Never gone: Why Ronda Rousey will become champion again at UFC 207

Amidst all of the drama surrounding Ronda Rousey's one-year hiatus, her unwillingness to speak to the media, and how many fights she could possibly have left in her career, people seem to have forgotten one thing:

Ronda Rousey is a really, really incredible fighter.

Admittedly, the last time Rousey was in the cage she was absolutely decimated by Holly Holm and her lack of activity in 2016 only served to further diminish the memory of Rousey's dominant run through the women's bantamweight division. None of that will matter on Friday when she challenges 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, a battle not just for gold but for the salvation of a legacy.

Here are three reasons why Rousey will defeat Nunes and reclaim her throne:

The most dominant woman in the sport

With apologies to Cris Cyborg, it's Ronda Rousey who has consistently knocked off the best of the best female fighters in the world and typically in record-setting fashion.

At her finest, "Rowdy" has an unmatched mental advantage, and while her confidence took a huge hit after the Holm knockout, the fact that she was allowed to take a year off from the sport and pretty much dictate the terms of her comeback can only be a good thing for her. That's a luxury afforded few fighters in this sport, and fair or not, it's one that she's taken full advantage of.

There's really no precedent for an MMA fighter willingly taking a year off from competition to recover from a loss, so it's entirely possible that Rousey will have gained nothing but ring rust while her division has continued to grow. But based on how little stability there has been in Rousey's absence, it doesn't look like anyone is ready to assert themselves as the division's alpha female.

Of course, Rousey's success is dependent on going back to her roots and forgetting all the talk about her being an elite boxer.

Stay in your lane

On the ground, there is simply no woman who is a match for Rousey.

Much has been made about how Nunes has been shoring up her own judo defense in preparation for Rousey and should this turn into a grappling competition, the champ can more than hold her own. But that doesn't mean she's ready to deal with Rousey's submission game.

Simply put, there are few fighters in any division who have the killer instinct of Rousey once the fight hits the ground. She recorded the fastest submission ever in a title fight when she forced Cat Zingano to tap out in just 14 seconds with an armbar, and her 16-second KO of Alexis Davis also cracks the top 5 of the quickest championship finishes.

If Nunes is taken down and tries to match Rousey hold for hold, "The Lioness" is going to end up on Rousey's highlight reel.

You don't rush Rousey

Nunes is the only women's bantamweight who can claim to be as legitimately deadly in the first round as Rousey. Ironically, it's that ferocity that could cause her to falter in the biggest fight of her life.

The problem is that every fighter who has rushed Rousey has paid for it dearly. Zingano, Davis, and Sara McMann all thought it was a good idea to take the fight to Rousey and none of them lasted longer than 66 seconds. Even Bethe Correia, who had vowed to knock Rousey out, found herself laying facedown on the mat after a disastrous opening exchange with the then-champion.

Only Holm was smart enough to dictate the pace and force Rousey to chase her. That's unlikely to be the case with Nunes, whose record shows that she favors an early blitz over a prolonged battle. That may make this match sound like a coin toss should both her and Rousey collide in the center of the cage, but Rousey's reputation as a fight finisher is more impressive than Nunes' and that will be a key factor on Friday.

Related - The Lioness' den: Why Amanda Nunes will spoil Rousey's return at UFC 207