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UFC 207 Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey: Matter Over Mind
After a yearlong hiatus from the sport, Ronda Rousey will face Amanda Nunes in an attempt to reclaim the UFC Bantamweight title in which she held for so long.
The backlash of Rousey’s first MMA loss certainly hit hard. A masterclass of striking from Holly Holm led to all the previous achievements of the women’s UFC pioneer being disregarded.
Hollywood appearances were laughed at, stardom turned into suicidal thoughts, and although it may be ‘one of her last fights’, the prestigious Ronda Rousey returns for revenge and redemption against Amanda Nunes.
It’s no breaking news that since Rousey’s defeat, the bantamweight belt has had its fair share of hands around it. However, it now lies in the paws of the hard-hitting Amanda Nunes, who since joining the UFC has been waiting for her shot at Rousey, which she will now get on December 30.
The Rambunctiousness of Rousey
Since her loss to Holm, Rousey’s boxing (and her coach Edmond Tarverdyan) have been heavily mocked. Even from training clips showing an awkward twist of the arm when Rousey throws a jab, or is it a straight?
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The ‘yes-man’ advice Tarverdyan gave to Ronda in-between rounds in the Holm fight, in addition to his ludicrous actions at UFC 198 has many fans (even Rousey’s mother) thinking that Edmond is a terrible coach.
The reckless and aggressive striking of Rousey was never proven flawed until her fight with Holm. Charging forward with strikes, the scenario almost always ended up being aggressor vs. aggressor (e.g. her first fight with Miesha Tate) causing Rousey and her opponent to tie up in the clinch, where she could use her signature judo throws to take the fight to the ground. A style similar to the sambo-reliant Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Whilst most will look at the countering game of Holm to prove the hole in Rousey’s striking, her fight vs. Bethe Correia may be more influential than you think. Although at first glance it seemed like a domination from Rousey, that’s not the case.
The fight starts and instantly it’s aggressor vs. aggressor. Overcommitting on shots of her own, Rousey walked straight into Correia’s left hand on several occasions with next to no defense of her own. Now we know Correia was thrown in into the deep end, but if Ronda comes out the same way against a technical and powerful striker such as Amanda Nunes, it’s going to be a short night for the challenger.
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The Nasty Striking of Nunes
Of course, Rousey’s bread and butter is her grappling. But we know Nunes is no joke when it comes to that field too. A brown belt in Judo and a black belt in BJJ, we don’t often get to see ‘The Lioness’ on the ground due to her excelling so much on the feet.
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However, these two aspects (striking and grappling) work hand in hand for Nunes. In her two submission wins in the UFC against high-calibre wrestlers Miesha Tate and Sara McMann, we saw Nunes daze her opponents with her trademark right straight, then instantly work from back mount to get the rear-naked choke finish.
Nunes has somewhat of an unusual striking set. Yes, she stays way out of her opponent’s range which is a good thing, but when she goes to fire with shots of her own, she doesn’t tend to close the distance.
She will over-extend, catch her opponents right on the end of her punches, and it is only when they come forward that Nunes shows off the short snap on her strikes.
If Nunes can maintain the distance between her and Rousey like she usually does, she will minimize the risk of Rousey stepping into her comfort zone of the clinch. Much like Tate, Ronda likes to march forward flat footed against her opponent, as we’ve seen this will be easily countered by a technical striker who is light on their feet, such as Nunes, or Holm.
And Still or And New?
This fight has unspeakable implications for Rousey. Since her loss, she has been very outspoken and had a “f**k you” approach to anyone who has bad-mouthed her skills or doubted her mental state. A win at UFC 207 gives Rousey the chance to not only silence the critics, but to reclaim her title as the best bantamweight in the world.
Nunes’ title win at UFC 200 meant the world to her, but this fight surely means more. Originally not even supposed to co-headline the card, the event felt rushed and was dampened by late cancellations. This is Nunes’ real title fight and chance to prove to the MMA world she is a champion who’s here to stay.
