“No concern” about Ronda Rousey having suicidal thoughts post-UFC 207

Following Ronda Rousey’s UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm in November of 2015, the former champ was very open about her thoughts of suicide backstage immediately following the loss.

Several months following the loss, Rousey joined Ellen DeGeneres on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ to discuss he suicidal thoughts post-fight, saying:

“Honestly, my thought, I was in the medical room and I was down in the corner, and I was like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this?’” Rousey said. “I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself, and that exact second I’m like, ‘I’m nothing. What do I do anymore?’ and ‘No one gives a (expletive) about me anymore without this.’”

“To be honest, I looked up and I saw my man, Travis, was standing there,” Rousey recalled. “And I looked up at him and I was like, ‘I need to have his babies. I need to stay alive.’ Really, that was it. I haven’t told anybody that. I’ve only told him.”

Given her openness with suicidal thoughts following UFC 207, many were concerned with how Rousey would handle her UFC 207 loss to Amanda Nunes last month. According to UFC President Dana White, who spoke immediately following Rousey’s loss, the former champ was handling the loss to Nunes better than her loss to Holm.

Now, in an interview on The MMA Hour, Rousey’s nutritionist, Mike Dolce, revealed that there are no concerns over Rousey having suicidal thoughts:

“No, there is no concern about that. She’s in a great place and she has an amazing support system around her, truly. I think she’s at an excellent point in her life. And this is my personal opinion — what happened in Australia against Holly, that was like a death. It was a death of who she wanted to be, and she was trying to be the first and only undefeated retired champion. And when that became impossible, it became difficult for her and for us. For those closest to her, it was difficult for us to go through, but we rebounded and came up with a different gameplan.”

“I’ve been with athletes, and I don’t want to name names, that just destroy locker rooms, hotel rooms. They become extremely despondent and belligerent to the people closest to them. Ronda doesn’t do any of that, so I think it’s just different. Each athlete is different, their internal drive is different and their external representation of what’s happening inside is different. Ronda becomes rather quiet, and standoffish and needs her space, which is very important. Some athletes act out in a more aggressive matter, male and female, so it’s not just a guy thing. So I wouldn’t say it’s much different, it more individual-wise.”