Ronda Rousey’s comeback was derailed Friday as the American suffered her second straight pounding when Amanda Nunes won by a TKO less than a minute into their mixed martial arts fight.
The 28-year-old Nunes, of Brazil, barely broke a sweat against a helpless Rousey to easily retain her UFC women’s bantamweight belt in Las Vegas.
Referee Herb Dean stopped the rout at 48 seconds of the opening round after Nunes landed an overhand right, followed by a straight left to Rousey’s head.
“She had her time. She did a lot for this sport. Thank you, Ronda Rousey. I’m the champion, the Lion,” Nunes said.
Rousey entered the octagon first with her trademark scowl, but the angry demeanour quickly turned to desperation as the former champion looked out of her class from the moment Nunes backed her up with the first overhand right.
The 29-year-old from Los Angeles had not fought in over a year since she was pummelled in similar fashion by Holly Holm.
Following that loss, Rousey went into seclusion and kept a low profile in the build-up to the Nunes fight by declining to do interviews.
The Holm loss also shattered the mystique that Rousey had developed during the 12 straight wins that kick-started her career. She is now 12-2 overall.
Rousey, a former Olympic judo medallist, is one of MMA’s biggest stars and has helped widen the sport’s global appeal.
So it was no surprise that her return after a protracted absence created a huge buzz, with organisers predicting record pay per view buys.
Rousey earned a guaranteed $3 million (Dh11m) payday for less than a minute’s work. Nunes collected $100,000 (Dh367,295).
Perhaps the most surprising aspect for US fans on Friday was Rousey’s inability to put up any semblance of a defence.
She was rocked by a number of overhand rights before finally being wobbled one last time and appeared to be out on her feet. Rousey managed to stay up by holding onto the side of the cage with her right hand.
After it was over, Rousey did not stick around. She exited the cage quickly without doing any interviews, leaving many to wonder if she will ever return to her old form.
Nunes, the winner of five straight fights, seemed dismissive of Rousey.
“She’s going to retire and go to movies and make a lot of money now,” Nunes said. “You have lots of talent in this division. Forget about Ronda Rousey.”
* Agence France-Presse
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RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
