SCENARIO FOR A ROUSEY RETURN BEFORE END OF YEAR
Ronda Rousey may return to the octagon before the end of the year. According to sources close to Fox Sports, Rousey has been offered an immediate title shot against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in Las Vegas.
After losing the title to Holly Holm last November, Rousey kept a noticeably low profile and opted not to fight at the UFC 200 card as she felt she needed more time to properly process her loss and reinvent herself.
Holm would go on to lose the title to perennial contender Miesha Tate who would then fall to the current Women’s Champion Amanda Nunes. Nunes has expressed admiration for Rousey and would relish the opportunity to fight her. “I’d be happy to wait if they tell me, ‘You are gonna fight Ronda Rousey, for sure, next year, this day.’ I’d wait,” Nunes said.
Rousey aims to return and cement her legacy with a win over Nunes and to reclaim her title, while Nunes hopes to establish her own legacy with a win over the most dominant women’s champion of all time.
Cervantes Analysis: As I have said before, I am no fan of immediate title shots, but in special circumstances I can see an argument for exceptions. Rousey absolutely has a claim to an immediate title shot as she is the reason that a women’s division exists in the UFC. She was the inaugural UFC Women’s Champion and holds the record for most title defenses in the division, plus her absence left a revolving door in the division, with the title exchanging hands three times in less than a year. Her return will mean a reinvigorated interest in the division and potential stability where there has been none and I can’t wait to see her return.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-According to the UFC, recent UFC Women’s Champion Miesha Tate will fight Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in New York.
-UFC 205 will feature Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her title against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
-Per the UFC, Eddie Alvarez vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is now being targeted for UFC 206 in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
-In an interview with MMAJunkie Radio, Michael Johnson said he wants a fight Khabib Nurmagomedov in his next appearance.
-Sherdog.com has reported that Bellator Light-Heavyweight Champion Liam McGeary will defend his title against Phil Davis at Bellator 163.
-Mike Jackson expressed interest in being C.M Punk’s second UFC opponent, according to MMAJunkie.
CATCH UP ON NEWS WITH YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 9/22: Is McGregor injured or not? Did Alvarez miss a contract deadline? Is UFC 205 in trouble? Is GSP an option? Is this all P.R.?
(Jonathan Cervantes has been an avid fan of MMA since 2009 when he saw GSP vs. B.J. Penn 2. He has practiced tae kwon do, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling in the past and is currently a student majoring in entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco.)
Quit feeding Punk news. Let him disappear from professional MMA. Feeding him will only open the door to diminishing the reputation of the UFC.