Issue 149

December 2016

Can Rousey be the same dominant force she once was when she makes her comeback?

A year of speculation ended when UFC president Dana White revealed plans for Ronda Rousey to finally return and with a chance to take the 135lb belt from Amanda Nunes.

The MMA world was giddy with excitement.

But there was also plenty of comment that sniffed at her comeback. They said that loss to Holly Holm changed her. They claimed she couldn’t be champion again. But here's plenty of reasons why she ‘s capable of striking gold.

CHAOTIC CLIMATE

There has been no more tumultuous weight class in MMA than the UFC women’s bantamweight division in the last year or so.

‘Rowdy’ returns to a world where champions crumble in their first defense and relinquish control of their belts. Amanda Nunes is a tough cookie, but she can certainly be beat.

THROW DOWN

Nothing has changed with Rousey’s grappling. She’s still the best damn judoka in women’s MMA.

Are you telling us she can’t grab Amanda Nunes and toss her on her head? She might be a brown belt in the Japanese art of throws, but if she ends up in the clinch, we’d take a punt on her going for a ride at whatever line Vegas offers.

GET SMART

The cliché of losses making fighters better will have to apply if Rousey is to mount a successful challenge on the weight-class crown. She will know she has to play to her strengths and enter fights with strategies tailored to her opponents.

Just like she’d never play into Holm’s hands and let counter her to death again, she surely won’t wait for Nunes to establish her striking, come forward and overwhelm her.

ON TOP

Yeah, she’ll have been away for more than 13 months, but that’s never stopped some of the best fighters in history from coming back. Dominick Cruz took three years out and came back better than ever.

GSP excelled after 18 months away. Rousey wasn’t even injured and she’s had all that time to sharpen her skills.

NEVER FORGET

So Holly Holm knocked her out. Has anyone forgotten how Rousey defeated the rest of her challengers?

Bethe Correia: 34 seconds. Cat Zingano: 14 seconds. Alexis Davis: 16 seconds. She’s still the best bantamweight ever with skills to crush some of the best fighters in the world. One loss shouldn’t change that fact.