The year is 2023, and rumors of a [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] return to (real) professional fighting are starting to bud. According to UFC fighter [autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag], a return to the cage could be in order.
Wait, what?!
At UFC on ESPN 49 media day on Wednesday, Chandler (5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) randomly had viewers of her interview do a double take as she mentioned some rumblings she’s heard.
“I’ve been hearing Ronda is coming back,” Chandler told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I’ve heard she’s coming back at 145. You never know. … If I got out there and put on the performance I plan on putting (on), I’ll welcome her to 145. I think it would be a great fight. It has been a long time for her and things change, people get better, and I think people are on to her one-trick-pony armbar. Money talks, and she would bring eyes to the sport again. I feel like her time in WWE is starting to go down, so I’d like to see it.”
It’s unclear where exactly Chandler heard this intel. Did she simply see one of the handful of Instagram accounts promoting a random idea as a “rumor”? Or does Chandler have some real sources?
Chandler, 29, is associated with the Diaz Brothers and trains out of Cesar Gracie Jiu Jitsu, so it’s possible she could have that insider knowledge. After all, crazier things have happened in this sport.
With UFC 300 right around the corner, could the UFC be going in full nostalgia mode? Has Brock Lesnar had any MMA fight hankerings now that WWE and UFC are owned by the same parent company? Could a Nate Diaz return be in order?
Stay tuned for Chandler’s post-fight news conference if she defeats Norma Dumont to perhaps learn about what other MMA stars of yesteryear might return out of nowhere!
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 49.