Ronda Rousey’s UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm over a year ago proved to be a devastating one for her, to say the least. So much so that it had apparently driven her to contemplate on some suicidal thoughts.
Many had then put into question Rousey’s mentality after being brutally knocked out by Holm in two rounds. While some believe that she can come back strong, a good number hold doubts about whether her mindset is in the right place. Most recently, one of those is UFC Hall-of-Famer Chuck Liddell.
Rousey is headed for her Octagon return scheduled for UFC 207 on December 30th in Las Vegas. And according to “The Iceman,” giving her a fight of such magnitude may be a little too soon.
“It’s hard for her at her stature to come back at a smaller fight,” Liddell told TMZ Sports. “But (as a coach), I would’ve gotten her a warm-up fight, just to get mentally back in the game. Amanda Nunes is a tough, tough opponent. If you want to come back, that’s the one to come back and show you’re back.”
Rousey was a dominant champion before she was defeated by Holm, subsequently taking away her aura of invincibility. The same scenario happened less than a month later, when José Aldo was knocked out by Conor McGregor in 13 seconds. According to Liddell, the difference between how Aldo and Rousey handled their losses is a big factor.
“A guy like Aldo gets knocked out, he wanted to fight that day. He wanted a shot at (McGregor) that day. That’s a fighter. That’s a guy that’s got it together up here (mentally). ‘I made a mistake, I know what I did, I want to win now.’”
“She folded,” Liddell said of Rousey. “I don’t know what happened.”