Since last Friday’s (December 30) UFC 207, the internet has once again exploded with Ronda Rousey mania. After a year away from the octagon, ‘Rowdy’ attempted to make a big comeback against Amanda Nunes. As it turned out, the previously dominant star bit off more than she could chew. Taking care of business in 48
Since last Friday’s (December 30) UFC 207, the internet has once again exploded with Ronda Rousey mania. After a year away from the octagon, ‘Rowdy’ attempted to make a big comeback against Amanda Nunes. As it turned out, the previously dominant star bit off more than she could chew. Taking care of business in 48 seconds, ‘The Lioness’ left Rousey with two straight losses and some decisions to make. Having already discussed retirement before UFC 207, Rousey’s future as a fighter is now potentially over.
When all is said and done, ‘Rowdy’s’ accomplishments in the octagon can never be erased. This did not stop the internet from reacting to UFC 207 with a barrage of brutal memes, though. Taking it to a whole new level this time, social media is still gushing, awash with memes and gifs of Rousey’s latest defeat. One particular troll job came from a fellow fighter in Michael ‘Venom’ Page. Releasing a video of himself dancing and mocking Rousey, the Bellator welterweight showed it’s not only fans who can be somewhat harsh.
Travis Browne Responds
UFC heavyweight and boyfriend of Rousey, Travis Browne is not amused by Page’s antics. Given the nature of the former champion’s difficulties after the Holm loss at UFC 193, this comes as no surprise. Taking to his Twitter account, ‘Hapa’ ‘tweeted & deleted’ this fight challenge to Page:
Catchweight?
It seems Ronda Rousey’s latest return has everybody talking about the sport again. Although she was out of the media all year, including during the pre-fight, ‘Rowdy’ continues to dominate the headlines. Did the UFC rush their biggest star’s comeback? Perhaps so, ultimately she may have been better served taking a ‘tune up’ fight before challenging Nunes. Props to WMMARankingsfor picking up the Tweet before it got taken down.
Final thoughts-did Michael Page go too far with his latest antics?
Ahead of this past Friday (December 30) all eyes were on Ronda Rousey. Coming back for the first time since her knockout loss to Holly Holm, ‘Rowdy’ received an immediate title fight at UFC 207. Even after such a brutal loss and her time in recluse, many were picking ‘Rowdy’ for victory against Nunes. Putting
Ahead of this past Friday (December 30) all eyes were on Ronda Rousey. Coming back for the first time since her knockout loss to Holly Holm, ‘Rowdy’ received an immediate title fight at UFC 207. Even after such a brutal loss and her time in recluse, many were picking ‘Rowdy’ for victory against Nunes. Putting all that discussion to rest right away, ‘The Lioness’ battered Rousey in just 48 seconds. Again eyeing an uncertain future, the former Olympian’s striking game has become a topic of debate.
Questions about Rousey’s mental readiness or the ‘fire’ to compete aside, where was her stand up? Obviously most people are looking at Edmond Tarverdyan first. After her fight with Holm, coach Edmond’s credentials came under fire, and the story since UFC 207 is no different.
Joe Rogan’s Thoughts
Speaking during last night’s UFC 207 recap on the JRE, Rogan raised some intriguing points:
“That was just so surreal, it was the least competitive main event ever I think I’ve seen. Even McGregor vs. Aldo was just one dynamic shot that landed and put him out. Physically, Ronda looked great. There were some red flags before though, what kind of sparring was she doing?”
“I saw video of her hitting pads with Edmond (Tarverdyan) and they were just standing in front of each other. She wasn’t moving, she was just standing still hitting pads like pop-pop-pop. She had to close the distance and clinch, the idea to stand against Amanda Nunes was ludicrous. The difference in punching power was literally double.”
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Marketing Ploy
Rogan spoke out weeks before UFC 207 about the skewed promotion by the UFC. Claiming the hype videos that essentially focused solely on Rousey were ‘bizarre,’ the commentator delves further in to the UFC’s promotion of her return:
“The whole thing was a big marketing hype piece within the Ronda Rousey business. A lot of people were 100% sure that Ronda wins, I was 100% sure ‘who the fuck knows?’ Ronda was in amazing shape, you think about the things she was able to do in the past. Maybe she flips Nunes on her head and gets the armbar, then suddenly she’s the greatest again. She was standing straight up in the air, wasn’t moving her head, then she put her legs together. That’s when you know someone is really hurt, because sh*t just isn’t working properly.”
“When she got knocked out by Holly, I really think there are a lot of people who are never the same. Those neck kicks do a lot of damage, people can’t absorb those shots. When you get hit in the neck like that and collapse, it’s doing so much damage. The Nunes fight was hard to watch. After she beat Rousey, she put a finger up to her mouth and went right up to Edmond and went ‘shhh!’”
Brendan Schaub & Eddie Bravo
Schaub
“She wasn’t there, though, mentally. I think there were things leading up to it, the biggest red flag was Dana White. For him to say she could skip all the media sh*t, there’s just something going on there. Edmond is obviously a terrible coach. I felt like after the first jab Ronda was just lost.”
Bravo
“I feel like she needs to go train wrestling every day, twice a day. We shouldn’t be seeing highlight reels of her hitting pads, she should be hitting singles and doubles all day. If I’m training a Muay Thai striker in Jiu Jitsu, I’m not telling him to go out there and get the fight to the ground. I want him to win the fight with his Muay Thai, then we get another four months to improve the ground game. It’s like some coaches want to see their fighter win with their moves, their speciality.”
Ronda Rousey’s highly anticipated returned to action in the main event of this past Friday’s (Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada proved to be another setback for the former champion, as she was destroyed by Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds. This fight marked Rousey’s first since she shockingly surrendered her title
Ronda Rousey’s highly anticipated returned to action in the main event of this past Friday’s (Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada proved to be another setback for the former champion, as she was destroyed by Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds. This fight marked Rousey’s first since she shockingly surrendered her title to Holly Holm 13 months ago at UFC 193 in Nov. 2015.
After that fight, the “Rowdy” one remained away from the media for the majority of 2016, but UFC President Dana White that she’s in ‘better spirits’ after the loss to Nunes:
“I went backstage after and hung out with her for probably 40-45 minutes,” White said on a recent edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter”. “I’ll tell you this: She’s in better spirits this time than she was after the Holly fight. She’s very competitive. She does not like to lose. She loves to win, and she loves to do what she sets out to do.”
Rousey’s fighting future is currently unclear and she’s received quite a bit of criticism, as both Holm and Nunes were able to exploit and expose a major flaw in her striking game. Despite the criticism, however, White noted that Rousey ‘built’ women’s MMA into what it is and that her legacy is cemented nonetheless:
“(It) wasn’t her night, and none of this would be here without Ronda Rousey,” White said. “Ronda Rousey built this. She talked me into letting women come into the UFC, and it was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Regardless of whether she comes back, she doesn’t come back – she’s a winner. She built this whole thing.”
What do you make of Rousey at this point of her career?
The UFC closed out 2016 with a massive card last night (Dec. 30, 2016), as UFC 207 went down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only was it the year’s last card, but UFC 207 also represented one of the year’s most monumental cards. The main event featured
The UFC closed out 2016 with a massive card last night (Dec. 30, 2016), as UFC 207 went down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not only was it the year’s last card, but UFC 207 also represented one of the year’s most monumental cards.
The main event featured a bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and returning ex-champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. The co-main event also played host to a 135-pound title fight, as Dominick Cruz squared off with Cody “No Love” Garbrandt.
The event provided fight fans with exciting fights, but also gave fans new insights and answers to questions that had been lingering.
Let’s take a look at the five biggest takeaways from UFC 207:
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
TJ Dillashaw Is The No. 1 Bantamweight Contender
The bantamweight title picture was indeed mixed up last night and while a certain former champion whom we will discuss later on may receive an immediate rematch, we learned that ex-titleholder TJ Dillashaw is the division’s No. 1-contender.
Dillashaw took on red-hot No. 2-ranked John Lineker on the main card of last night’s event and scored a dominant decision victory. The hard hitting Lineker had been riding a four fight win streak, but Dillashaw was able to beat him soundly, making it look easy in the process.
The ex-champion also scored a similar type of victory over another top contender in Raphael Assuncao last July, giving him two straight victories since losing the title to Dominick Cruz last January. Dillashaw has now knocked off two dangerous contenders in a row and he should receive the next shot at gold.
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey hasn’t competed since surrendering her title in brutal fashion to Holly Holm at Nov. 2015’s UFC 193, but she will finally return to action in the main event of tomorrow night’s (Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 as she takes on reigning champion Amanda Nunes. While all of the
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey hasn’t competed since surrendering her title in brutal fashion to Holly Holm at Nov. 2015’s UFC 193, but she will finally return to action in the main event of tomorrow night’s (Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 as she takes on reigning champion Amanda Nunes.
While all of the attention has been placed on her return, many have also speculated on the future of the “Rowdy” one, as she has said that she likely won’t fight too many more times. In fact, UFC President Dana White doesn’t know if the ex-champion will fight again after UFC 207 if things don’t go her way:
“I think if Ronda wins, we will see her again,” White said on ESPN earlier today. “If she loses, I don’t know.”
White also touched on Rousey’s legacy, saying that her past accomplishments speak for themselves, although he did admit that she has a massive opportunity waiting in front of her:
“She’s very competitive, so if she loses I’ll have to see how this thing plays out, but her legacy?” White said. “I mean, she held the title, she was the most dominant female ever. And if you look at since she lost, every time there’s been a fight the belt has been handed over. So, on Friday night she has the opportunity to come back, get her belt back and cement her legacy.”
Do you expect Rousey to get by Nunes? And if not, do you expect to ever see her in the Octagon again?
UFC 207 is slated to take place tomorrow night (Dec. 30, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event will feature a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and returning ex-champion Ronda Ronda Rousey. The co-main event will also play host to a bantamweight title
UFC 207 is slated to take place tomorrow night (Dec. 30, 2016) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main event will feature a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and returning ex-champion Ronda Ronda Rousey. The co-main event will also play host to a bantamweight title fight between divisional kingpin Dominick Cruz and hard hitting challenger Cody Garbrandt.
The early weigh-ins took place this morning and they were highlighted by Rousey’s return to the spotlight, although it didn’t last long as she weighed in at 135-pounds and stormed off. Former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks also made headlines when he once again missed weight.
The ceremonial weigh-ins, on the other hand, were highlighted by the stare down between Cruz and Garbrandt, as the two almost came to blows.
Check out the results as well as the ceremonial weigh-in video below courtesy of the UFC:
Main Card (10 PM ET, PPV)
Amanda Nunes (135) vs. Ronda Rousey (135) Dominick Cruz (135) vs. Cody Garbrandt (135) T.J. Dillashaw (136) vs. John Lineker (135.25) Dong Hyun Kim (171) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (171) Ray Borg (129.5)* vs. Louis Smolka (125.5)
Preliminary Card (8 PM ET, FS1)
Johny Hendricks (173.5)* vs. Neil Magny (171) Alex Garcia (170.5) vs. Mike Pyle (170) Antonio Carlos Junior (186) vs. Marvin Vettori (186) Niko Price (170) vs. Brandon Thatch (170)
Preliminary Card (7:30 PM ET, UFC Fight Pass)
Tim Means (170) vs. Alex Oliveira (170.5)
*Hendricks and Borg both missed weight and will be subsequently fined a percentage of their purses.
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