Ronda Rousey In a Sad Place, But Knows She Must Avenge Her Loss To Holly Holm

Ronda Rousey has finally emerged from her dark place. The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion has rarely been seen, or heard from since her unexpected and brutal defeat at the hands of Holly Holm. Ronda Rousey finally broke her silence in an exclusive interview with ESPN W’s Ramona Shelburne. The Rousey interview offers an honest take on where her mindset has been since UFC 193. It is hard not to believe that the loss humbled and humanized her.

One of the things that Ronda Rousey is, is confident. In fact, you can call her downright cocky and no one would argue with you. After vanquishing most of her opponents in less than one 5-minute round, it would be foolish for Rousey not to exhibit those attributes. What we know is that not only was Ronda Rousey defeated, she was beaten down, demolished, and outright outclassed by Holly Holm.

Holly Holm did to Ronda Rousey what Ronda Rousey usually does to her opposition – she dominated her. That loss has been in the back of the former champ’s mind and has kept her in a bad place.

“I’m just really f****** sad,” Rousey tells Ramona Shelburne.

Being on top of the world, only to lose soundly is a deflating thing. Ask anyone who took a gamble and won big over time, only to lose it all in one moment’s notice.

“I got hit in that first round…. I cut my lip open and knocked a couple of my teeth loose. I was out on my feet from the very beginning.”

“It was like a dumbed-down dreamy version of yourself making decisions…. I was just trying to shake myself out of it. I kept saying to myself, ‘You’re OK, keep fighting. You’re OK, keep fighting.'”

Ronda Rousey kept fighting, and clearly she has not lost it all, just her title belt. She is still the darling of the UFC. She is still going to take the Hollywood route. The movies she is set to begin filming, including the remake of the cult classic, Road House and her biopic, will still go on as planned. Her book will get purchased and read. Despite the loss, the nature in which she lost, her show will still go on – even if she faced one of the darkest times in her UFC career.

Ronda Rousey's undefeated streak came to an end after losing to Holly Holm. Now, "Rowdy" faces the ultimate test. https://t.co/86htGoFZmX

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 8, 2015

Adversity is something that Ronda Rousey is used to.

From a child, growing up in a household where her mother would wake her up just to put her in the same armbar that she would later perfect, to the recent reports from the Washington Post, among other publications of domestic violence. Those reports stem from a time she spent with a former boyfriend. Rousey did admit to beating her boyfriend at the time up, but she maintains that it was done in self-defense.

One thing that cannot be ignored is the backlash Ronda Rousey experienced from participating in a predominantly male sport. She was fast-tracked on route to being crowned the first-ever woman champion in the UFC. As she destroyed Miesha Tate in their first of two contests, there was a contingent of people who wondered if she earned the shot that she was given.

If no one was satisfied after her first fight, they would later hop on her bandwagon. The question was no longer did she deserve her title reign, it was could anybody beat her?

Holly Holm did. She did so in such a convincing fashion that some people does believe Ronda Rousey should take an immediate rematch. Rousey will seek her revenge, though she hinted that it might not take place right away. She suffered an injury to her mouth while fighting Holm.

“It might be three to six months before I can eat an apple, let alone take an impact.”

“I need to come back. I need to beat this chick. Who knows if I’m going to pop my teeth out or break my jaw or rip my lip open. I have to f****** do it.”

Eliminate any talks of a Ronda Rousey versus Holly Holm rematch before March. She will need some time to heal and then get back to training. After her training and everything else that she must do just to get back into a routine, she will then fight. It might not be Holly Holm, but the classic tune-up fight.

Whoever Ronda Rousey fights, whenever she fights she will have come out into the light to fight her demons of sadness and despair.

[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Sport]