Ronda Rousey stepped away from mixed martial arts after her second consecutive knockout loss at the hands of two-division champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016. Since her last appearance, Rousey focused on her WWE career and became one of the top stars in pro wrestling.
But people never stopped asking whether Rousey would make a return to mixed martial arts and it is now looking highly unlikely.
During a conversation with Jackass star Steve-O on her YouTube page, Rousey revealed that fighting again and having the title of “greatest of all-time” is no longer a priority in her life.
“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.”
For Rousey, it was important to find her identity away from fighting and she is glad she stepped away before it was too late.
“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.”
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