It’s been nearly seven years since Ronda Rousey has fought in the UFC, but at least one fighter believes there’s a chance that will change soon. However, that rumor was quickly dispelled.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported on Thursday that Rousey “is not considering a UFC comeback” and there is “no truth” to that notion.
While speaking to reporters at UFC on ESPN 49 on Wednesday, featherweight fighter Chelsea Chandler said she heard the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion could be gearing up for a return:
“I’ve been hearing Ronda is coming back. I’ve heard she’s coming back at 145. You never know. … If I got out there and put on the performance I plan on putting (on), I’ll welcome her to 145. I think it would be a great fight. It has been a long time for her and things change, people get better, and I think people are on to her one-trick-pony armbar. Money talks, and she would bring eyes to the sport again. I feel like her time in WWE is starting to go down, so I’d like to see it.”
Rousey has not competed in MMA since losing by first-round knockout to Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds at UFC 207 in 2016. It was her second straight loss after she dropped the bantamweight title in 2015 to Holly Holm, who is headlining Saturday’s card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas against Mayra Bueno Silva.
Rousey signed with WWE on a full-time basis in 2017, and she has held both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships as well as the Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Shayna Baszler. However, her time with the company is reportedly coming to an end soon, as Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that Rousey has a “hard out” when her contract expires.
It should be noted that Chandler trains out of Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu and is associated with the Diaz brothers. She has no known ties to Rousey and it’s unclear where exactly she heard about Rousey’s potential comeback.
However, with Nunes recently retiring and UFC 300 quickly approaching in the spring of 2024, perhaps the 36-year-old could be convinced to step back into the Octagon. Rousey was once the biggest MMA star on the planet, so her potential return would surely excite fans.
