Ronda Rousey In WWE: After ‘Rowdy’ Fights At ‘UFC 207’ Against Amanda Nunes, Will She Retire MMA To Pursue A Wrestling Career?


The MMA world is looking forward to Ronda Rousey’s return to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) action as she takes on the current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Amanda Nunes, for the title at UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey. However, what will “Rowdy” do after UFC premier event? Will she retire from MMA and pursue a career in WWE?

An article written by ESPN reports that Ronda Rousey will have her chance to reclaim the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship when she takes on Amanda Nunes at UFC 207: Nunes vs. Rousey. Though no real reason was given why Rousey was given a sudden rematch for the title instead of working her way up to earning a title shot, it is possible that Dana White has some preference to Rousey fighting for the title over anyone else at the moment. White made such a sentiment known during an interview with The Herd.

“Ronda Rousey has been the biggest, baddest female fighter on the planet since we got into women’s fighting. Ronda had a bad loss, obviously, lost her title — she’s still Ronda Rousey at the end of the day.”

For those who do not remember (though it is doubtful anyone would ever forget), Ronda Rousey was obliterated by Holly Holm at UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm. Within two rounds, “The Preacher’s Daughter” literally humiliated “Rowdy,” peppering her with strikes and even scoring a takedown. Just 59 seconds into the second round, Rousey was knocked out with a head kick right to the side of the neck. Such an obliterating loss would mean Rousey would have to work her way back up to being a contender for the belt. However, the fact that the last two UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champions after her, Holm and Miesha Tate, could not defend the title even once is enough reason for Rousey to get a shot upon her return simply because she successfully defended the title six times in a row.

Now Ronda Rousey is getting her chance against Amanda Nunes, but what happens after that? The Inquisitr previously reported that if Rousey wins, she will be paired up by Dana White himself to take on Cris Cyborg. However, a more recent article by the Inquistr reports that Rousey’s fight against Nunes will be her last whether she wins or loses. It does make sense for Rousey to retire no matter the outcome. If she loses, she still retires as one of the greats. But if she wins, her legacy may be besmirched with ridicule if she fights Cyborg, a fighter most MMA fans now believe Rousey has no chance against. It would be better to retire as champion.

Cristiane Justino, better known as Cris Cyborg, will fight Ronda Rousey if Rousey wins at “UFC 207.” However, it is most-likely that Rousey will retire after the premier event either she wins or loses. [Image by Buda Mendes/Getty Images]

So after she retires, what would Ronda Rousey most likely do? True, there is her movie career, but after she lost to Holly Holm, she suddenly lost a lot of her appeal in Hollywood. At this moment, Rousey is signed on for two movies, Mile 22 and Road House, where she will be the female lead. After that, there is nothing that we know of.

This leaves a career in WWE open. Even though Ronda Rousey lost in UFC, she still has an appeal that transfers over to sports entertainment. As a matter of fact, most MMA fans who are wrestling fans do not consider Rousey’s loss to Holly Holm the biggest moment of her career but the time she helped Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson take on The Authority, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon, at WWE Wrestlemania 31.

Many thought the appearance was a precursor to Ronda Rousey jumping to WWE. That may be truer now than ever. For starters, Rousey is a huge WWE fan. Her nickname “Rowdy” was used with permission by the late great Roddy Piper. She, along with her friends Shayna Bazsler, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke, are known as the “Four Horsewomen of MMA.” Not only that, she does “try out” wrestling moves with her friends in the gym too.

Shayna Bazsler becomes the Women Athletes Champion at “Premier XIII” in Gilroy, California. [Image by Premier XIII]

It is also the best time for Ronda Rousey to make the jump to WWE thanks to the improvement in training wrestlers for the new generation through the WWE Performance Center and WWE NXT division. And if anyone is unsure if Rousey could make it in WWE, other MMA fighters have made it in wrestling such as Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Tank Abbott. Right now, one of Rousey’s friends, Shayna Bazsler, is finding plenty of success as a professional wrestler. According to Vice, Bazsler won the Women Athletes Championship atPremier XIII in Gilroy, California back in July. Besides that, Bazsler has participated in SHIMMER which is probably the most well-known promotion pertaining to women’s wrestling.

Right now, Shayna Bazsler is trying out to wrestle in WWE at their WWE Performance Center, as reported by What Culture. If selected, she will learn more about becoming a wrestler and even compete on WWE’s developmental brand NXT. If she is in, Bazsler may give some sway in getting Ronda Rousey in if she pursue wrestling too. To be fair, though, Rousey needs no sway to join WWE since the worldwide leader in sports entertainment has been wanting her to join WWE ever since WWE Wrestlemania 31.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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