UFC 207 was marketed as the glorious return of Ronda Rousey, but it didn't turn out to be a warm welcome back to the sport for The Rowdy One. Instead, Amanda Nunes successfully defended her belt against the former champion via a first-round TKO in the main event.
Fox Sports tweeted the official time of the shocking victory:
#UFC207 Official Results: Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey by TKO at :48 of R1
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 31, 2016
And it happened in the most dominant style possible.
After Rousey's loss to Holly Holm, one of the biggest questions was whether Rousey would have the confidence to survive taking a clean shot to the chin. The answer was a resounding no.
Nunes wasted no time in landing a massive right hand. It was the beginning of the end, as the Brazilian made short work of the former dominant champion.
Paul Gift of Bloody Elbow noted just how dominant Nunes is when she's able to get off to a fast start:
She lit Miesha and Ronda up like a Christmas tree. Nunes is sick when her cardio isn't being challenged. #UFC207
— Paul Gift (@MMAanalytics) December 31, 2016
After the fight, Rousey wasted no time hanging around, storming off before shaking Nunes' hand. Jeff Wagenheim of the Washington Post criticized Rousey for the gesture:
Cruz gets lit up for 5 rounds, then gives Garbrandt a congratulatory handshake. Rousey gets KO'd in 48 seconds and storms off. Classless.
— Jeff Wagenheim (@jeffwagenheim) December 31, 2016
ESPN Stats & Info provided insight into just how badly Nunes was able to outstrike Rousey in such a short period of time:
Nunes outlanded Rousey 27-7 according to FightMetric. Nunes 27-of-47 (57%), Rousey 7-of-14 (50%) https://t.co/YYzTKHtRNH
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 31, 2016
There's no understating how much this win means for Nunes. The Brazilian is now the first woman to successfully defend the women's bantamweight title since Rousey was the inaugural champion from Strikeforce.
As soon as Nunes won the belt from Miesha Tate after Tate had won it from Holm, she knew that Rousey was still the biggest possible fight that she could find.
“Honestly, at the end of the day, who’s the champion? Amanda Nunes,” she said, per Brian Martin of the Orange County Register. “And I really don’t care. This is the thing that I look for: Have the belt, fight who I can, and beat Ronda Rousey and move forward on to the next stop. It’s the only thing I care for.”
The fight can only mean bigger and better things for Nunes. A look at the disparity in money between Rousey and Nunes for the fight shows just how big a star Rousey is for The Lioness to have on her resume, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com:
Per NSAC, Ronda Rousey's disclosed fight purse tonight is $3 million. No win bonus. Amanda Nunes is $100k/$100k.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 31, 2016
Those paydays might not be long for Rousey, though.
Her value should take a hit from this loss. For so long, Rousey's image was contingent upon the aura of invincibility she had built through her undefeated dominance in the sport. The initial loss to Holm followed by her yearlong absence from the sport set up a comeback. This loss shows that she's not the best women's 135-pounder anymore.
Even Dana White was non-committal on Rousey's future if she lost the fight.
“I think if Ronda wins, we will see her again,” White said, per MMA Fighting. “If she loses, I don’t know.”
That's not the most encouraging news for Rousey fans. This could be the last time they see the once-dominant champion compete inside the Octagon.
