Ronda Rousey's long-awaited return to the octagon at UFC 207 certainly didn't go to plan for the superstar.
With just 48 seconds gone in the first round, referee Herb Dean called an end to the fight, as Rousey had no answer to the powerful strikes being delivered by the champion, Amanda Nunes.
Speaking after UFC 207, Dana White said that he had been in the locker room with Rousey afterwards, and that despite suffering another defeat, she was taking the defeat well.
Speaking to ESPN, White siad that she was in better form than she had been after her last shock defeat at the hands of Holly Holm, and paid tribute to everything she had done to grow the sport.
"I went backstage after and hung out with her for probably 40 or 45 minutes," White said. "I'll tell you this: She's in better spirits this time than she was after the Holly fight. She's very competitive, she does not like to lose, she loves to win, and she loves to do what she sets out to do. Tonight wasn't her night.
"None of this would be here without Ronda Rousey," White added. "Ronda Rousey built this. She talked me into letting women come into the UFC and it was the smartest thing that I've ever done. Regardless of whether she comes back, she doesn't come back, she's a winner. She built this whole thing."
When asked if he thought fans would see Rousey back in the octagon again, however, White was less sure, and added that there was no answer on that front yet.
"I don't know. You know, Ronda obviously needs to go home, take some time. She's very rich, she doesn't need to fight any more, but she's super competitive, maybe she wants to.
"I don't know, we'll see what happens," White concluded.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, her opponent Nunes was much clearer on the topic, stating that she believes it's the end of the road for the woman who once dominated the division.
"Yeah, that's it for her," Nunes said. "For sure, she's going to retire. She can't take it anymore. If she wants a rematch, I'm going to do the same thing."
In a blog post about her daughter, Rousey's mother AnnMaria De Mars added further fuel to the speculation that she'll step away as she listed her achievements, adding that "someone who has been world level athlete in two sports, written a best seller, acted in movies and made millions of dollars, all before the age of 30 has a pretty darn good track record."
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