Written by Michael Blaustein at NY Post
The seemingly interminable Ronda Rousey waiting game finally looks like it’s over.
Rousey, who has been out of action for nearly a year, looks set to return to the Octagon at UFC 207 on Dec. 30, when she would face Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight title.
While nothing is official, Fox Sports reported Thursday that Rousey has been offered the chance to fight Nunes at UFC 207. Rousey’s trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan, told ESPN that talks were ongoing.
“There have been talks about her coming back, but we haven’t made a final decision yet,” Tarverdyan said. “There’s a chance she fights to get her belt back this year, but nothing is set yet. If we do make a comeback this year, we will. If not we will make it next year. We want to thank all our fans for being patient.
“When she does come back, we promise the best Ronda Rousey that anyone has ever seen.”
Rousey has not been seen in the cage since she was knocked out by a vicious Holly Holm head kick at UFC 193 on Nov. 15, 2015.
The bantamweight division that Rousey dominated for years was thrown into chaos while she was away. First, Holm lost her first title defense to longtime Rousey antagonist Miesha Tate, then Tate got destroyed by current champion Nunes, and finally Holm lost her comeback fightagainst up-and-comer Valentina Shevchenko.Since then, Rousey has kept an incredibly low profile, but she’s finally back in full training, according to Tarverdyan, now that she’s recovered from a summer full of minor surgeries.
Meanwhile, the consensus pound-for-pound best female fighter in the world, 145-pound Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, made her UFC debut in devastating fashion.
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