Women’s MMA pioneer Ronda Rousey returned with a bang when she submitted Gina Carano at MVP MMA. But will she fight again?
After missing nearly 10 years of action due to retirement, the 39-year-old Rousey made her highly anticipated comeback against the 44-year-old Carano, who herself was coming back after a 17-year layoff. Rousey needed just 17 seconds to tap Carano out and win her fight, which was viewed by 17 million people around the world on Netflix.
Next Steps For Ronda Rousey
Following the fight, Rousey said she plans on moving to Hawaii with her husband, former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, and their children, and she hopes to have more kids to add to their growing family. But we all know that money talks for prizefighters, and after Rousey earned $2.2 million in disclosed pay for her fight with Carano, you can’t completely rule out that she fights again.
If Rousey does come back, here are five potential opponents for her return. Keep in mind that if she does compete again, we can safely assume that she will fight for MVP MMA and not for the UFC, which eliminates fighters like Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes, which is why they are not on this list.
5 Potential Opponents For Ronda Rousey
Here are five potential opponents for Rousey, some of which are more realistic than others.
- Holly Holm: In one of the greatest upsets in MMA history, Holm knocked out Rousey with a brutal head kick at UFC 193. For years, fans have wanted to see the rematch and see if Rousey could get revenge. Holm is currently boxing for MVP, so they would have no problem at all getting her to fight Rousey in an MMA match if she agreed to it.
- Cat Zingano: Rousey submitted Zingano in just 14 seconds at UFC 184. During the MVP MMA broadcast, Zingano was one of the guest analysts, which got fans thinking if a rematch between the two longtime rivals was possible. Zingano is a free agent, so if Rousey wanted to fight her, MVP MMA could easily set up a fight.
- Miesha Tate: Tate and Rousey had one of the best rivalries in women’s MMA history. They first met in Strikeforce, where Rousey submitted Tate with an armbar, and then she did the same in the UFC after they coached on “The Ultimate Fighter.” Tate is still technically under UFC contract, but the promotion could consider releasing her in a sign of goodwill if there is a huge payday waiting out there for her to fight Rousey.
- Cris Cyborg: MMA fans have been clamoring for years to see Rousey and Cyborg fight. These two do not like each other, and they have made their distaste for each other well known. Cyborg is not tied to any MMA promotion, so she’s free to sign with MVP MMA and fight Rousey, but it feels like this is more of a dream fight than anything else, as Rousey has never shown any interest in taking on Cyborg inside the cage.
- Liz Carmouche: The first-ever women’s MMA fight in the UFC featured Rousey submitting Carmouche in the main event of UFC 157. Carmouche is currently in PFL, but perhaps there could be a way to let her face Rousey in MVP MMA, or possibly do some sort of co-promotion to make this rematch happen.
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