Ronda Rousey: Fighting Is No Longer A Priority In My Life
Ronda Rousey doesn’t have a mixed martial arts (MMA) return on her radar anytime soon.
Rousey, at one point considered to be the pound-for-pound best female mixed martial artist in the world, hasn’t fought since 2016. She began her MMA career undefeated with a record of 12-0, establishing herself as one of the biggest stars in all of sports and one of the most feared fighters in the UFC. However, Rousey tasted defeat for the first time in her career against Holly Holm in November of 2015.
Holm knocked out Rousey in the second round of their UFC 193 pay-per-view (PPV) main event meeting in Australia. After taking over a year off, Rousey returned to challenge Amanda Nunes for the 135-pound title. Nunes brutalized Rousey in just 48 seconds, putting her away with a barrage of shots to retain her title. After the fight, Rousey never officially retired from MMA.
However, in a new video uploaded to her YouTube channel, Rousey discussed her MMA career and noted that there isn’t a day that goes by where she’s not asked about fighting again. Rousey said fighting is no longer a priority in her life and doesn’t have any plans to get back in the Octagon anytime soon. (H/T MMA Fighting)
“There’s not a day that goes by people aren’t telling me to fight,” Rousey said. “I have to try and think of it as, would I rather be the greatest of all time, or have everybody think I’m the greatest of all time? It used to be so important to me to have both.
“But now it’s got to the point where I don’t want to sacrifice myself and my family to prove that anymore to a bunch of people that don’t give a sh*t about me. I know, and the people who love me know. It’s no longer a priority in my life. All the people that tell you, ‘Come on, fight again, do this again,’ they would never do that for me.”
Much has been said about Rousey since her departure from MMA, especially after the rise of female combatants such as Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko, and others. While some might disagree, Rousey still maintains that she’s the greatest of all time. She doesn’t need to fight again to prove that to herself.
“It’s hard when everyone around you, the value they have for you is how you fight, and how they see you is how you fight, and the only thing they think you have to offer is how you fight,” Rousey said.
“It was actually my husband that taught me I’m so much more than just a fighter. I don’t have to fight myself into the ground to prove that I’m the greatest of all time when I already know that I am.”
Rousey signed with the WWE shortly after ending her MMA career, and headlined WrestleMania for the professional wrestling juggernaut last year. She dropped her title in the show’s main event, and has yet to make her return to the ring.
What do you think about Rousey saying fighting is no longer a priority in her life?
