Ronda Rousey surprised with happiness away from fighting – will she return?

While Ronda Rousey has stated several times since her UFC 193 KO loss to Holly Holm that she would be returning to the Octagon for a rematch with Holm after filming several movies, the former champ has been surprisingly happy away from fighting.

While the UFC brass wanted to see Holm vs. Rousey II at UFC 200 in July, the former champ’s filming schedule won’t give her enough time to prepare for a fight at UFC 200.

Instead the UFC booked Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate in the co-main event of UFC 196, with Rousey set to fight the winner of that fight at a later date.

On MMAJunkie Radio, Rousey discussed her absence from the sport:

“MMA? Yea, they’ve been making me go non-stop,” Rousey told MMA Junkie. “I mean, my first year I fought six times. I feel like I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for a long time. In Judo, I took a good period of time off after the Beijing Olympics and I feel like I’m bodily and mentally in a similar space where it’s just what I need right now.”

“It’s been surprising to me how happy I’ve been being away from [fighting],” said Rousey. “I’m being purposefully mysterious right now because I think people have taken my availability for granted, and I’ve kind of just wanted to disappear.”

On March 5th after Holly Holm and Miesha Tate fight we will likely have a better idea of when Rousey will return to the Octagon.