Fighting fans can watch UFC 207 live online and see if the Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes fight can live up to the hype as the former champion — and the sport’s biggest star — returns to the cage for the first time in more than a year.
Rousey will be competing in her first match since a shocking loss to Holly Holm in UFC 197 , which took place more than a year ago. Rousey was knocked out with a powerful head kick, leaving an injury that kept her out of action for months and even led her to thoughts of suicide, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Rousey will make her return on Friday against the women’s bantamweight champion, Brazil’s Amanda Nunes. The action is set to start on Friday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with preliminary fights beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET and the main card at 10 p.m. ET. Viewers can watch UFC 207 on pay-per-view, but fans will also be able to catch at least some of the action live online.
Those who watch the Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes match live online will likely see a wide-open bout. Rousey’s aura of invincibility was stripped away with her loss to Holly Holm, and handicappers now expect a much closer fight.
Although Rousey is still a 2/1 favorite at Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas, that is down sharply from her previous bouts, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Why is Rousey favored? Reputation,” Westgate race and sports book director Jay Kornegay said. “It’s a tough fight to handicap because of what she’s gone through over the past year. I’m not exactly sure where her head is these days, but prior to [Holm], she was dominating, and you have to factor that in. Hindsight will tell us if she needed that break, or if she’s totally lost it.”
Amanda Nunes is a tough matchup for Ronda Rousey, with plenty of knockout power and strong submission moves in her arsenal that could keep Rousey on the defensive, FOX Sports reported.
Nunes said she is looking forward to the match and plans to punish Rousey if the former champ makes any errors.
“I’m going to look for my best punches,” Nunes said. “I want to see this too, how she’s going to take it. I’m curious, too. I think it’s going to be surprising how she’s going to react. I really want to see how she reacts after I connect on a couple of punches on her. If she reacts very well, I will still have my plan ‘B’. I have my strategy.”
“It could be a TKO, it could be a submission, whatever she gives to me. Whatever mistake she makes, I will take over this fight in the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth. MMA is a box of surprises. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I am going to finish her but I don’t know when, the first, the second, I don’t know. I always have opportunities to finish in the first round. If she gives me the opportunity, I will take it.”
UFC 207 Fight Card
UFC Fight Pass Preliminary Card (7:30 p.m. ET) Alex Oliveira vs. Tim Means
FOX Sports 1 Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) Johny Hendricks vs. Neil Magny Mike Pyle vs. Alex Garcia Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Marvin Vettori Brandon Thatch vs. Niko Price
Pay-Per-View Main Card (10 p.m. ET) Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Lineker Dong Hyun Kim vs. Tarec Saffiedine Louis Smolka vs. Ray Borg
Fans who want to watch UFC 207 live online will need to pay for the main card on pay-per-view but can catch the earlier action for free. Streaming video of the preliminary fights will be shown on UFC Fight Pass , which is available for a free trial for first-time users. The Fox Sports 1 preliminary card can be seen on Fox Sports GO . The app is free to download on Apple, Android, or Google devices, Amazon devices, and Windows devices.
And fans who don’t want to watch UFC 207 live online but would rather watch the Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes fight with a few friends and some cold drinks will get some help from the UFC. The organization has a full list of bars that will be carrying the event.
[Featured Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]
