Ronda Rousey Is In UFC For The Love Of MMA, Says She’d ‘Probably Retire Now’ If She Was In It For Money


At this moment, Ronda Rousey is sitting on top of the world after winning the ESPY for the Best Fighter, in which her speech took verbal jabs at Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his history of domestic abuse. And if Rousey’s elation couldn’t get any higher, she also won the ESPY for the Best Female Athlete. Not bad for a female athlete whose total time in her sport is less than 30 seconds within a year in a division often argued to be devoid of any real competition.

Despite the accolades, MMA fans — either they love or hate her — agree Ronda Rousey is in the sport for the love of it. And just recently, Rousey made such a sentiment known when she said if she were in the sport for money, she’d “probably retire now.”

To be fair, Ronda Rousey choosing to retire is an easy one. Rousey’s net worth for 2014 to now is estimated to be $5 million, and if she were to have that amount of money in savings, she could live comfortably on 1 percent interest if she lives the average American lifestyle. However, Rousey chooses not to, as detailed in an interview on CBS This Morning, as reported by Sporting News.

“In the beginning, it was about not getting evicted. Now I’m at the point right now where I’m like, OK, my house is paid off, my car is paid off. I pretty much only have to pay taxes and feed my dog. I could probably retire right now. So it’s not about money anymore. What do I need more than that? Nothing. I’ve never sat around like, my life would be so much better if I had a Ferrari.”

So if competing in the UFC is not about money anymore, why is Ronda Rousey still competing? For Rousey, it comes down to establishing a legacy.

“Now it’s gotten to a point where it’s about legacy for me. I want to build something that survives me. I want to show up at a UFC event 20 years in the future and be able to sit front row and watch two girls fight for the belt that I gave back to Dana one day. I want to smile so hard that my face hurts. I want to feel like I was part of creating something great.”

By being the inaugural UFC women’s bantamweight champion with an undefeated streak of 11 wins, Ronda Rousey has already created something special that will last even after she’s gone. In many ways, MMA Fighting said it best, calling Rousey a “transcendent star.” If you want to watch the part of Rousey’s interview about legacy on CBS This Morning in its entirety, the video of it is attached below.

[Image via UFC]

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