UFC boss Dana White insisted Ronda Rousey has been left “devastated” after her brutal defeat against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in Las Vegas.
Making her long-awaited return to the Octagon, Rousey was pummelled with punches by the Brazilian from the off, with referee Herb Dean eventually stepping in to stop the fight after just 48 seconds, with the challenger almost out on her feet.
Afterward, White suggested the defeat has hit the former champion hard, not to mention some of her fans in attendance, per Dave Doyle of MMA Junkie:
The fight at UFC 207 was Rousey’s first of the year. The bantamweight star had been out of action for more than 12 months following her shock defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015.
That loss was the first of her professional MMA career and one that Rousey found particularly difficult to swallow. White suggested that she’s in a much better place to cope at this juncture following this latest setback:
It’ll certainly be fascinating to see where Rousey goes from here. After all, there was no sign that the technical flaws Holm so ruthlessly exposed at UFC 193 had been addressed in this contest, as Nunes was able to tag her with shots time after time in the opening exchanges.
Per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press, Nunes landed a massive 27 punches in the 48 seconds the fight was alive. White insisted the champion deserves great credit for her performance at UFC 207 and throughout 2016 as a whole:
Rousey had trailblazed her way to the summit of the sport earlier in her career, blitzing opponents routinely with her pugnacious fighting style and judoka background. She won her first 12 professional fights, with all 12 coming inside the scheduled distance, including nine triumphs via submission.
However, once the dominant force in the division, it’s evident the chasing pack, who previously seemed so far back, have caught up to her. Holm outlined the blueprint to nullify Rousey in 2015, and it was one Nunes followed to perfection, capitalising on some brittle defence.
At 29, Rousey could arguably still bounce back from this defeat and go on to have more success in the sport, although the initial signs aren’t good. Per Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated, it’s a defeat she’s not taken well:
Nunes, meanwhile, was adamant that this win represents a dawning of a new era for the division. “She had her time,” she said following the win, per Josh Gross of the Guardian. “She did a lot for this sport. Thank you Ronda Rousey … I’m the champion, the Lion!”
Indeed, the relentlessness of Nunes’ approach in this one was reminiscent of Rousey during her pomp. Once the Brazilian landed her first punch in the opening exchanges, an early surrender always looked on the cards for the former queen of the division.
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