SUMMARY
- Ronda Rousey recently opened up about her MMA career.
- Rousey claimed that she is the greatest fighter.
Ronda Rousey has a multi-talented personality. She is a professional wrestler, a former judoka, a mixed martial artist, and an actress. Meanwhile, she has gained popularity among fans for her tenures with the UFC and WWE.
Previously, in 2011, Ronda Rousey stepped foot into the world of MMA as a part of King of the Cage. Thereafter, she became a part of the UFC, rose to prominence, and became the inaugural Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
However, in 2016, she left the UFC and took her retirement from MMA. It is worth mentioning that in 2018, Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Recently, Ronda took a look back at her MMA career, and here’s what the former UFC fighter stated.
Ronda Rousey opened up about her MMA career
Ronda Rousey recently appeared for an interview in which she claimed that she is the greatest fighter of all time. She said, “I felt like I had to come back for another fight, I felt like I owed it to the fans and everyone who believed in me.”
She added that she had endured punishment until it became unbearable. Ronda mentioned that thereafter she was “vilified” as “all hype” and “just lucky”. While talking about her fight against Holly Holm, Ronda said that her mouthguard did not fit perfectly. Moreover, she went into the fight after suffering from a concussion.
Rousey added that she had a terrible weight cut, which signifies less fluid in her brain to protect it. Moreover, she was trying to act tough as if it didn’t hurt at all, but she wasn’t there “cognitively.”
Ronda Rousey: I know, that like, I’m the greatest fighter that has ever lived.pic.twitter.com/J9EbAcF4Lz
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 3, 2024
The former WWE star mentioned that she was unable to think fast or judge distance. Rousey then said, “Just from that one fight, everybody felt like, ‘Oh she’s a fraud.’ I know that like I’m the greatest fighter that has ever lived, but when it got to a point that I had taken so much neurological damage that I couldn’t take it anymore, suddenly everything I had accomplished meant nothing.”
Lastly, Ronda mentioned how her fans had turned against her after the second fight. She said that all of her appreciation for her fans turned to resentment. Thus, it is evident that the former UFC star had her fair share of struggles throughout her career.
Why did Ronda Rousey retire from MMA?
Previously, after Ronda Rousey became the Women’s Bantamweight Champion, she had six successful title defenses. However, in her next title defense, she faced Holly Holm at UFC 193. With that, the outcome of the match saw Holm defeating Rousey.
Thereafter, Ronda went on a hiatus, and later on, at UFC 207, she made her return to face Amanda Nunes. However, Nunes defeated Rousey, which was her last match at the UFC as she left the promotion and retired from MMA in 2016. With that, many wondered what led to her retirement.
Ronda Rousey was forced to retire from mixed martial arts at just 29 years old due to a series of major concussions.
Did so much in a career that spanned less than 6 years. pic.twitter.com/TXwX0cKVzz
— Combat Buzz (@CombatBuzzX) March 21, 2024
Not too long ago, Ronda made an Instagram Live appearance in which she said that she was forced to leave fighting when she was faster, stronger, and more skilled. She added that it was a hard decision that her body made for her.
Rousey revealed that concussions suffered during her early years resulted in her retirement from the UFC. She added that she faced suicidal thoughts and suffered from depression after leaving the UFC. Thus, it seems concussions were the reason for Ronda’s departure from the world of MMA.
Ronda Rousey might not be the greatest fighter
Recently, during an interview, Ronda Rousey claimed that she is the “greatest fighter that has ever lived.” However, that might not be true, as many UFC fighters are better than Rousey. This includes Daniel Cormier, Demetrious Johnson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and more.
In fact, Ronda previously held the record for the most title defenses in the UFC by a female, which was six. However, it was later broken by Valentina Shevchenko, who has had seven successful title defenses. Also, Rousey faced knockout defeats to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
The above-mentioned points hint at the fact that Ronda might not be the greatest fighter, as she claimed. With that, it is to be seen what lies ahead for her in the upcoming days. Also, it would be interesting to see if she ever decides to make a return to the world of MMA.
