Katie Taylor vs Ronda Rousey in talks for summer

Lance Pugmire reports that Katie Taylor could end her self-imposed hiatus this coming summer against former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.

Rousey, at the time the most decorated female judoka America had ever seen, became the UFC’s first female champion and its first true female superstar with a lengthy string of one-sided demolitions. Only Miesha Tate lasted past the first round, with most failing to last past the first 60 seconds. Then came one of the more dramatic falls from grace in recent memory.

Our old pal Holly Holm, a gargantuan underdog, boxed circles around Rousey in 2015 before knocking her into another dimension with a shin to the chin early in the second. “Rowdy” spend the next year on the sidelines, then returned to challenge reigning titlist Amanda Nunes, the consensus best female fighter to ever grace the Octagon. Rousey managed to stay out of the shadow realm this time, but probably wished she hadn’t, as “The Lioness” beat the living daylights out of her for 48 seconds before the referee mercifully intervened.

Now, nine years later and with failed stints in acting and pro wrestling behind her, she’s apparently living every UFC veteran’s dream by cashing out with a hopeless boxing match.

To be clear, Rousey does pack a wallop; she slept Bethe Correia in her final victory and stung Holm enough to force a clinch. If she had functional knees or any trainer besides the hilariously incompetent Edmond Tarverdyan, she might have become a real problem on the feet.

But she didn’t, so she isn’t.

I can get Taylor (25-1, 6 KO) wanting to ride off into the sunset, but if she’s going to do the Paul thing and dredge up a faded mixed martial artist, why not Cris “Cyborg” Justino? At least the Brazilian is still active and has some boxing experience.