Ronda Rousey appears to be in peak physical condition ahead of UFC 207, the only question that remains is has she made the requisite improvements to her overall game?
Once MMA's biggest superstar, Rousey hasn't been seen inside the Octagon since Holly Holm's head kick from hell found home in Melbourne. Once that shin cracked her on the neck, she lost her consciousness, her belt and her fondness for the spotlight as she has been shying away from the media ever since.
The 'Preacher's Daughter' didn't last long at the top, losing the coveted strap in her first defence to Miesha Tate at UFC 196. 'Cupcake' then lost the belt to Amanda Nunes in her next trip to the Octagon at UFC 200. The Brazilian pieced up Tate from the get-go, finishing her in the opening stanza to earn a high-profile defence against the returning Rousey in UFC 207's headliner set to go down at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena on December 30.
Fans have a lot of concerns for Rousey heading into this bout against a legitimately dangerous champion. How seriously she has been taking the development of her game in the build-up to this fight remains unknown, particularly because she hasn't moved from the much-maligned Glendale Fighting Club headed up by the massively unpopular Edmond Tarverdyan.
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Reports of "Rowdy" needing to be
consoled backstage at the UFC 205 weigh-ins have also raised doubts over the former champion's mental state heading into the biggest stage of them all again. She has an insurmountable amount of pressure weighing down on her heading into this fight and it is unknown how she will cope with it.
However, the one thing that we can safely assume will be ready for the occasion is her body. Reports have already circulated that Rousey is much leaner heading into this fight and is on course to make
championship weight in her stride. These rumours were since backed up by her recent activity on social media in which she posted photos of herself looking considerably more muscular than usual as she prepares for her return.
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If nothing else, her ripped physique indicates that she is at least taking the preparations for this fight seriously, but we'll have to wait until the end of the month to see if she has fixed those holes in her game to prevent suffering another tough loss.
