Ronda Rousey made a significant impact in the world of women’s MMA. Rousey had a distinguished career in mixed martial arts (MMA), particularly in the UFC, where she held the title of inaugural bantamweight champion. She also had a memorable stint as a champion in the WWE.
Rousey’s impressive credentials as an Olympic medalist turned UFC champion have paved the way for future generations of women. Even as the path grew smoother for those around her, she found it difficult to fully embrace their triumph, burdened by an unspoken limitation within herself.
Ronda Rousey reveals UFC retirement reason
Ronda Rousey, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, opened up about her retirement from MMA via an Instagram Live session. Rousey was discussing the release of her upcoming memoir ‘Our Fight’ when she made the revelation.
Rousey’s final fight in MMA was at UFC 207 in 2016 against Amanda Nunes in a first-round loss but she did not formally announce her retirement. However, she indirectly confirmed her retirement on the Ellen Degeneres Show in 2018, per ESPN MMA.
Rousey did not reveal the reason for her retirement before her recent Instagram live session. “So much had to do with having so many concussions when I was in judo before I even got into MMA”, said Rousey, who went on to state that she did not initially reveal it as she was fearful of not being allowed to compete in MMA or professional wrestling.
Dana White, the UFC CEO, once said he wouldn’t allow women in the UFC but Rousey changed his mind. Moreover, her contributions were rewarded, as she was the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, Pioneer or Modern.
Before Joanna Jedrzejczyk was recently announced as the latest inductee for the 2024 class, Rousey was the only woman in the UFC Hall of Fame. Rousey’s six consecutive UFC title defenses at bantamweight is still a record.
Ronda Rousey retired after back-to-back KO loses
Ronda Rousey’s MMA retirement came against the backdrop of consecutive knockout losses after a 12-0 start to her career, which saw her become the women’s bantamweight champion at Strikeforce and the UFC.
Rousey’s first professional defeat was to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia. Holm was more than a +800 underdog and Rousey was more than a -1000 favorite at the fight. After the defeat, Rousey came to reclaim the title from Amanda Nunes.
8 months after her first defeat, the bantamweight title changed hands twice. Holm lost the title to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 who in turn lost the title to Nunes at UFC 200. Nunes went on to become the greatest women’s fighter as she also became the featherweight champion.
Nonetheless, many still consider Rousey to be one of the greats, as she was the one who paved the way for women to be in the UFC and even be PPV headliners. In her heyday, Rousey was the biggest star in the UFC.
Rumors speculate that Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar will make their UFC comeback at the coveted UFC 300. However, Dana White confirmed that this is not the case and that neither will ever fight in the UFC.
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