Ronda Rousey leaves the octagon after losing to Amanda Nunes in the first round of their women’s bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 207, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Las Vegas. Nunes won the fight after it was stopped in the first round. (AP/John Locher)
The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed Ronda Rousey a 6-week medical suspension from fighting after her second consecutive knockout loss at UFC 207 last week.
READ: Rousey suspended 6 weeks after TKO loss to Nunes
The suspension, however, may be deemed unnecessary, as many believe that her last fight will be the final time she’ll grace the octagon as a fighter.
Mike Dolce, the man who has been handling the former bantamweight champion’s diet and nutrition for years, believes there’s still a “50-50 chance” she returns to the UFC.
“I wouldn’t be surprised either way,” he told MMAFighting. “I want to make sure that’s contextual. If she says, ‘I want to be back for Super Bowl weekend or the July 4th card,’ I would not be surprised in the slightest. If she says, ‘I’ve done my thing in MMA, I’m gonna retire as a legend in the sport, specifically for WMMA,’ I wouldn’t be surprised, either. I truly think it’s 50-50 right now.”
Prior to her devastating back-to-back losses against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, the former Olympian judoka was deemed untouchable in the women’s division and often dispatched her opponents with ease.
With the cloud of invincibility no longer hanging above Rousey’s head, the famed MMA nutritionist said she should just focus on healing up rather than contemplate what her next move will be.
“I think it’s gonna take some time,” Dolce said. “I don’t think she truly knows right now. As any good athlete, she should take her time to really think about it.”
Meanwhile, fans and pundits alike are more concerned about Rousey’s mental health, after she admitted to have suicidal thoughts after losing to Holm last year.
But Dolce guaranteed it won’t be the case this time around.
“No, there’s no concern about that,” he revealed. “She’s in a great place. She has an amazing support system around her, truly. I think she’s at an excellent point in her life. And this is my personal opinion, what happened in Australia against Holly, that was like a death. It was the death — and she had said — of who she wanted to be and what she wanted to be.”
The 40-year-old trainer and weight cut coach also shut down notions claiming ‘Rowdy’ was unprepared and not in shape coming into the fight.
“She had really made some lifestyle changes, put her training first. So I don’t think there’s no excuse,” Dolce said. “She did everything and had every opportunity to be perfectly prepared and she was for this fight.”
“Kudos have to go to Amanda Nunes for putting on an amazing performance and going out there and getting the win over Ronda Rousey, who was well-prepared,” he added.
In a separate report from TMZ, Rousey’s mother AnnMaria De Mars, also a former champion judoka, said that she’d prefer if her daughter retires from the sport completely. Khristian Ibarrola
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