Ronda Rousey Finally Speaks After Loss To Amanda Nunes

Ronda Rousey has broken her silence following her TKO loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of last night’s (Fri., December 30, 2017) UFC 207 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Rousey didn’t participate in any pre-fight media prior to UFC 207, with her contract for the bout allowing her to do so, and she quickly left the Octagon after her short loss to Nunes last night.

But now she’s finally spoken.

The formerly dominant women’s bantamweight champion released a statement where she thanked her fans and gave some cryptic details about her future to ESPN.com:

“I want to say thank you to all of my fans who have been there for me in not only the greatest moments but in the most difficult ones. Words cannot convey how much your love and support means to me.

“Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes — even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly — it doesn’t work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the women’s division has come in the UFC and commend all the other women who have been part of making this possible, including Amanda.

“I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding.”

So Rousey isn’t confirming nor denying a potential return to the UFC.

Rousey hinted at retirement in the past, telling Ellen DeGeneres her bout versus Nunes was ‘one of the last times’ we would see her fight. That’s never a good statement to hear from a woman heading into a cage to battle the top-ranked fighter in the world, and while it’s easy to pinpoint her mental state now knowing that she lost, it just didn’t appear like she wanted to be fighting all that much at UFC 207.

The belief is that she will retire with nothing left to prove, but many still hold onto the opinion Rousey could bounce back if she would only leave her longtime coach Edmond Tarverdyan for a more successful camp. The Glendale, California-based boxing trainer has fallen under intense scrutiny from many angles, both for supposedly directing Rousey away from the Olympic-level judo which propelled her so many UFC title victories and his oft-criticized style of cornering.

For now, Rousey needs some time to collect her thoughts once again, because few truly know the harsh reality of deciding if you can take on the best fighters in the world any longer.