Ronda Rousey UFC 207 Defeat - 7 Things We Learned
2. She Needs A New Camp
Lest this sound like a hit piece, it's not all doom and gloom. Ronda Rousey is the reason women are even in the UFC. She was a dominant champion.
What happened? Why did the sport pass her by? Why is her striking so bad, her head movement non-existent?
A few reasons, but one is clearly coaching. Edmond Tarverdyan, Rousey's coach, has been criticized by pundits, fans, fighters, and Rousey's own mother. With ample experience in boxing, he's the first place to look in a post-mortem.
Worse, after being highly criticized after the Holm loss, it appears the game plan for Rousey against Nunes was to stand and strike against her.
That's nuts. What seems to have happened is this: Rousey wound up in Tarverdyan's gym, and her own mother has stated that the coach initially ignored her. When she started to find success, he began working with her, but her judo abilities are what carried her. Now, she's hitting opponents who have managed to avoid her judo, and she lacks skills to fall back on.
To be fair, her corner did call for head movement during the Nunes fight - but if you don't already have the skill, a title fight isn't the place to learn it.
She needs a new camp. Alpha Male, or someone like Duane Ludwig, could do wonders with Rousey - if she decides to stick around.