Once considered to be the best woman MMA fighter of all time, Ronda Rousey may have just fought her last fight. On Friday night, Rousey was pulverized in a 48 second onslaught brought on by current champion Amanda Nunes.
Rousey was the first women’s bantamweight champion in the UFC. After winning her first 12 matches, defending the title eight times in that span, Rousey was devastated by Holly Holm. She took almost a year off to recover from the fight. In that time, she starred in movies and made appearances in the WWE. Rousey was criticized heavily for this, as she lost respect in the UFC world.
Nunes struck early and often landing about 15 to 20 punches before the stoppage of the fight. Instead of Rousey looking for a takedown, she attempted to box on her feet with the champion.
“I know she was going to strike with me, because she thinks it… her boxing coach told her she has good striking,” Nunes said.
Rousey’s signature move was the armbar. She used it to win 9 of the 12 wins she has in her career. Nunes made it clear that Rousey shouldn’t have been standing up against her.
“She thinks she’s a boxer, Nunes added, “[Her coach] put something in her head to make the girl believe in that. I don’t know why he did that, she has a great judo background.”
The future for Rousey is unclear. She established herself as a ‘bad ass’ in the mainstream media, but two consecutive losses may have faded the mystique of the title. In the UFC, Rousey will have to prove herself before she gets another title chance. She would need two or three wins against fighters within the top 10 rankings of her division.
Many speculate that Rousey will leave the UFC permanently.
“She’s very rich,” UFC President Dana white said, “she doesn’t need to fight anymore. She is super competitive, maybe she wants to I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.”
Former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate also commented in the leadup and after the fight, that Rousey’s career is over if she were to lose the fight.
Rousey made $6 million from her fight with Nunes.
Regardless of retirement or not, Rousey has left an impact on the women's bantamweight division. To commemorate her career here is a highlight video:
