Almost immediately after Dana White confirmed that Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes will headline UFC 207 for the women's bantamweight title, there have already been a lot of speculations regarding what will happen in the upcoming fight between Rowdy and The Lioness.
Many believe that the match-up was arrange just to build hype for the upcoming pay-per-view even given Rousey's celebrity status. Knowing that she has been on hiatus for more than a year now, many believe that she would not last long inside the Octagon against the reigning champion.
However, what most critics fail to realize that there are several factors that will strongly drive Rousey to reclaiming the title, which she lost to Holly Holm in UFC 193. One of these is proving the critics wrong.
Her loss at UFC 193 came after she gained momentum in the sport and pounded every opponent that was brought before her. Losing the title made many people believed that she has peaked and was now past her prime. Her emerging career in Hollywood also didn't help in her reputation in the sport, with many critics thinking that she has lost her athletic focus.
But, after spending time off from fighting and acting, Rousey gained about a year to prepare for this fight. For her, UFC 207 will serve as her redemption. It will be the stage where she can prove that she can get back to fighting condition and even reclaim her title once again.
Aside from her personal drive, the odds are also in favor of Rousey. Although some believe that anything goes inside the Octagon, the fact that Rousey has defeated all of the fighters that pummeled Nunes cant' be ignored.
Fighters such as Sarah D'Alelio, Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano have all faced Nunes and emerged victorious. Rousey, on the other hand, has defeated these three women. What's even more impressive is that her combined time against these women inside an arena are only about 55 seconds. That time's still pretty short even for a single match.
Furthermore, Nunes' title is not the only thing that Rousey is after. Sure, defeating her will cement Rousey's status as a champion once again but this is only a minor target compared to what she was in mind.
During her entire professional MMA career, Rousey was only defeated once, and this came at the hands of Holm. Winning Nunes' title will surely grant her an opportunity to face off against Holm for a second time. Given the glaring blemish on her fight record, Rousey is surely looking forward to a rematch against Holm.
