The UFC’s lead commentator would love to know how 2026 Ronda Rousey would do against some of the best inside the Octagon.
‘Rowdy’ made her return to mixed martial arts after almost a decade away under the banner of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions last Saturday.
Rousey submitted Gina Carano in just 17 seconds to close out the very first MMA event to air on the Netflix streaming platform.
The bout has been criticized by many due to its uncompetitive nature, which some think took away from Rousey’s win. But Jon Anik saw enough to be curious about how she would fare against some top UFC contenders.
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Jon Anik would be intrigued to see Ronda Rousey against the UFC contenders who are chasing Kayla Harrison
Rousey was knocked out by Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm in her final two UFC fights before focusing on ventures away from the cage for a number of years.
She got back to doing what she had long done best at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome on May 16.
Although that came against a woman who had been inactive as an MMA fighter since 2009, Anik seemingly wouldn’t write off Rousey’s chances of replicating it inside the Octagon.
“Can’t Ronda Rousey get takedowns against a high-level, modern-day fighter and get to a place where she can grab an arm or a neck? I mean, am I crazy?” the UFC commentator asked during the Anik and Florian Podcast.
“Because a lot of people think they’d be favored to beat Ronda Rousey right now.
“I just would be curious to see how she would do against the UFC top 10,” he continued. “Not to suggest that she’d be ready for Kayla Harrison or Amanda Nunes, but I am wildly curious to see how she would do against some of those other fighters.”
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Anik won’t get the chance to see his theory tested after Rousey retired from MMA for good following her victory over Carano.
Even if she had committed to more fights, a UFC return would likely be off the table after how she has discussed the promotion’s chief business officer, Hunter Campbell.
Rousey accused Campbell of trying to “sabotage” her MMA comeback and criticized how he discussed the Carano fight when it was first brought to the UFC.