Usually fight fans are able to get some bit of a gauge on how a bout will play out just by watching the staredowns that follow the weigh-ins.
“Is he nervous?”
“Why isn’t she making eye contact?”
“He looks to be carrying a little excess body fat!”
But seldom do we see a full-blown lion mask stare menacingly at a fighter who bolts off the stage before giving UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan the chance to interview her.
That’s what we got on Thursday night as the returning Ronda Rousey faced off with her opponent, defending UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, the night before UFC 207.
Rousey’s psychological state has been brought into question leading up to her return, which comes over a year since being viciously knocked out by Holly Holm in Australia, due to the fact that she refused to fulfil her media obligations on fight week.
So we can’t say we blame Nunes for trying to act in as threatening a fashion as possible at the ceremonial weigh-ins in a bid to camp out in Rousey’s head.
The champ @Amanda_Leoa battles former champ @RondaRousey THIS FRIDAY at #UFC207! @Reebok pic.twitter.com/hKiO2NzDtC
— UFC (@ufc) December 29, 2016
‘Lioness’ took her nickname more literally than ever before as she took to the stage in a huge lion mask and glared at Rousey from the scales, where both women made 135lbs earlier that day.
An intense staredown followed but ‘Rowdy’ didn’t hang around for a chinwag with her old pal Joe Rogan as she made short work of exiting stage left while Nunes professionally spoke to the commentator.
Which Rousey will we see in the Octagon on Friday night? Has Nunes already won the mental battle? Where the hell can one purchase a mask like that?
We can’t wait to find out.
