RONDA ROUSEY’S RETURN to the octagon could happen before the end of 2016 and she’ll be “the best Ronda Rousey that anyone has ever seen” when that time comes.
That’s according to her coach Edmond Tarverdyan, who told ESPN that Rousey has been back in training in Los Angeles for the past month after undergoing minor knee surgery during the summer.
Rousey (12-1) defended the UFC women’s bantamweight title with ease on six occasions until she was knocked out by Holly Holm in the second round of the main event at UFC 193 in Melbourne in November of last year.
The belt has since changed hands twice, with Holm going on to lose in March to Miesha Tate, who was then beaten at UFC 200 in July by reigning champion Amanda Nunes — who’ll be Rousey’s opponent when the Olympic judo bronze medallist makes her comeback, UFC president Dana White told Brazilian media outlet Combate this week.
With three pay-per-view events scheduled for the final two months of the year — 12 November in New York, 10 December in Toronto and 30 December in Las Vegas — Tarverdyan admits that a 2016 return for the 29-year-old star is a possibility.
“There have been talks about her coming back, but we haven’t made a final decision yet,” he said. “There’s a chance she fights to get her belt back this year, but nothing is set yet.
“If we do make a comeback this year, we will. If not we will make it next year. We want to thank all our fans for being patient. When she does come back, we promise the best Ronda Rousey that anyone has ever seen. ”
