Ronda Rousey has been out of the Octagon for a long time.
At 38 years old, the UFC’s first woman champion has been retired from MMA since 2016.
Rousey cited a history of concussions as the reason to walk away from the fight game, which came after back-to-back TKO losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
A decade removed from her prime, Rousey is happy to be back in the gym, hitting boxing pads for the first time in eight years following a recent pregnancy.
Some fans are convinced Rousey could make a return to the UFC.
A former UFC star isn’t sold on her return just yet, but said if anybody could pull it off, it’s ‘Rowdy’.
Ali Iaquinta says women’s MMA isn’t on Ronda Rousey’s Judo level
Former lightweight contender Al Iaquinta hasn’t forgotten about Rousey’s legendary run in the Octagon.
Before she lost the title to Holm, Rousey finished all eleven of her opponents inside of the opening round.
Rousey, the first woman ever to win an Olympic medal in Judo, once had eight-straight finishes by armbar, utilizing her Judo throws to get the submission.
“Can she do it?” Iaquinta said of Rousey’s potential return on The Boys in the Back.
“To convince me, it’d take a lot. And I’m not really convinced with just one pad session,” Iaquinta added.
“But I do think Ronda Rousey’s done so much in her career that if there is anybody that can make a comeback—that armbar doesn’t go away.
“She’s always got that armbar and she’s got those throws. I think she kinda got away from it in the end.
“If you go back to that, people still aren’t on that level,” Iaquinta continued.
“I don’t think in women’s MMA, if you go back to that takedown, those throws, that’s your bread and butter.
“You get the right opponent and you go in there, yeah, I’d like to see it,” Iaquinta said of Rousey possibly fighting in the UFC again.
Al Iaquinta doubts he fights again at 38
The same age as Rousey, the 38-year-old Al Iaquinta doesn’t believe he’ll return to the UFC.
Iaquinta retired from MMA at the age of 34 after three losses in a row to King Green, Dan Hooker, and Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. He was once in the top 5 of the UFC lightweight division.
“I don’t think so,” Iaquinta told Bloody Elbow, when asked if he’d fight again.
“I don’t know. I keep getting calls from…
“We’ll see, but I don’t think so,” Iaquinta said.
“I’m so busy in real estate and doing so well.
“I’ve got such a great team there with the Serra-Longo guys. I go into the gym, I help out a little bit, I train, keep my juices flowing, keep my sanity in the gym…
“But then I’ve got the other side, the business side which is just growing leaps and bounds every day. Watch and see where it’s going to go next,” Iaquinta said of his real estate business.