In a Melbourne octagon on a balmy November night, Ronda Rousey looked unsure of herself. At the referees call of “fight,” she moved unsteadily towards her opponent, the first time she had moved unsteadily towards any target since she was 11. Almost immediately, the long limbs of her opponent began to thrust upon her, missiles guided to Rousey’s weaknesses by the signal flare of her deep breaths.
Rousey was unable to take her opponent to the mat, as she had done so effectively before, ending most fights before her opponent could even engage. Instead she was forced to stand tall, absorbing impact after impact, until 55 seconds into the second round when the final torquing blow from a high kick shut down Rousey.
The athlete that had almost single-handedly created a female UFC division was destroyed. A career 27 years in the making, perfect and pristine, was shattered. And so was Rousey.
An indefinite hiatus ensued. A variety of acting roles followed in the next year, but anyone who has read her book will know that it is not the victories that drive Rousey, but the defeats. Her failure to secure judo gold at the Olympics drove her into the UFC and another chance at victory, and perfection. Victories achieved, of course, but perfection now shattered.
And now she is back.
But what of her opponent? Amanda Nunes has yet to prove her skills against an opponent as dominant as Rousey, but has put together a strong body of work that suggests she has what it takes to keep hold of her belt.
Against Shayna Baszler, Nunes showed her ability to manage distance, allowing her to insult her opponent with strikes to the legs and body. In her bout against Sara McMann, Nunes’ overpowering striking and kicks allowed space for some ground moves, eventually finishing things with a rear naked choke. Her whirlwind approach set the tone and won the fight.
Her viciousness does not end when her opponent hits the mat. More than 50% of her total strikes are deployed when her opponent is stricken on the mat. Rousey’s fans will reflect that Nunes has never been in the ring with anyone on Rousey’s level as a tactician on the ground. Nunes’ fans will look back to November 2015, when Holly Holm had similar limitations in the ground game, electing to shirk all throws and pins in order to draw Rousey into striking combat. Rousey won’t be that reckless this time.
Nunes’ striking is loose and easy, but she appears too open to relaliatory strikes from her stance. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue against Rousey, who isn’t a true striker — Rousey learned that lesson the hard way against Holm.
So it appears that it will be won, and lost, on the ground. Nunes has shown incredible strength in asserting herself from a variety of positions on the mat, but Rousey’s ground game is on another level. Rousey will go to the mat early and look to lock Nunes up.
In the face of all the hype, remember that Nunes has left the octagon on four occasions as a loser. Rousey did that once, and had to leave for a year. If the fight goes to the ground early in round one then the victory will be there for Rousey’s taking. Nunes must force Rousey to stand and strike to keep her chances alive. Rousey’s team knows that she once owned this division — now it’s time for her to reclaim it.
Follow Matt on Twitter here: @mattsotosports
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
