She’s back! Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey returns from an extended year-long layoff to challenge current champ Amanda “Lionheart” Nunes for the 135-pound gold. The matchup will take place in the main event of the evening for UFC 207 in Las Vegas this Friday (December 30th, 2016). The UFC 207 fight card is stacked with 10 scheduled bouts, with preliminary action getting underway at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on UFC Fight Pass and continuing on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. The main card will be live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m., and all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakers. Getting the action started for the UFC 207 main card will be a flyweight contest between New Mexico’s Ray Borg and the Hawaiian Louis Smolka. Both 125-pounders will be looking to return to the win column with an impressive victory in this contest, as Borg is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Justin Scoggins and Smolka suffered a first-round guillotine-choke submission loss to promotional newcomer Brandon Moreno. A sure contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, Borg versus Smolka is an excellent scrap to get the main card rolling on a high note. Being a fan of both 125-pounders, I look forward to seeing them collide inside the Octagon. The next bout on the main card takes place in the bantamweight division and will see former 135-pound champ TJ Dillashaw face John Lineker in what many believe to be a No. 1 contender bout. Dillashaw had a unanimous-decision win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC 200 back in July while Lineker pulled off a split-decision win over John Dodson and currently rides a six-fight winning streak inside the Octagon, including 4-0 since moving up to 135-pounds. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum were also scheduled to square off in this rematch. However, Velasquez has been pulled from the contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) due to medical reasons. Staying in the bantamweight division for the co-main event, undefeated Team Alpha Male product Cody Garbrandt will challenge UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz for his 135-pound gold. There is a lot of heat between these two heading into this title fight. Fireworks are expected here, as they have made this one personal. Cruz is 2-0 since his last extended injury layoff and has not tasted defeat in nearly a decade, owning a 22-1 pro record heading into this title defense. He reclaimed his belt with a split-decision victory over TJ Dillashaw and defended it with a unanimous decision win over Urijah Faber. Across the cage from him, Garbrandt stands undefeated as a pro with a 10-0 record, including 5-0 in the UFC, with four knockout finishes. Heading into this co-main event, he plans to put Cruz away and grant him an immediate rematch. The main event will then finally see the return of Rousey, as she looks to reclaim her UFC women’s bantamweight title belt by taking out current 135-pound champ Amanda Nunes in what is a highly-anticipated headliner. Rousey has not seen action since losing the belt to Holly Holm via second-round head-kick knockout at UFC 193 more than a year ago, which marked the first and only loss of her professional mixed martial arts career. Meanwhile, Nunes is red-hot, riding an impressive four-fight winning streak that includes three first-round finishes, and she will be seeking her fifth straight with her first title defense against the stiffest test of her professional mixed martial arts career in Southern California’s Rousey.
