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UFC 207 Main Event: Amanda Nunes Knocks Out Ronda Rousey In First Round

By Rahul Srinivas
Published on: 18:08 PST, Dec 30, 2016

Coming back to the ring after staying away for more than a year, Ronda Rousey and her fans were expecting to put up a decent fight at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes. However, Rousey’s challenge ended in under a minute when a flurry of fists threw Rousey off her feet just a few seconds into the match. Everything was over in under 48 seconds. A Washington Post report described the turn of events as “brutal, shocking, and ugly”.

At the end, this was what the scorecard looked like.

Women’s Bantamweight: Amanda Nunes def. Ronda Rousey via TKO at 0:48 in Round 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJEvMSxf_8o

Nunes was dominant right from the start. She landed heavy right over hands to which Rousey had no defense. In fact, Rousey was seen immediately backing up with no sign of any offense. For many, it was an unbelievable sight to see the bully getting bullied. Those who know Ronda Rousey’s history, she is known to bully and overwhelm her opponents to submission – sometimes even before the actual fight started. However, Rousey was given no such chance by Amanda. According to SB Nation, Rousey never got a chance to establish a gameplan or even get settled. Nunes scored her win with a final TKO following which referee Herb Dean stopped the action even before the first minute was over. Forty-eight seconds into the match and everything was over for Rousey.

After the flurry of jabs by Nunes, Rousey was seen falling backwards. She did, however, try to lean forward and make an attempt to show some challenge. However, Nunes was able to shove Rousey back once again and continued to plod forward. Rousey did manage to land one hook at Nunes who continued to pursue Ronda aggressively. However, that hook had little effect on the defending champion. Once it became evident that Rousey was dazed, she was an easy target for Nunes. At the end of 48 seconds, once the coach signaled the end, Nunes’ coaches and her girlfriend Nina Ansaroff jumped up in celebration.

While Rousey did not fall unconscious as the case was with her last fight against Holly Holm, she was clearly seen fledgling and out on her feet. With the match finishing under 48 seconds, it was the fastest knockout finish ever in Nunes’ career.

In an interview after the event, Nunes spoke with reporters.

“I’m stopping everybody like that. When I asked for this fight, I knew everything. I was preparing my mind, spirit, body. I know Ronda Rousey is big. They know and love Ronda Rousey, but no one is going to take this belt from me.”

Rousey was seen walking out of the Octagon without assistance. She, however, did not address the media after the fight.

Ronda vs Nunes
Amanda Nunes, right, connects with Ronda Rousey in the first round of their women’s bantamweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 207, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Las Vegas. [Image by John Locher/ AP Images]

Following the shocking nature of Rousey’s defeat, social media erupted with videos and meme’s, many of them making fun of Rousey. We have embedded some of the tweets below. Even the official Twitter account of Amanda Nunes had this to say to Rousey.

Following her shocking win under under a minute, Amanda Nunes now holds the UFC female bantamweight record for most finishes inside the first round. Before this fight, she was tied with Rousey with both of them having five wins in the very first round.

[Featured Image by John Locher/AP Images]

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