Ronda Rousey UFC news: Is Ronda Rousey mentally ready for her fight with Amanda Nunes?
There's no doubt that Ronda Rousey is a world-class athlete. She's quite a physical specimen and she has the skills to beat down her opponents and make them tap with an armbar. Physically, she has all the tools to beat Amanda Nunes and regain the UFC women's bantamweight belt at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 207. But Rousey may not be as strong mentally.
Mixed martial arts analyst and former UFC fighter Dan Hardy recently talked about Rousey's mindset on The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). He said that it was important for her to go into the fight with confidence.
"If she comes in absolutely fierce and tries to bully Amanda Nunes early on, then it may go her way again. She may be able to overwhelm Amanda Nunes. But if she comes in timid and allows Amanda to find her rhythm and start letting her hands go, then every time she locks up, Amanda is going to be prepared to defend that takedown. And that's when Ronda is going to start to struggle," he said.
Hardy is correct when he says that Rousey should not fight timidly. She usually starts her fights at a frantic pace. In fact, 11 of her wins came in the first round, and she managed to win nine of those fights in under a minute.
But the last time Rousey fought in the octagon, she got knocked around by Holly Holm and the fight ended when Holm caught her with a head kick. Holm continued to punch her after the kick, but it was clear that she was already out of the fight.
People may be questioning Rousey's mentality after the brutal beating she took from Holm, but Nunes said she's not going to underestimate her opponent. "I don't think she's weak in mind. I really think she's prepared for the comeback," she told FOX Sports.