Rousey down and out in brutal loss
RONDA Rousey’s UFC career looks to be over after her longawaited comeback ended in a first round TKO loss.
Champion Amanda Nunes went on the attack from the start and caught Rousey with a flurry of punches from both hands to win in just 48s as they headlined UFC 207 in Las Vegas yesterday.
Nunes showed the power that has lifted her to the top of the bantamweight division.
Rousey was arguably the most dominant mixed martial arts fighter in the sport’s history until she lost her belt 13 months ago in a stunning second round knockout loss to Holly Holm.
The division has been a merrygo-round since then with Nunes the third women to hold the belt since Rousey’s demise.
But Brazil’s Nunes stands firmly in control now and Rousey, who looked so rattled in her loss to Holm, will surely not be able to come back from an even more painful loss.
Rousey had been silent in the week leading into the fight, hoping to let her fists do the GETTY IMAGES talking. But she was gun-shy on her return and hardly fired a shot, being on the back foot from the outset.
‘‘She’s had her turn, I’m the champion now,’’ Nunes, dubbed ‘‘The Lioness’’, said.
‘‘This is amazing. Before I walk out, we talked because this moment is my moment. She had her time. She did a lot for this sport. Thank you Ronda Rousey … I’m the champion, the Lion!
‘‘When I asked for this fight I know everything. I prepare in my mind, my spirit and body for this moment. I know Ronda Rousey is GETTY IMAGES bigger. I know they love Ronda Rousey. But no one is taking this belt from me.’’
This was an impressive victory that left Rousey, a fight favourite with the Vegas bookmakers, stunned.
Rousey, who was still on her feet, briefly protested the stoppage before leaving the cage in her mother’s arms.
Her face was battered and her ego bruised again, but her bank balance was in good health. Win, lose or draw, Rousey was guaranteed a payday of US$3 million, matching Conor McGre- GETTY IMAGES gor for the biggest disclosed check in UFC history.
Rousey drops to 12-2 and Nunes goes to 14-4 with her first successful title defence earning her a US$200,000 fee though there will also be a share of the pay-per-view profits.
‘‘She lit Ronda up like a Christmas tree,’’ commentator Joe Rogan said.
‘‘Amanda Nunes completely smashed Ronda.’’
In the main undercard fight Cody Garbrandt upset champion Dominick Cruz to win the men’s bantamweight belt.
The fifth ranked Garbrandt won a unanimous decision over five brutal rounds to extend his unbeaten record to 11-0.
Cruz suffered just his second loss in 24 fights.
Garbrandt knocked Cruz down four times in a frantic fourth round – but failed to capitalise by going for some groundwork each time.
But he dominated enough to convince all the judges.
Both fighters were left sporting major eyebrow cuts – Garbrandt clipped in the first round and Cruz opened by a clash of heads early in the third round. GETTY IMAGES
Neil Broom was dropped by Imrul in the fourth over and he made Bangladesh pay for the letoff, scoring a run-a-ball 97 to join captain Kane Williamson for New Zealand’s highest second wicket partnership of all-time (179).
Broom eventually fell in the 35th over, caught by Mashrafe Mortaza when back-to-back centuries seemed a real possibility for a player who prior to this series hadn’t played ODI cricket for six years.
Williamson reached his 27th ODI half century en route to 95 not out off 116 balls while Broom’s contribution came just two days after his unbeaten 109, surely cementing his position somewhere in the middle order.
‘‘You get a little luck but apart from that delivery throughout series I think he was brilliant, he made outstanding contributions to the team and really set the side up in terms of winning this season,’’ Williamson said of the 33-year-old.
‘‘To come back in the side as a much better player than when he first made his debut for New Zealand is great to see and it’s really nice to see him kick on and play those mature innings that we really needed from a middle order player.’’