To Fear, or not to Fear?
January 17, 2017
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey came out of the darkness with the announcement of her fight vs Amanda Nunes. Rousey had gone silent after her first loss came to her by Holly Holm back in 2015. Her fan base revved up the suspense with giving her the hashtag “#FearTheReturn” and creating apparel with it too.
On December 30, 2016, Ronda Rousey entered the ring pumped for victory. Little did she know that she would not go back to winning. Nunes went on a vicious beatdown which led to the referee calling off the fight within 48 seconds of the first round.
Rousey has received a six week medical ban which has led her to consider retirement. This consideration has led many from her fan base to wonder, is this the end? This rumor has been considered by many sports analysts and commentators to be true.
Nunes on the other end of the stick has not been very friendly towards her UFC companion. Immediately after claiming her victory, punches were not the only thing Nunes was throwing.
She publicly stated “Thank you Ronda Rousey, but right now I’m the champion and I’m here to stay, forget about Ronda Rousey.”
In an interview with TMZ, Nunes smirked “I don’t know how Ronda Rousey got so far in this division. Honestly, I don’t understand how those girls lost to Ronda Rousey.”
The consequences after the fight with Nunes was not as severe this time as they were after the fight with Holm. Back in 2015, and the months that followed, Rousey had gone to a dark side after receiving her first UFC loss. She publicly stated she went through a major phase of depression and at one point even considered committing suicide. She finally returned to the media when she released her book My Fight/Your Fight.
Rousey came out the day after the fight quoting this “Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes – even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly – it doesn’t work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the woman’s division has come in the UFC and commend all the other woman who have been apart of making this possible, including Amanda. I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding.”