Jon Jones explains why Ronda Rousey shouldn't retire
Ronda Rousey has received a mountain of criticism after she was demolished by Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds at UFC 207 last weekend.
Nunes has stated bluntly that Rousey should retire and was overrated the entire time she stood atop the women's bantamweight division. Even Rousey's own mother, AnnMaria De Mars, has said she would like to see the former women's champion retire from competition following her latest loss.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion and arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport Jon Jones disagrees with both of them regarding Rousey's future.
In a new interview with TMZ Sports, Jones admits that the best fighters in the world have caught up to Rousey but that doesn't mean she should retire following a couple of tough losses.
"No, I don't agree with that," Jones responded when asked if Rousey was overrated. "I think the sport is catching up with her talent level and people are realizing that maybe she's not as good as a striker as she is a ground specialist. I think Holly Holm kind of laid out a blueprint of how to beat Ronda. It works."
"One of the thing about martial arts, none of us are invincible. I guess the lesson to be learned in Ronda's situation is to always evolve."
While Rousey has certainly come up short in her last two bouts including the vicious second round knockout to Holm last November, Jones believes there's still plenty of room for her to improve.
Jones knows that Rousey still has something to prove and despite her recent setbacks, there are still a lot of fights she would win in the UFC right now without changing much of anything.
"I think it'd be great to see her come back. I know it would be great to see her come back and I think it would be important for her legacy. To show people her courage and her strength and her resilience," Jones said.
"I think she needs to stick to fighting. I said in a tweet, I believe that she still beats like 90-percent of the division. So maybe she's not going to be the invincible, unbeaten person people thought she was but whether she fights again or not, she's always going to be an absolute legend."
Jones wouldn't even discount Rousey making another run at the title.
As it stands, Rousey defended the belt six times before falling to Holm last year and Jones believes with the proper adjustments, there's a chance she could get back there again.
"I do believe she could regain the belt," Jones said. "I believe she could beat any of the other girls at any given time."
