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Ronda Rousey's coach wants her to fight one more time against Cyborg

Should former UFC champion Ronda Rousey fight Cris Cyborg in the Octagon?
Ronda Rousey stands on stage during an event for UFC 207, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016, in Las Vegas. (AP)

In the months since Ronda Rousey’s second consecutive knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in December, all signs pointed toward the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion hanging up the gloves. She’s remained relatively silent about her MMA future, married Travis Browne and appears to be making a transition into the world of professional wrestling. Fighting seems to be the last thing on her mind.

However, her coach would like for her to make the walk into the Octagon one more time before bidding the sport farewell. And Edmond Tarverdyan has only one opponent in mind for Rousey’s farewell.

Cris Cyborg.

You read that right, the current UFC women’s featherweight champion that has decimated all opposition over the past decade and was once the opponent that fight fans wanted to see Rousey face is exactly who Tarverdyan believes the former champion should square off against.

And he is certain that Rousey can beat Cyborg.

“That’s the one,” Tarverdyan said on The MMA Hour. “I want that fight. When I trained Ronda, I know Ronda could beat Cyborg. I know that. Cyborg is too slow.”

Tarverdyan isn’t sure that Rousey will return, but believes that a Cyborg fight would motivate the former champion to take one more fight.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know. We’ll live and we’ll see. If injuries weren’t there and everything was where it was, we would take that fight and I’m telling you she’s too slow for us. And Ronda will beat her. Ronda needs a challenge that she really needs to be like this person is no good and I need to prove something to the whole world. That’s how Ronda works good.”

Rousey’s biggest hole in her game has been her striking and was exposed by both Holly Holm and Nunes, who are both experienced strikers. And it’s no secret that Cyborg is the most feared striker in all of women’s MMA, and it’s not even close.

But having the deck stacked against her in a fight against a rival is something that Tarverdyan believes can squeeze one more fight out of Rousey. But all that being said, he’s still unsure if it will be enough to lure the 30-year-old back into the UFC.

“It’s gonna be her decision, if she fights,” Tarverdyan said. “One more, I don’t know. I’ve spoken to her. I don’t know if she’ll do it. One more fight, maybe. If she really can. If her body does give her one more fight and she really wants to mentally, she might. It’s 50-50 right now I would say.”

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