Rousey, a former Olympic judo medalist, was not competitive in the fight at T-Mobile Arena, her first since losing her belt to Holly Holm in November 2015, her first career defeat. Rousey became arguably the world’s most famous female athlete and a combat sports trailblazer as she rocketed to the top of the U.F.C., but a year away from the sport apparently did little to heal the holes in her game.

Nunes, a veteran from Brazil, claimed her belt with a violent stoppage of Miesha Tate at U.F.C. 200 in July, completing her unlikely ascent. Nunes lost three fights earlier in her career to opponents beaten easily by Rousey, but Nunes’s work ethic and toughness propelled her into the fight against Rousey.

Rousey had not fought since the November 2015 fight, when Holm stopped her with a head kick in one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history. Rousey had risen to prominence with a series of one-sided victories, but Holm’s veteran striking made Rousey look amateurish.

Rousey nearly vanished from public view after her loss, taking time away from the gym and developing her acting career. After the bantamweight belt changed hands two times in her absence, Rousey agreed to return for a shot at reclaiming her title.</s>Bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes previewed her match-up with Ronda Rousey a day before their UFC 207 fight.</s>Rousey is scheduled to fight Nunes in a mixed martial arts women's bantamweight championship bo... . Ronda Rousey, right, and Amanda Nunes face off for photographers during an event for UFC 207, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Start the conversation, or Read more at KMIR 6.</s>Ronda Rousey lost against Amanda Nunes on Friday night, seemingly curtailing her return to UFC before it had even begun in earnest.

The former Bantamweight champion was beaten within the first minute of the bout, which has led to questions over whether she can continue to fight in the octagon in the future.

While there is an expectation that Rousey will hang up her gloves, there are myriad options for her going forward, including a dream fight in UFC. Sportsmail has put together a guide to the various choices she could make.

Almost certainly. Her loss against Amanda Nunes was her second on the spin, and much like any combat sport, careers tend to end after repeated defeats. UFC 207 was supposed to be the triumphant return of unarguably the greatest female competitor in the history of the company. It was not.

Rousey and UFC president Dana White were already discussing her future prior to the fight in Las Vegas and there seemed to be an acceptance that the end was coming in the near future for the California-born fighter. That will only be hastened by her defeat to Nunes.

But will she want to go out on what is a definite low? That is the only question surrounding her. Rousey might have too much pride to walk away at this point.

Nothing has been confirmed, with Rousey not speaking to the media after her fight. An announcement cannot be too far away.

If Rousey does not retire, what is next for her in UFC?

'She's going to stick around. If she loses, I don't know what she's going to do, but if she wins she's definitely going to stick around,' said White before the fight.

Victory would have been the ideal for UFC. They would have had their most marketable champion, barring Conor McGregor, back. The world would have been their oyster.

As it stands, Rousey cannot reasonably claim to be a contender for the bantamweight title. What she and UFC do have is the trump card of Cris 'Cyborg' Justino. Justino is probably the other most highly regarded female fighter in the world and any bout between the two would be incredibly popular.

The problem is Justino currently has a USADA notification hanging over her. While Justino's camp claim it was simply medication to deal with a weight cut, it could damage the potential for her and Rousey to face off in the octagon any time soon.

There's also a belief that were Rousey to return, she'd have to completely rejig her coaching team. There's a sense they tell her what she wants to hear rather than what she needs to to be the best fighter on the planet.

What are her options outside of UFC?

This is the biggest reason why Rousey may not return to UFC. Her earning potential outside of the company is almost limitless.

She has already appeared in three films and has been cast in a remake of 1989 Patrick Swayze film Road House. Hollywood likes Ronda Rousey, and that means she can demand a lot from Hollywood.

There's another big question hanging over her with regards to the WWE. Sportsmail spoke to the company's vice president of talent, live events and creative Triple H earlier this month and he admitted he thought they would be involved in any discussions over Rousey's future. He added: 'Ronda’s done things with us in the past. She’s a huge fan. She had a blast when she did it.'

She is known as 'Rowdy' in tribute to 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and is known to be a genuine fan of the company. She appeared at Wrestlemania before alongside The Rock when she was the bantamweight champion. It's a good place for someone who has made a name elsewhere to earn even more money, and should probably also appeal to her on a human level.

What is her UFC legacy?

She's helped to define what a woman can do in UFC. Her reign with the bantamweight title was superb, probably best demonstrated by the fact that it has changed hands so many times since she lost it to Holly Holm last year.

Rousey made it possible for women to headline UFC pay-per-views, hugely increasing their earning potential with the company. She, along with McGregor, also helped bring the company further into the mainstream.

Miesha Tate commented on Friday night: 'What does she have left to prove? Ronda Rousey has been the most dominant female for the longest period of time in history. She has broken every barrier. She has been an inspiration to women all over the planet and men alike. It's amazing that women are headlining these cards, and a big part of that is Ronda Rousey.'</s>Amanda Nunes retained her bantamweight title by knocking out Ronda Rousey in the first round of the main event at UFC 207 at T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas on Friday night.

Nunes moved in and delivered right-handed blows to Rousey’s head before the referee called the fight. The fight lasted 48 seconds, which is the third-fastest in UFC women's bantamweight history. Rousey needed just 16 seconds to defeat Alexis Davis at UFC 175 and 34 seconds to beat Bethe Correia at UFC 190.

Nunes landed 27 of 47 strikes while Rousey was seven-for-14.

“I knew I was going to beat the s--- out of Rousey like that,” she said after the fight.

Nunes's victory is her seventh and breaks a tie with Rousey for most wins in UFC women’s bantamweight history.

Watch the end of the fight below:

Rousey made her return to the ring for the first time since losing to Holly Holm in November 2015 and surrendering the women's bantamweight title. Rousey was knocked out in the second round with a head kick.
• Ronda Rousey's Return: A look back at her career timeline

After taking her first career loss, Rousey went into seclusion from the public eye. She focused on her entertainment career, making an appearance on Ellen and hosting Saturday Night Live.

Before Friday night's win by Nunes, no woman had successfully defended the bantamweight title since Rousey lost. Holm lost to Miesha Tate in March, and Tate lost to Nunes at UFC 200 in July. Holm is competing in the featherweight division now, and Tate has announced her retirement.

Rousey largely declined to promote Friday night’s fight, and went on a media blackout in the days before the main event. She did not do promotional appearances. In her Ellen appearance, Rousey also noted that she is heading into the final fights of her career.

Before pay-per-view totals, Rousey is expected to take home $3 million for the fight while Nunes earns about $200,000.

Nunes reportedly approached Rousey after the fight and said, “You did a lot for the sport.”</s>Amanda Nunes didn’t get the headlines in the lead up to UFC 207, but she made quite the statement in the cage, stopping Ronda Rousey with punches in just 48 seconds.

The women’s bantamweight title bout was the main event of the UFC 207 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) came out firing with big punches, putting Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) on the defensive from the opening bell. Rousey never looked comfortable and soon looked unsteady on her feet as she ate punch after punch.

With Rousey reeling and bouncing off the cage after eating a barrage, referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop the bout at the 0:48 mark of Round 1.

Check out the video highlights above.

For complete coverage UFC 207, check out the UFC Events section of the site.</s>Ronda Rousey makes her long-awaited return to the octagon when she takes on Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on Friday night.

The 29-year-old has not fought since her defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193, when she lost the UFC women's bantamweight title. There were doubts over whether she would ever step foot inside the octagon again after suffering severe damage to her jaw, but an extended training period has prepared her for Friday's fight.

Nunes should not be discounted either. The Brazilian took Miesha Tate's title at UFC 200 after early knees and punches before a submission victory. Rousey will have to be at the top of her game to reclaim her title, something she is keen to do.

The preliminary contests also sees male bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defend his title against Cody Garbrandt.

Join Sportsmail's ANDY WARREN for all the live action from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas from 3am.</s>Is Amanda Nunes better than Ronda Rousey? Nunes believes that she is and she thinks that Rousey, the most heralded woman in mixed martial arts believes it too. Amanda Nunes gets to prove her case tonight in Las Vegas at UFC 207 when she defends her bantamweight title against Ronda Rousey. It is Nunes’ first title defense. Most people are excited about Ronda Rousey making her return to the octagon, and her much-ballyhooed return has been hype as a coronation of some sorts. Amanda Nunes is looking to crash the party. As everyone who follows the UFC recalls the last time Ronda Rousey was a combatant, she lost to Holly Holm at UFC 193. Holm’s aggressive boxing style kept the former champion off balance throughout the night. Punches came from angles which Rousey never saw coming. And the defeat had Rousey so depressed, that she admittedly contemplated suicide, according to ESPN. Holly Holm was a former boxing champion, undefeated in her field at the time she beat Ronda Rousey. Amanda Nunes has considerable boxing skill, with raw power, not to mention her superior overall ability to that of Holm. All of which is why she is going in to UFC 207 feeling very confident. [Image by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images] While Ronda Rousey has kept a low profile leading up to her return, Amanda Nunes has embraced the stage. Making the rounds on television, conducting interviews, all things that she can become used to if she can ruin Rousey’s comeback. In one of her most recent interviews, Amanda Nunes spoke about her mindset going into tonight’s brawl with Fox Sports. “Obviously I’m very confident. I know what I’m capable of doing and I’ve been training. I know everything Ronda Rousey’s going to bring to the table and I’m ready for her.” As for the approach she took on during the preparation for UFC 207, she sounded ready. “This camp we pretty much are getting everything ready — striking, ground, judo defense, judo attacks, positioning and everything. I’m going to be ready for her.” Amanda Nunes has never been submitted as a mixed martial arts fighter. Keeping that streak going will be a tall task given the fact that Ronda Rousey is one of the best submission artists in the world. It would not be surprising if Nunes’ judo defense appears to be drastically better. If so, the champion could have her hand raised once again. Amanda Nunes is primed to ruin Ronda Rousey’s first bout back. The UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion appears very confident going into UFC 207. [Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images] To be successful requires belief. Amanda Nunes believes she’s better than her adversary. She also feels that she has several ways to win tonight. “I think I have ways to win everywhere. Of course, Ronda’s a pretty tough opponent but so is every single girl in this division — but I’m better than all of them. I will show again one more time I am the best in this division. I’m ready to show this and make a statement to this division.” Again, in order to be successful, one has to believe that they can win. Amanda Nunes not only believes that she can win, she knows she can. Rousey’s inactivity will play a huge role. No one can have the type of layoff that Ronda Rousey had and not show rust. Things would be different if she had taken a tune-up fight before getting in the octagon with Nunes, but that was never going to be the case, leaving everything to the current circumstances. A confident Amanda Nunes taking on a silent and determined Ronda Rousey makes for good theater. The time off puts the challenger at a disadvantage. Amanda Nunes knows this. Tonight she will look to prove that she is better. [Featured Image by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images]</s>After a yearlong hiatus from the sport, Ronda Rousey will face Amanda Nunes in an attempt to reclaim the UFC Bantamweight title in which she held for so long.

The backlash of Rousey’s first MMA loss certainly hit hard. A masterclass of striking from Holly Holm led to all the previous achievements of the women’s UFC pioneer being disregarded.

Hollywood appearances were laughed at, stardom turned into suicidal thoughts, and although it may be ‘one of her last fights’, the prestigious Ronda Rousey returns for revenge and redemption against Amanda Nunes.

It’s no breaking news that since Rousey’s defeat, the bantamweight belt has had its fair share of hands around it. However, it now lies in the paws of the hard-hitting Amanda Nunes, who since joining the UFC has been waiting for her shot at Rousey, which she will now get on December 30.

Since her loss to Holm, Rousey’s boxing (and her coach Edmond Tarverdyan) have been heavily mocked. Even from training clips showing an awkward twist of the arm when Rousey throws a jab, or is it a straight?

The ‘yes-man’ advice Tarverdyan gave to Ronda in-between rounds in the Holm fight, in addition to his ludicrous actions at UFC 198 has many fans (even Rousey’s mother) thinking that Edmond is a terrible coach.

The reckless and aggressive striking of Rousey was never proven flawed until her fight with Holm. Charging forward with strikes, the scenario almost always ended up being aggressor vs. aggressor (e.g. her first fight with Miesha Tate) causing Rousey and her opponent to tie up in the clinch, where she could use her signature judo throws to take the fight to the ground. A style similar to the sambo-reliant Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Whilst most will look at the countering game of Holm to prove the hole in Rousey’s striking, her fight vs. Bethe Correia may be more influential than you think. Although at first glance it seemed like a domination from Rousey, that’s not the case.

The fight starts and instantly it’s aggressor vs. aggressor. Overcommitting on shots of her own, Rousey walked straight into Correia’s left hand on several occasions with next to no defense of her own. Now we know Correia was thrown in into the deep end, but if Ronda comes out the same way against a technical and powerful striker such as Amanda Nunes, it’s going to be a short night for the challenger.

Of course, Rousey’s bread and butter is her grappling. But we know Nunes is no joke when it comes to that field too. A brown belt in Judo and a black belt in BJJ, we don’t often get to see ‘The Lioness’ on the ground due to her excelling so much on the feet.

However, these two aspects (striking and grappling) work hand in hand for Nunes. In her two submission wins in the UFC against high-calibre wrestlers Miesha Tate and Sara McMann, we saw Nunes daze her opponents with her trademark right straight, then instantly work from back mount to get the rear-naked choke finish.

Nunes has somewhat of an unusual striking set. Yes, she stays way out of her opponent’s range which is a good thing, but when she goes to fire with shots of her own, she doesn’t tend to close the distance.

She will over-extend, catch her opponents right on the end of her punches, and it is only when they come forward that Nunes shows off the short snap on her strikes.

If Nunes can maintain the distance between her and Rousey like she usually does, she will minimize the risk of Rousey stepping into her comfort zone of the clinch. Much like Tate, Ronda likes to march forward flat footed against her opponent, as we’ve seen this will be easily countered by a technical striker who is light on their feet, such as Nunes, or Holm.

And Still or And New?

This fight has unspeakable implications for Rousey. Since her loss, she has been very outspoken and had a “f**k you” approach to anyone who has bad-mouthed her skills or doubted her mental state. A win at UFC 207 gives Rousey the chance to not only silence the critics, but to reclaim her title as the best bantamweight in the world.

Nunes’ title win at UFC 200 meant the world to her, but this fight surely means more. Originally not even supposed to co-headline the card, the event felt rushed and was dampened by late cancellations. This is Nunes’ real title fight and chance to prove to the MMA world she is a champion who’s here to stay.</s>Ronda Rousey fights Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title at UFC 207 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday night.

Rousey, 29, has not fought since losing her bantamweight crown to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. It was the first loss of Rousey's career.

The title belt has changed hands twice since Rousey was dethroned. Holm lost to Miesha Tate with a fifth-round submission. Tate lost to Nunes in July in a fight that lasted just over three minutes.

This will be Nunes' first title defense since her victory at UFC 200 in July.

Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes – Expected to start at 12 a.m. ET

TV: Preliminary fights on FOX Sports 1, Main card on pay-per-view for $59.99

Live stream: Watch the preliminary fights online here. The pay-per-view fights can be live streamed here with subscription.
In mixed martial arts, Amanda Nunes defeats Ronda Rousey to retain the Women's Bantamweight title at UFC 207.