Ronda Rousey reveals concussions forced abrupt UFC exit after 2016

UFC Corridor of Famer Ronda Rousey has lastly addressed her exit from MMA.

Rousey, a former UFC girls’s bantamweight champion, is likely one of the largest stars in fight sports activities historical past. She mysteriously walked away from combating after a Dec. 30, 2016 TKO loss to Amanda Nunes and by no means returned.

Though she closed out her profession with two devastating knockout losses, Rousey by no means actually addressed why she stopped combating, nor did she even formally announce her retirement.

Nevertheless, greater than seven years after her final MMA struggle, Rousey lastly shed some gentle on why she left MMA.

“My concussion historical past that I needed to maintain secret for years so I might have the ability to proceed to compete and carry out, that’s mainly why I needed to retire” Rousey stated in an Instagram Reside stream forward of the discharge of her new guide, “Our Struggle.”

On the peak of her MMA profession, the Olympic judo bronze medalist was unbeaten and had defended her UFC title six consecutive occasions. She had additionally defeated a number of the largest names of her time, together with Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, Liz Carmouche, Julia Budd, and others.

Nevertheless, every part modified for Rousey after her first skilled defeat. Rousey, who was seen as an unstoppable power, was viciously knocked out by a Holly Holm head kick in entrance of 56,000 followers at UFC 193 in late 2015. She didn’t take the loss properly.

Rousey by no means absolutely addressed the defeat and stayed away from the general public eye for months.

“I believe that there was simply a lot to (that loss), that I couldn’t discuss it within the type of like an interview or an article or something like that, or there can be a number of filters between my phrases and other people studying it,” Rousey stated concerning why she by no means spoke in regards to the loss to Holm. “A lot needed to do with having so many concussions once I was in judo earlier than I even received into MMA, I couldn’t discuss it in any respect once I was doing MMA as a result of it might actually put a goal on my head, and I won’t have been allowed to compete any additional.

“Identical factor with WWE. They’ve a sophisticated historical past with their performers getting concussions, and it might be a foul look on them. So I felt like I actually couldn’t discuss it in any respect. So I really feel like this lengthy type (guide) is the one means that I might have the ability to adequately handle it.”

Rousey would return a 12 months after the loss to Holm to attempt to win again her title in opposition to then-champ Nunes. Sadly for Rousey, she was shortly stopped within the first spherical. Rousey by no means fought once more and finally turned to skilled wrestling, the place she carried out for WWE from 2018 to 2023.

All through her years in WWE, many followers had been eager for an MMA return, however it by no means got here. The 37-year-old understands a number of the confusion from the fan base concerning her exit from MMA however stated that she had no alternative however to steer clear of combating.

“I’d like folks to grasp extra of my motive and motivation behind issues, why I used to be pressured to depart combating once I’ve by no means been sooner, stronger, extra expert and had a greater understanding of the artwork than ever earlier than,” Rousey stated. “It was a extremely exhausting determination to grasp however one which my physique actually made for me. I really feel like that is the one technique to actually get that throughout in the most effective, most full means that it’s not only a tweet and a headline quick.”