Ronda Rousey appreciates that each every so often when UFC begins constructing an enormous card, her title nonetheless comes up for a possible comeback.
The most recent occasion was UFC 300. Because the promotion promised the most important occasion in historical past, there have been seemingly thousands and thousands of rumors swirling about what sort of a rabbit Dana White would possibly pull out of his hat. Rousey’s title by some means ended up being talked about as a candidate, however White admitted very brazenly that she was by no means even in consideration as a result of the previous bantamweight champion was joyful elevating her household in retirement.
Regardless of her final UFC look occurring virtually eight years in the past, Rousey enjoys that her title nonetheless comes up occasionally, however she guarantees there’s no likelihood she’s ever combating once more.
“Each couple years … the identical rumor comes out,” Rousey instructed the Perception podcast. “It’s good to really feel missed, I suppose. Nevertheless it’s not occurring. I’m not neurologically match to compete anymore on the highest stage. I simply can’t.
“You simply get to a stage the place the neurological accidents you’re taking accumulate over time. They don’t get higher.”
As she was just lately selling her autobiography, Rousey mentioned repeated concussions that started when she was nonetheless a toddler performed the most important think about her MMA profession coming to an finish. Rousey mentioned she by no means addressed the scenario publicly as a result of she was nonetheless actively competing, and even after she left UFC, she didn’t wish to probably threat her future in WWE after transitioning into skilled wrestling.
However, she mentioned, finally the signs she suffered on account of so many concussions pressured Rousey to stroll away from full-time competitors.
“Once I received into MMA, I had already had dozens of concussions that I educated by means of,” Rousey mentioned. “Like, not even stopped for. In order that was a few decade of getting concussion signs as a rule. So after I received into MMA, I used to be taking part in a recreation of zero errors. Then it received to the purpose the place I used to be combating extra typically than anyone. I had extra outdoors of combating obligations than anyone, and it simply received to be lighter and lighter hits had been hurting me increasingly more and extra.
“I received to a degree the place I couldn’t take a jab with out getting dazed, with out getting concussion signs. It simply received to a degree the place it wasn’t secure for me to struggle anymore. I simply couldn’t proceed to struggle at that larger stage.”
Rousey endured her first skilled loss again in 2015 when she suffered a brutal head kick knockout courtesy of Holly Holm. That struggle price her the UFC bantamweight title and Rousey ended up sitting out for the subsequent yr as she recovered from the loss.
When she finally got here again 13 months later, Rousey lasted simply 48 seconds towards Amanda Nunes earlier than she walked out of the octagon and by no means returned to the UFC.
Reality be instructed, Rousey admits now that she in all probability ought to have walked away for good after the loss to Holm, however she simply couldn’t let her profession finish like that.
“It was actually robust and I believe that’s why I took that first loss so exhausting, as a result of I knew it was over,” Rousey mentioned. “I knew I’d reached that restrict. I used to be in denial about it and I attempted to come back again once more with quite a lot of relaxation and a greater weight minimize, not doing the additional stuff, the additional press, and simply coming in and combating.
“If I might simply minimize to that second once they say go and I struggle, I f*cking love that a lot. Nothing makes extra sense on this planet. There’s not a single factor that occurs that I don’t perceive or that I don’t know what to do.”
Rousey mentioned her issues with concussions adopted her into WWE, however she finally needed to say sufficient was sufficient. With a rising household alongside husband Travis Browne, Rousey realized she needed to put her athletic profession behind her or threat everlasting injury that she wouldn’t stroll away from.
So as to add to that, Rousey appreciated that she grew to become a job mannequin for younger fighters developing within the sport and he or she most popular serving for example to ladies following in her footsteps somewhat than changing into a cautionary story.
“The boys have been round longer so they only have extra historical past of boxing and stuff like that, they only attain their restrict of what number of hits that they will take after which they begin getting knocked out,” Rousey defined. “They begin getting knocked out simpler and simpler, increasingly more typically. Then you definately see them down the street and so they’re having all types of neurological points.
“I simply felt it was my duty to age gracefully as a result of I’m a consultant of my sport. Individuals take a look at me and consider girls’s MMA. If I’m rolling round in a wheelchair, folks aren’t going to let their little ladies go and do it. You by no means know if you take one hit too many till a long time later. You see these guys who’re like punch drunk.”
As a lot as Rousey liked the assist she obtained from followers, the now 37-year-old UFC Corridor of Famer is aware of consideration like that’s fleeting and he or she needed to start pondering long-term so far as her life was involved.
That’s why she’s so resolved to place combating behind her for good, irrespective of what number of instances she hears requires a comeback.
“Everybody likes to see you struggle if you’re within the cage, however none of these individuals are going to be there for you down the road,” Rousey mentioned. “You’ve received to handle your self and your loved ones and put that first. Since you’re only a passing leisure to everyone else. You see that in professional wrestling, folks get hooked on that applause and so they can’t cease, they will’t stroll away even when it turns into to their detriment.
“I simply needed to put my foot down and be like, ‘This has gotten to a degree the place my mind can not take anymore and it has nothing to do with how robust I’m or something like that.’ It’s simply the way in which that it’s.”
