When Joe Rogan stepped into the UFC Octagon to talk to Ronda Rousey after her 16-second destruction of Alexis Davis at UFC 175, asking if the UFC women’s bantamweight champion could step in at UFC 176 to save the pay-per-view, the MMA community held its collective breath.
Could Rousey transcend everything, even her own superhero-like performance against Davis, and headline a card less than one month away?
The answer is no, and UFC President Dana White was not pleased with the question in the first place. White’s demeanor and reaction clearly spelled out the answer for us at home. However, even if he had OK’d the decision and even if Rousey had wanted the fight, some lingering injuries may have prevented her from doing so anyway.
After the fight, Rousey announced that she had a cyst on her knuckle that burst when she threw an overhand right to kick off the bout. That injury required nine stitches, but the champ’s road to a full recovery doesn’t end there.
Rousey also said she has a minor knee surgery planned in her near future. While the 135-pound superstar said the surgery is nothing more than routine maintenance, it completely derails any notion of her getting back in the cage without a decent chunk of time allotted for her full recovery.
While Rousey filling in on late notice to save the day at UFC 176 would have made for a sensational storyline as the UFC progresses through the second half of 2014, we’ll have to take what Rousey gave us at UFC 175 for now.
Those 16 seconds showed that she’s a cut above the rest of the division, and witnessing her full greatness in that bout should provide more than enough to hold off our cravings until the next time she steps foot inside the Octagon, whenever that may be.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updates on Rousey’s injuries and future bouts.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com