Ronda Rousey UFC 207 Defeat - 7 Things We Learned

3. Ronda Rousey Does Not Like Getting Hit

Who does like being hit, right?

Well, in MMA, it's inevitable. You will be hit. How you react to strikes - especially a punch that wobbles you - likely dictates where you go in the sport.

For most of her early career, Rousey emerged from fights unscathed. Miesha Tate, who would go on to be champ in Rousey's absence before losing her title to Nunes, was the only fighter to really press her. Tate, however, lacks the power of Nunes.

In both the Holm and Nunes fights, we've now seen that Rousey does not react well to getting hit. Against Nunes, it took her right out of the fight. She suddenly looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in the octagon. Like she was in over her head.

This has plagued other fighters as well. Brock Lesnar was often criticized for his reaction to strikes, but he powered through it, and although the result was overturned to a No Contest, his return fight at UFC 200 this past Summer came against Mark Hunt, one of the most fearsome strikers in MMA.

It's hard to learn how to get hit. Sparring partners aren't supposed to really tag fighters, after all (no need to damage an athlete before a fight). It's something you can either handle, or not, with few exceptions.