Amanda Nunes: Ego Made Ronda Rousey Strike With Me
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes solidified herself as the baddest woman on the planet at 135 pounds, when she downed former bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey in just 48 seconds in their main event meeting at UFC 207 last month.
The loss marked the second consecutive defeat of ‘The Rowdy One’s’ career and left the former UFC champ’s fighting future in doubt, but Nunes doesn’t believe this should necessarily be the end of the road for her former opponent. Recently speaking to FOX 11 Los Angeles (via MMA Fighting) Nunes reveals she once found herself in a similar position, and believes a few changes in Rousey’s camp could make all the difference in her career:
“I already passed this moment in my career. It’s harder to lose but if you be strong, you’ll be able to come back like I did. Make some changes, adjust. The passion in her life, the family has to be with her. The base is very important. Make some changes in her camp, move to another gym and come back strong.”
Rousey came into the contest looking to strike with the heavy-handed Nunes, opting not to utilize her judo technique that has been the downfall of nearly all who shared the Octagon with her in the past, and paid for it with a quick first round knockout. Nunes credits Rousey’s ego for the decision to attempt to keep the fight on the feet:
“I think it was ego. I knew she was gonna try to strike with me and I think that was the completely wrong strategy to fight a girl like me…
“When I landed I saw, in that moment I saw in her eyes she was done. That [first punch] was the moment that I saw something. Like scared; scared if I connect the other hand because it was the jab.”
As for Nunes, she has her eyes fixed on making UFC history once again, by becoming the first female dual-weight champion in promotion history. The UFC has introduced a 145-pound female division that will crown its first champion at UFC 208 when former 135-pound champ Holly Holm meets Germaine de Randamie, and Nunes is hoping to challenge the winner of that contest:
“Next is the 145 [pound] belt, to move up to featherweight.”
Who would you like to see Nunes take on next? Do you think she’s earned a shot at making UFC history by challenging the inaugural 145-pound champ?
You can check out Nunes’ interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles here:
