We are six days removed from the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) final pay-per-view (PPV) event of 2016. UFC 207 was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The live crowd responsible for a record breaking attendance witnessed the 48-second destruction of Ronda Rousey at the hands of women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
“The Lioness” made it clear before the fight that UFC 207 was the “best time” to face Rousey. She couldn’t have been more correct. TMZ Sports had a discussion with Nunes and the champion wasn’t very complimentary of her last opponent:
“I don’t know how Ronda Rousey went too far in this division, honest. I don’t understand why those girls lost to Ronda Rousey. I knew since my first fight in the UFC (that) I can beat Ronda Rousey. But of course I had to take my time, and then let life put everything together. That day was the day to prove (it) to everybody.”
For Nunes, preparing to fight “Rowdy” wasn’t very difficult. In fact, she recalls preparations for another fighter being tougher.
“Actually, my camp for Miesha Tate was harder than training for Ronda Rousey.”
You will get varying opinions on Rousey’s fighting abilities following two straight knockout losses. Some think she has wasted potential, while others refuse to discredit her past accomplishments. Then there are those who say “Rowdy” was never that good to begin with. When asked if Rousey was overrated, Nunes didn’t hold back.
“Yeah for sure (she is overrated). The UFC made this happen. They put her in a place where she’s not at, but I knew I could beat Ronda Rousey since I saw her first fight.”
With UFC 207 behind her, Nunes will likely be paying close attention to Julianna Pena and Valentina Shevchenko. That bout will take place on Jan. 28 for a UFC on FOX event in Denver, Colorado. The winner will almost certainly be the next fighter to challenge Nunes for her title.