Ronda Rousey UFC news 2017: Laila Ali says Rousey can't take a punch

Some fighters can dish out a beating, but they can't really take it if the tables are turned. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Brock Lesnar's imposing size could strike fear into an opponent's heart, but mixed martial arts (MMA) pundits and fans have always thought he couldn't take a punch after seeing him curl up in the fetal position after getting hit by Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Lesnar is no longer with the UFC, but some people think another popular fighter also can't take a punch.

In an interview with the Rich Eisen Show (transcribed by Boxing Scene), former professional boxer Laila Ali talked about the beating Ronda Rousey took from UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in their fight at UFC 207, and she said she doesn't think Rousey has the chin to take a punch.

"I remember when they wanted to see us fight. And now they want to see me train her. You can't really train somebody's chin to take a punch, but for the right amount of money, yeah we could probably make it happen," she stated.

Ali hasn't fought since 2007, but she thinks she could get in the ring right now and not get beaten up like Rousey did. "Even if you lose a fight in the end, I want to see you be able to take some punches, be in the fight, and maybe at a certain point you get tired or wear down because you have the ring rust," she said.

Of course, it should be noted that Rousey actually took a lot of punches in the face because she has absolutely no head movement in that fight, and her footwork was bad.

Meanwhile, people think it would take years to fix Rousey's striking skills, especially her lack of defense, but former pro boxer Jeff Mayweather just made an outlandish claim by saying he could turn her into a decent striker in two to three months. Well, Rousey's coach Edmond Tarverdyan would surely disagree.