Ronda Rousey opens up on decision to retire from MMA: “I didn’t want it anymore”

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has discussed her exit from the sport.

‘Rowdy’ is one of the biggest draws to ever compete in the UFC. From 2013 to 2015, Rousey had a stranglehold over the women’s bantamweight division. Names such as Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, Liz Carmouche, and more all lost in devastating fashion.

However, in November 2015, the Judoka lost for the first time in her career. She was knocked out in a vicious fashion by Holly Holm at UFC 193, losing her title in the process. Following the loss, Rousey took a year off before returning at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes.

Once again, the superstar lost via knockout. This time, Rousey was finished in under a minute by ‘The Lioness’. Following the loss, the former champion ventured into acting and is currently a wrestler for the WWE. While she’s never announced her retirement, it’s likely Rousey is done. Save for a Gina Carano comeback fight anyway.

Now, Ronda Rousey has opened up on her quiet MMA retirement in an interview with Daniel Cormier. The former women’s bantamweight champion admitted that she wanted to quit long before she actually did it. She also compared her Judo career to her MMA path.

“I think it was difficult [to quit] in both judo and MMA, in that everyone else felt that they wanted more from me,” Rousey explained. “Like, in judo you peak in your mid-20s. I medaled at 21 so I was going to be 25 for the next Olympics. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, this is it! You’re going to be the first [American woman] to win an Olympic gold!’ And I didn’t want it anymore, and I couldn’t do it for everybody else.” (h/t MMAFighting)

Ronda Rousey continued, “And I think that’s a mistake that I made with MMA, was when I got to that point where I didn’t want it anymore, I kept doing it for everybody else.”

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