Jon Jones: MMA caught up to Ronda Rousey, but 'she still beats 90 percent of the division'

A week later, Ronda Rousey’s quick and brutal TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 still is being talked about and making headlines.

It seems everyone is being asked their opinion on what Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) should do after her loss to Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC), which was her second straight knockout setback and came in her comeback fight 13 months after losing the women’s bantamweight title she planned on never relinquishing.

Nunes, who won the title with a first-round knockout of Rousey rival Miesha Tate at UFC 200 this past July, defended it with ease at UFC 207, which took place Dec. 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. And the champ hasn’t been shy about her assessment of Rousey, calling her overrated and suggesting she should retire despite still being one of the sport’s biggest stars and one of the UFC’s biggest draws.

Another of the UFC’s biggest stars, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, currently is under suspension by USADA for an anti-doping violation stemming from UFC 200. But when TMZ caught up with him at the airport in Los Angeles earlier this week, apart from saying he feels good since he no longer is smoking marijuana, Jones said Nunes’ opinion is off base.

“I don’t agree with (Rousey being overrated),” Jones told TMZ. “I think the sport is kind of catching up with her talent level and people are realizing she’s not as good a striker as she is a ground specialist.”

Holly Holm, Jones longtime teammate at Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA in Albuquerque, N.M., was the first to beat Rousey. She dethroned the then-champ with a shocking upset at UFC 193 in November 2015 with a second-round knockout.

Jones said the Holm fight now is the standard bearer for how to beat Rousey – using a superior standup game, which is what Nunes did, as well. Given Rousey is known for her armbar finishes, keeping her on the feet appears to be tantamount to victory.

“I think Holly Holm kind of laid out a blueprint of how to beat Ronda, and it works,” Jones said. “One thing about martial arts is none of us are invincible. The lesson you learn in Ronda’s situation is to always evolve.”

After Rousey’s loss, the talk quickly turned to whether or not she’d ever return. The superstar, who also has a budding career outside fighting in acting and modeling, didn’t stick around for post-UFC 207 interviews and has issued just one statement saying she needed time to think about her future.

But Jones, for one, thinks she should find a way to return.

“I think it’d be great to see her come back, absolutely,” he said. “I think it would be important for her legacy – it would show people her courage and her strength and her resiliance. I think she needs to stick to fighting. I believe she still beats 90 percent of the division. Maybe she’s not going to be the invincible, unbeaten person peopel thought she was. But whether she fights again or not, she’s still going to go down as an absolute legend. I do believe she could regain the belt and beat any of the other girls (in the division) at any given time.”

For complete coverage of UFC 207, check out the UFC Events section of the site.