Ronda Rousey largely has detached herself from MMA, and the idea of a UFC comeback appears further off than ever.
Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has not competed since UFC 207 in December 2017, when she suffered a quick TKO loss to Amanda Nunes. It was her first and only fight since her historic title reign was famously ended by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2016, and since then Rousey has been largely absent from the scene.
Rousey emerged in July 2018 for her induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, but otherwise has occupied her time by transitioning to WWE, taking infrequent acting roles and spending time with her family, which includes husband and fellow former UFC fighter Travis Browne.
All signs point to Rousey being happy in her life. During a recent conversation with celebrity personality Steve-O, which was published on the former UFC champ’s YouTube page, Rousey said she has no lingering desires to return to the octagon.
“There’s not a day that goes by that 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 (expletive) about me.
“I know, and the people who love me know (what I’ve accomplished). 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.”
Rousey never deemed herself officially “retired” and has expressed in the past that she would never use that word. She never used it in regard to her judo career, but it’s been more than a decade since she had a match.
Although Rousey has achieved a lot outside of MMA, much of her fame has stemmed from her legendary run inside the octagon. It’s still what many people associate her with. The losses to Holm and Nunes – and the way Rousey handled them – plays into the story, as well, but Rousey said she has nothing left to prove.
“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.”
There are still days where the transition from famed fighter to family first hasn’t been perfect, Rousey said. She appears to be grateful for the experiences, but her attachment to the fight world runs so deep that she admits to finding it easier to unchain herself completely rather than immerse herself at all.
“That’s something I really had to deal with stepping away from the UFC, was finding my identity without it, because I got so lost in it,” Rousey said. “It’s tough, because you’re with these people and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I got to live this journey with you. This is amazing.’ Then you see some of these Bellator fights and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this person’s still going?’ I can’t watch it. It makes me sad.”
Ronda Rousey explains why UFC comeback 'no longer a priority' in her life