Ronda Rousey, one of the greatest female UFC fighters of her generation on her return, lost to the reigning champion Amanda Nunes in JUST 48 SECONDS.
YES. 48 SECONDS. YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT.
It was supposed to be a comeback for the ages for Ronda as she was making an appearance at UFC 207 after a lengthy gap but it went exactly in the opposite direction.
Ronda, who was the reigning champion last year fought against Holly Holm and lost her title to her and with that, her domination.
But after quite a long time since that fight, Rousey made a comeback and challenged Amanda Nunes. In the hype surrounding the bout, the hashtag #FearTheReturn was trending on many social networks.
It was supposed to be a match for the ages with the support in favour of Ronda but well, not all comebacks are historic for the right reasons.
Rousey stepped into the octagon looking really confident for her bout and the match was initiated after the customary exchanges.
Amanda Nunes WENT IN ON Rousey right from the start, constantly landing punches on her face.
It was really unexpected as Rousey tried to constantly defend herself but Nunes was relentless in her approach and then the unimaginable happened.
IT HAD BEEN JUST 48 SECONDS INTO THE FIRST ROUND Ronda Rousey wasn’t able to stand on her feet and it looked like the match was over.
Rousey was clearly hurt right from the first punch from Nunes which came straight from her right side and from then on, Nunes only proceeded to knock her out on her feet and win by a TKO.
The referee for the bout, Herb Dean signalled to end the match as Rousey was knocked out in just 48 seconds and Nunes went on to retain her 135-pound bantamweight category title.
It was a shocker to everyone who had paid to see the marquee clash in the T-Mobile Arena since they were expecting an entertaining match.
What they did get was a sheer display of power and champion spirit from Amanda Nunes who was unstoppable, in every sense of the word.
Rousey was disappointed.
She went outside the octagon alone and it was quiet. Maybe even she hadn’t been able to comprehend what had just happened with her.
A fighter touted to be “undefeated” gets defeated on TWO CONSECUTIVE OCCASIONS just shows that she is indeed mortal.
And why not? Nunes landed 23 of her 35 strikes on Rousey and rendered her helpless.
The fight was still profitable for Rousey as she was offered a primary payment of $3 million to show up and she’ll make more than that, for sure.
But does this really mean the end for perhaps the most dominating fighter of her era?
Ronda has not just been an iconic fighter, she has been an athlete and an inspiration to many women in the world.
For her status as a celebrity and at her age of 29, does she really have it in her to come back time and again and prove her critics wrong?
Well, only time will tell as to what follows from here.
For now, congrats to Amanda Nunes for her title.
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