Trading Shots: Is Ronda Rousey's much-hyped return already a 'bizarre' affair?

UFC commentator Joe Rogan called the UFC 207 ads that focus on the challenger at the expense of champion “extremely bizarre.” Is he right? Retired WEC and UFC fighter Danny Downes joins MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes to discuss in this week’s Trading Shots.

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Fowlkes: So I’m sitting on the couch watching UFC on FOX 22, Danny, when who should flash across my TV screen but Ronda Rousey, the former UFC women’s bantamweight champ. She flashed across it several times, in fact, just as she did last week when I was watching UFC 206.

In case you somehow failed to notice, Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is coming back. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, she’s getting the red-carpet treatment from the UFC for her return on Dec. 30 at UFC 207. That makes sense. She’s the second-most bankable star in the sport, and she’s got a fight to sell, so of course she’s getting a lot of air time.

But is it not weird to see the challenger get so much hype while the actual champion, Amanda Nunes (13-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC), is basically ignored? Is it not also weird to see Rousey billed as the “baddest woman” on the planet, when we all saw her get kicked upside her head the last time she fought? Come on, man. Even Joe Rogan thinks it’s “bizarre.” How about you?

Downes: It might be unfortunate and disrespectful, but I don’t think it’s weird. When it comes to marketing, it’s not about facts or fairness. Why do you think Bryan Barberena was put on the UFC on FOX 22 prelims when the guy he beat gets top billing? The fact that Nunes was nowhere to be seen (except for a brief glimpse of the poster at the end of the ad) is troubling, but it makes sense.

Rousey is a superstar. She transcends the sport of MMA. Skip Bayless isn’t going on TV to spout garbage Amanda Nunes takes. Do you think you’re going to see her with Jimmy Fallon or Conan O’Brien? Will she be cast as the lead for another “Knight Rider” reboot? Probably not.

I know you live in the world of participation trophies, but that’s not how you make money. You said yourself that Rosuey is the second-most bankable star in the sport. You have to use that star power to promote sales. Who’s going to push more people to lay down money for UFC 207 – Rousey or Nunes? We know the answer to that, and so does the UFC. I bet MMAjunkie will be running more Rousey stories than Nunes ones in the coming week. Is that “bizarre” too?

Fowlkes: I understand that Rousey is the one who sells the pay-per-views. And naturally, she’s going to get the attention. She’s earned that, honestly. She’s a huge part of the reason that Nunes even had a chance to win a UFC title, so I have no problem with her getting the strongest push.

Amanda Nunes

But if you didn’t know better, you might watch some of these promos and come away thinking that she’s fighting herself (or possibly Stephen A. Smith) on Dec. 30. The UFC usually sells us a fight. This time it’s selling us one person.

That seems shortsighted to me, and for two reasons. One, there’s no guarantee she’ll win this fight. Nunes can thump, and Rousey’s been out for a while after having her aura of invincibility violently shattered. You can ignore the champ all you want in the promos, but it’s not unthinkable for her to put some leather on Rousey’s face and wreck that whole redemption plot.

Second, win or lose, Rousey is not long for this sport. We can all see that, right? She’s even said as much. If you keep telling us she’s the baddest woman on Earth, presenting her as if she’s the only female fighter who matters, what are you going to be left with once she’s gone?

I get it, the story here is Rousey’s return. But why she left and what she’s hoping to do when she comes back seem like important plot points that have been intentionally omitted. All I’m saying is, it’s not always easy to sell tickets to a one-woman show.

Downes: I understand that argument to a certain extent. At the same time, it’s difficult to build new stars. Consider what happened to Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt on Saturday night (or the “Blondtourage” as you refer to them). The UFC put its energy into making them a thing, but their opponents did not follow the script.

Ronda Rousey

Now add the relative chaotic nature of the women’s bantamweight division since Rousey took her extended leave. Nunes has a lot of talent, but she’s far from a lock. She barely got by Valentina Shevchenko when they fought in March.

When it comes to marketing a pay-per-view, you have to take the known quantity. Rousey is already a star, and her time is limited. You have to squeeze every last drop out of her while you still can. Why spend time, money and effort on someone who might not pan out?

And is it really that hard to sell a one-woman show? Unless I’m mistaken, I don’t remember a ton of promotion for Bethe Correia, Alexis Davis, Sara McMann, Liz Carmouche or even Holly Holm. Outside the bad blood with Miesha Tate, Rousey has been a one-woman show this whole time.

Like it or not, people are more likely to buy the Ronda Rousey fight than the women’s bantamweight title fight. Nunes deserves respect and recognition. Does she deserve late-night talk shows and commercials? I don’t know. I don’t think the two are necessarily related. You can have one without the other.

If you ask Nunes, I bet she’d rather win the fight than the promotion battle. Unfortunately, you can’t pay your bills with the bantamweight title.

For more on UFC 207, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Danny Downes, a retired UFC and WEC fighter, is an MMAjunkie contributor who also writes for UFC.com and UFC 360. Follow them on twitter at @benfowlkesMMA and @dannyboydownes.