LOS ANGELES—Mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey is poised to return to the Octagon on December 30, taking on UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said Wednesday the bout would headline the UFC 207 card in Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old Rousey, a former Olympic judo bronze medallist, held the UFC 135-pound crown for three years, from November of 2012 to November of 2015 — when she was brutally knocked out by Holly Holm in Melbourne in one of the biggest shocks in the history of UFC.
Holm lost the title in her first attempted defence against Meisha Tate.
Brazil’s Nunes won the title with a first-round submission victory over Tate in July.
Meanwhile, UFC has confirmed that Filipino prizefighter Jenel “The Demolition Man” Lausa (6-2-0, fighting out of Iloilo, Philippines) has been re-booked to compete in the upcoming UFC Fight Night Melbourne: ROCKHOLD vs JACARE 2 on Nov. 27, at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
Making his long-awaited UFC debut, the former boxing champion turned mixed martial arts rising star will be taking on Yao “The Conqueror” Zhikui (2-4-0, fighting out of Beijing, China) in a three-round flyweight bout.
Lausa is the latest Filipino prospect to be recruited by the world’s premier MMA organization after a successful stint in the regional circuit that last saw him become a flyweight titleholder.
Using his strong striking background, Lausa will put his current four-fight winning streak on the line against China’s Zhikui, a nationally-ranked wrestler who is known for pushing an aggressive fighting style.
When he steps inside the famed Octagon for the first time, Lausa will be realizing a life-long dream. He is determined to make a lasting impression among UFC fans as the first Filipino MMA champion to join the ranks of the greatest fighters in the world. Now competing with the very best Flyweights in the sport of mixed martial arts, Lausa is ready to showcase his talents in front of the thousands of fans in attendance and the millions watching around the globe.
The event will be headlined by an epic middleweight rematch between former foes Luke Rockhold (15-3-0, fighting out of San Jose, California USA) and Ronalda “Jacare” Souza (23-4-0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The former UFC middleweight champion Rockhold, is searching for his first win since losing the belt, while his rival Souza will look to make another statement in this five-round fight with heavy title implications.
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