconcussive trauma of repeated blows to the head.
Rousey’s 45-day suspension was the headliner of the bunch, given her lofty position in the sport, but it was nowhere near the stiffest of the bunch.
Popular bantamweight John Lineker led a group of four fighters who received six-month suspensions (Ray Borg, Niko Price and Alex Oliveira were the others). Typically accustomed to dishing out punishment, Lineker absorbed more than his share against TJ Dillashaw and suffered a broken jaw as a result.
Dominick Cruz, who lost his men’s bantamweight title to Cody Garbrandt Friday, also was suspended 45 days because of a laceration over his left eyebrow.
All in all, Rousey’s night could have been worse from an injury standpoint. The referee stepped in and called a stop to the action only 48 seconds into the fight. Although Rousey (12-2) had not been knocked down, it was clear to observers that she had had enough. Nunes (14-4), who became a late entrant into Fighter of the Year discussions with her emphatic title defense, ran her jab through Rousey’s defenses, and the former champ crumbled soon after.
Following the loss, Rousey did not speak with the media, in keeping with her own customs of late, but released a brief statement to ESPN (h/t MMA Fighting) indicating she was going to “take some time to reflect and think about the future” before making any decisions about whether to return to action.
Rousey’s last loss was, famously, a head-kick knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. It was the first of Rousey’s pro MMA career, and she received a 180-day medical suspension afterward. UFC 207 was Rousey’s first fight since that defeat.
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