Ronda Rousey’s long-awaited comeback at UFC 207 went up in smoke in less than 60 seconds under the walloping fists of Amanda Nunes, and the aftermath has seen her mocked, dissected and all but written off to retire. It was a situation that everyone could see coming the moment the referee stepped in between the two fighters, and even Nunes could see it, and she told Rousey as much according to her post-fight press conference.
“I told her, ‘you did a lot for the sport, thank you so much,’” Nunes said.
“Now you can take time, rest and maybe do something else. No need to keep doing that.”
It was a gentle way to say what much of the fight community has been saying since the final bell rang: Rousey was a crucial figure in building MMA for women, and she was for a time the unquestioned best fighter in the sport.
But if she already has her eye on her post-fighting career, maybe it’s time to just step away now rather than keep trying to prove something and risk further brain injury. After all, the risk-reward of fighting is higher than most every other sport, and losing in the octagon isn’t the same as just losing a game.
Then again, maybe Nunes was just trash-talking, as her further comments seemed to hint.
“She’s a millionaire already, why would she keep doing that? Why would she keep hurting herself?
“Because I’m gonna be the champion forever, so she has to retire. She’s not going to get it anymore.”
Something tells me Nunes won’t be the champion *forever,* but she’s probably right to ask why Rousey would keep hurting herself. That’s a question a lot of people are asking in the wake of the former champ’s loss at UFC 207.
(Via The Sporting News)