It has now been almost a year since Ronda Rousey lost the UFC women’s bantamweight title to Holly Holm, and we have not seen her in action since. Given the length of the former champ’s layoff, many members of the MMA community were beginning to speculate that we’d never see her fight again. Yet a Rousey comeback is suddenly looking more and more likely by the day, and apparently, it could happen quite soon.
The first whispers of the former champ’s return came from MMA insider @TalkMMA, who suggested that the UFC was working on a UFC 207 title fight between Rousey and the current champ, Amanda Nunes.
https://twitter.com/TalkMMA/status/777688508265795584
These whispers grew louder when UFC President Dana White hinted at a looming Rousey return in an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo.
“Yes, there’s a big chance that Ronda Rousey will fight Amanda Nunes, and I’m very confident that Ronda will probably fight before the end of the year,” White told the publication.
When news broke that a bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Julianna Peña was in the works for UFC 205, an imminent Rousey comeback looked even more likely. Because Shevchenko and Peña are the bantamweight division’s top-ranked contenders, their being paired together suggests the first crack at Nunes’ title will go to somebody else. Rousey is the only other logical option to that end.
This morning, we were given even more reason for optimism about a Rousey comeback, as Damon Martin of Fox Sports reported that Rousey has officially been offered a fight with Nunes at UFC 207. As of now, no bout agreements have been sent to either party, and the terms are still far from concrete, but it appears that the wheels are in motion.
This, as Martin point out, is in keeping with a recent Instagram post from Nunes, which hinted that she had big news coming soon.
Should Rousey accept this fight, she’ll have the chance to reclaim the bantamweight title she once guarded so ferociously. Her defeating Nunes, of course, is not a foregone conclusion. With 10 first-round victories among her 13 career triumphs, Nunes is perhaps the only fighter in the division that can match Rousey’s propensity for abrupt stoppage wins. Given that the former champ will also probably have to deal with some ring-rust, this comeback fight will surely be a serious challenge.
The important thing, however, is that one of the brightest stars in the game is finally poised for a comeback. How do you think the returning Rousey will fare against Amanda Nunes? Sound off, PENN nation!