Ronda Rousey made her long-awaited return to the UFC octagon today, but things didn’t go well for the former champ, who was obliterated by opponent Amanda Nunes in under a minute.
Rousey hasn’t fought for more than a year, following her decisive knockout by Holly Holm in November 2015, but reigning bantamweight champion Nunes went right in for the kill.
Nunes landed the first punches moments into the fight, and Rousey was seen staggering and stumbling as her opponent pursued her with follow-up blows, until the referee stepped in to stop the fight after only 48 seconds.
“She lit Ronda up like a Christmas tree,” commentator Joe Rogan said of the quick and decisive victory. “Amanda Nunes completely smashed Ronda.”
Conor McGregor‘s coach John Kavanaugh, who had earlier picked Rousey as the winner, took to Twitter to admit that his instincts were mistaken, and congratulate Nunes on her win.
Well i could have tried to get that more wrong but it would not have been possible, looked absolutely lost. Big congrats to the champ!
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) December 31, 2016
After her much-vaunted return and a payday worth a reported US $3 million, Rousey’s future in the sport is now uncertain.
Photo: Brandon Magnus / Zuffa LLC / Getty.
