Ahead of her long-awaited return to the Octagon, SunSport’s Simon Head looks forward to Ronda Rousey’s crossroads fight with Amanda Nunes at UFC 207

‘ROWDY’ Ronda Rousey’s place in mixed martial arts history is already assured.

In November 2012 the ballsy blonde from Venice Beach, California forced UFC president Dana White to change his mind about women’s MMA and introduce a women’s bantamweight division.

Back in the game: Ronda Rousey will make her long-awaited return at UFC 207 on December 30Credit: Getty Images

And as the division’s first UFC world champion, she became a female sporting icon, a transcendent star whose reach extended way beyond the eight walls of the Octagon.

But her status as one of the UFC’s most dominant world champions was shattered in Melbourne last November when a left high kick from former boxing world champ Holly Holm sent Rousey crashing into unconsciousness.

‘The kick heard around the world’: Holly Holm dramatically knocked out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in MelbourneCredit: AFP

Her title – and her air of invincibility – was gone in an instant and the haters came out of the woodwork in force.

Such was the crushing nature of her defeat, and the vitriolic nature of the backlash that followed, Rousey withdrew herself from the public eye, only reappearing for a brief guest host spot on Saturday Night Live.

Clearly the damage of that Holm head-kick extended beyond the initial concussive contact on fight night.

 

Shellshocked: Ronda Rousey was distraught after her defeat in Melbourne

Many doubted whether we’d ever see Rousey in the Octagon again. After all, she’s now a genuine breakout star, with movie roles in the mix following appearances in Entourage, The Expendables 3 and Furious 7. With all the success outside the Octagon, she surely didn’t need to fight again?

But those who doubted Rousey’s ability to bounce back from adversity did so without considering her career before mixed martial arts.

Judo medallist: Ronda Rousey claimed Olympic bronze in BeijingCredit: Getty Images

The Californian was a serious force in the world of judo, and claimed a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the first American to pick up a medal on the Olympic judo mat.

But in her long and arduous journey to the Beijing Games Rousey suffered various losses, injuries and disappointments.

She also had to cope with the worst setback any youngster could ever face – the suicide of her father.

Don’t talk to her about throwing the towel in, she’s been battling back her entire career.

Even as the Strikeforce bantamweight champion, Rousey’s dreams of being a UFC champion hit a brick wall when Dana White told TMZ’s roving cameramen that women would “never” fight in the UFC.

Refusing to take no for an answer, Rousey met with White, won him over and the rest, as they say, is history.

She made history with Liz Carmouche as they competed in the first women’s title bout in UFC history at UFC 157 in Anaheim, California.

Her first-round armbar finish showcased her famous finishing move to the world, as she made her first successful defence of the UFC women’s bantamweight title.

Five straight title defences followed, starting with a second armbar finish, this time on her old Strikeforce rival Miesha Tate, but in the other bouts Rousey showed she’s anything but a one-trick pony.

A vicious knee to the body put down Olympic wrestling medallist Sara McMann, while a beautiful judo throw and ground strikes knocked out Alexis Davis.

Then her blink-and-you’ll-miss-it submission of top contender Cat Zingano, where she defeated the number-one ranked bantamweight without even throwing a punch, saw her stardom elevated further still.

Dominant champion: Ronda Rousey defended her UFC title six times in a row before eventually losing to Holly HolmCredit: Getty Images

And when she faced Brazilian Bethe Correia, whose pre-fight trash talk including mocking Rousey over the death of her father, the ‘Rowdy’ one channeled a lifetime of inner torment to deliver a knockout punch to shut Correia’s mouth and cement her position as the best women’s fighter in the UFC.

It seemed as if nothing could stop Rousey. The rhetoric grew to ever more hyperbolic levels, with some even suggesting she’d take boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather to the cleaners if they ever met in the Octagon.

Then, when the hype was at its zenith, came the fall.

To some, the quiet, unassuming Holly Holm was thought to have been gifted the title shot, fast-tracked past more deserving contenders.

But on fight night she proved her own doubters wrong with one of the most comprehensive performances we’ve seen in a title fight in recent memory.

Ronda Rousey (left) lost her title to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015
Rousey, usually so dominant and in control, was made to chase shadows as Holm led her a merry dance with her combination of swift footwork and slick counter-striking.

Eventually, one body swerve too many saw Rousey caught off-balance, and Holm delivered the head-kick heard around the world to knock out Rousey and shock the world.

Now, after what will have been a 13-month hiatus, Rousey returns to the Octagon to face the current world champion Amanda Nunes, a Brazilian dynamo with fast, powerful hands, backed up with the top-drawer grappling skills of a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt.

Softly-spoken Nunes was a big underdog going into her UFC 200 title tilt with champion Miesha Tate, but demolished Rousey’s old rival in quick order, securing a rear-naked choke finish in just three minutes 16 seconds to become Brazil’s first female UFC champion and break down barriers as the UFC’s first openly gay world champ. 

New champion: Amanda Nunes will put her belt on the line against Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 in Las VegasCredit: Getty Images
Now Nunes and Rousey will meet at UFC 207 in a pivotal battle for both women.

For Nunes, it’s the chance to cement her position as the best 135lb female fighter in the world, while for Rousey it’s the opportunity to jump back into the sport at the very top by dethroning a new opponent and returning to the summit of the weight division she started.

Will Ronda Rousey be smiling once again at UFC 207?Credit: Getty Images
However that fight goes, the result will help define her UFC career.

Will Rousey make a victorious return to the top of the sport with another blistering display, or will the American’s defeat to Holm give Nunes all the confidence she needs to hand Rousey the second loss of her career?

Will it be repeat or redemption for Ronda Rousey? We’ll find out on December 30Credit: Getty Images
For a fighter who vowed to retire undefeated Rousey is entering uncharted waters. She’s without her title, without her perfect professional record and without the air of invincibility that had some of her opponents beaten before their bout even started.

Will she be remembered as the fighter who slayed all before her before the sport’s evolution eventually caught up with her, or will she go down as an all-time great who came storming back from adversity to become a two-time world champion?

Eyes on the prize: Ronda Rousey returns to fight for the UFC women’s bantamweight title on December 30Credit: Getty Images
If she can bounce back to reclaim the UFC title once again, it will be one of the biggest stories in world sport. If she loses, it could mark the end of her fighting career.

Whatever happens on December 30 in Las Vegas, it’s going to be dramatic.