Bas Rutten: Rousey vs. Holm Most Important Fight at 135

At UFC 193, the MMA world witnessed the arrant dismantling of the once considered insuperable Ronda Rousey at the hands of soi-disant gimme Holly Holm.

Following that titanic upset and the usurpation of her belt, the “Rowdy” one has decamped into combative hibernation.

However, ‘Inside MMA’ host and UFC Hall Of Famer Bas Rutten believes it’s a sure-fire bet Rousey will eventually return to the Octagon, if only to exorcise the ghosts of that fateful night Down Under.

(h/t TheFightNerd via Bloody Elbow).

“Rousey, you know, a lot of people already think she is not going to fight anymore. You know, her ex-coach Jimmy Pedro, the judo coach, said right away, ‘I know her, she is not going to want to fight anymore.’ So these things are coming from people very close to her, then you know, you almost start to believe that.”

“I see a highly competitive Ronda Rousey, I always see that person. She can not let things go. Somebody says something bad, she can not let it go, but that is all because she is highly competitive. With that said, if she is highly competitive, she is going to have to fight, and she is going to have to fight both fights.”

Moreover, “El Guapo” stresses how imperative it is for Rousey to first rematch “The Preacher’s Daughter” whilst saving the last dance for incumbent bantamweight champ Meisha Tate.

“More important for her is the Holly Holm fight, that is most important. Winning or losing doesn’t matter. Not even a title fight with Miesha Tate. She beat her twice, can she do it again? We are going to find out because she had a big dip as well in her career. But the fight that for her is the most important one is to fight Holly Holm.”

“So if she can face Tate right now, and let’s say she wins that fight, she will have to fight Holly Holm. Let’s say she fights Tate and Tate beats her, I think also she still is going to have to fight Holly Holm. I truly believe for her own peace of mind, that will be the best, otherwise she is going to grow old and realize she made a mistake. She should have done that sooner and now she is not capable of doing that anymore and it is going to haunt her.”

Whilst the sport waits with bated breath on her next move, the former women’s UFC and Strikeforce 135-pound titlist has buried herself in a smorgasbord of TV appearances and film commitments.

Nonetheless, if the 29-year-old Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) does elect to take centre stage once again in the eight-sided cage, “Cupcake” most likely will serve as her comeback fight.