In 2011, when she initially appeared on the scene, Ronda Rousey caused a sensation in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) by dominating her first four opponents and submitting them in less than one minute each. Miesha Tate was Rousey’s opponent in her second fight, which was for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title. Rousey won the fight by submission, earning her the championship.
After that, ‘Rowdy’ forced UFC president Dana White eat his own words, after the promoter had earlier said that there will never be a fight between a woman and a man in the UFC. After the Strikeforce organization was taken over by the UFC in 2012, Rousey was presented with the promotion’s first ever women’s bantamweight championship belt.
Ronda Rousey’s period of domination was unparalleled, as she won each of her first 12 fights by way of a technical knockout. Following her finish of Alexis Davis at UFC 175 in under 16 seconds, Ronda Rousey defeated Cat Zingano in just 14 seconds at UFC 184. This inspired NBA great Shaquille O’Neal to challenge Rousey to a fight, and Rousey accepted the challenge.
During an episode of ‘Inside the NBA’ on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal said that he would only survive “45 seconds” in the cage against a previous champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship:
“I can last 45 seconds with Ronda Rousey, so let’s get this show on the road! Prepare the stage!
Watch the video that may be found here:
TMZ was the outlet that brought Rousey’s attention to Shaquille O’Neal’s callout, and her response was as follows:
Ariel Helwani seemingly confirms that Ronda Rousey will not be making a UFC return
After Amanda Nunes announced her retirement at UFC 289 following her victory over Irene Aldana, ‘The Lioness’ put an end to a spectacular career in the mixed martial arts.
Ronda Rousey, her previous opponent, announced her retirement in 2016 after being defeated by the Brazilian at UFC 207. However, immediately after Nunes announced her retirement, rumors began to circulate that ‘Rowdy’ could be making a comeback to mixed martial arts competition.
This past weekend, Chelsea Chandler, who participated at UFC Vegas 77, revealed that she had heard rumors of Rousey returning to the featherweight class. Chandler was one of the competitors at the event.
Given that there are no female competitors in the UFC competing at 145 pounds, the rumor was initially rather puzzling. However, the star power that Rousey possesses continued to stoke rumors that she will return to the cage at some point in the near future.
Fans were lead to believe that Rousey might be returning to competition after she appeared in an advertisement for DraftKings that was broadcast during the UFC 290 card the previous week.
However, well-known mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani appears to have dispelled the speculation that Rousey may return to competition soon. Helwani posted a message on Twitter that read:
I’ve been told that Ronda Rousey does not intend to compete again in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. There is no basis in fact for the rumors that began yesterday.
