While rumors continue to swirl that Ronda Rousey could make a return to the UFC, one of the women’s bantamweight division’s best explained this week why fans need to stop hoping for something that will never happen for a good reason.
Love her or hate her, Rousey will go down as one of the most important figures in the history of women’s fight sports. She became a household name with fans when she dominated in Strikeforce during the early 2010s. Then, when UFC brought their competitor, the Olympic silver medalist proved women’s MMA was a bankable option for the No. 1 company in the sport.
- Ronda Rousey record: 12-2 (3 knockouts, 9 submissions)
After winning her first six fights in the Octagon, the wheels came off quickly for “Rowdy,” as she was on the receiving end of two nasty knockout losses to the new faces of the women’s roster, Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Following her loss a decade ago, she took her talents to Hollywood and WWE and never fought again.
But that hasn’t stopped her most devoted fans from hoping the 38-year-old returns to the cage for one more fight. Especially after she claimed she had fallen back in love with the sport in recent months. However, ranked bantamweight Norma Dumont says Rousey will never return to fighting, and there is a very good reason why.
Norma Dumont says Ronda Rousey would have ‘no chance’ against a top-five fighter
“I’ll bet anything Ronda Rousey won’t step in the Octagon against any top five fighter of the division,” Dumont said in a chat with MMA Fighting. “She’s not coming back, guys. She was huge in her time. Achieved everything, but she’s not coming back to face this new generation. No chance. The women now are twice her size, with way better striking and grappling… Way beyond what existed in her era.
“Kayla [Harrison] is massive, with her judo. Honestly, I don’t think Ronda could beat Kayla in MMA,” she added. “With Amanda coming back, I don’t see any matchup that makes sense for Ronda’s return. I think these are rumors for people to just have fun with.”
Former PFL 155-pound champion and fellow Olympic Judoka Kayla Harrison is now the new champ of Rousey’s old division, 135 pounds. Plus, high-level striking was always a big problem for Rousey, and every woman in the top 10 has solid to very good striking.
While Rousey fans may not want to hear it, Dumont has a great point. Plus, the MMA legend is unlikely to come out of retirement for a fight with another well-aged veteran. She is just too competitive for a money grab like that.
