Ronda Rousey Wants To Be Remembered As ‘One Of The Greatest Fighters That Ever Lived’


Ronda Rousey suffered one of the greatest and most public defeats in recent memory, leaving her feeling devastated and admittedly depressed enough to consider suicide, but none of that is keeping Rousey from climbing her way back to the top. Ronda says she’s determined to reclaim her UFC title from Holly Holm and prove, once and for all, that she really is a better fighter than Holm. It’s a personal vendetta for Rousey, but it’s also a desire to prove to her fans and to herself that she deserved that title.

Ronda Rousey Hopes To Rekindle The Faith Of Her Fans And Build A Better Reputation

At the top of her reign as champion, Rousey had once made the statement that she wanted to leave the UFC sport with just two accomplishments. First, Ronda wanted to be remembered as the greatest fighter of all time. That, in itself, is a great claim to live up to and, while it is possible, it may hinge on Ronda’s ability to overcome her losses and become a new kind of fighter. Secondly, Rousey said she wanted to retire undefeated. That, unfortunately, is now impossible. Her loss to Holly Holm destroyed that dream, but that doesn’t mean she can’t reinvent herself and defeat Holly in a new comeback fight.

“I’m still grieving the person that could have won it all but I have to live up to the fact that I’m not her, that’s just who I’d like to be and instead I’m what I need to be for myself and everyone else,” Rousey said.

Reinvention is the key for Ronda and she seems to know it as she speaks of her early career as a rising fighter and the raw hunger she felt as she stepped into the ring for that first time. Rousey says she wants to reclaim that hunger and that strength. Regaining that strength means finding inspiration and encouragement from her supporters, but Rousey says it also means pushing her haters’ thoughts out of her mind. To accomplish this, Ronda says she keeps a wall in her house reserved for all of the good things she receives: fan mail, letters from little girls seeing her as a role model, positive images, gifts, etc.

“I hear so many of the worst things anyone could ever even imagine to think to say about me every single day,” says Ms. Rousey, in explaining how the wall inspires her. “Thousands of times, all these people are constantly trying to reach me and tell me these negative things. People like to see people rise because they want to rise, but they like to see people fall because they want to feel like they’re human like they are.”

UFC President Dana White Issues A Statement About Ronda Rousey’s Comeback Fight Against Holly Holm

White spoke publicly about Rousey’s ability to return to the UFC, saying that Ronda will fight at the Octagon in the near future. Dana wouldn’t commit to a specific date, but he did say that Rousey would be challenging the winner of the Miesha Tate/Amanda Nunes bout which is set to take place at UFC 200 on July 9.

“[Rousey] is definitely part of the discussion [to fight on Nov. 12 in New York], and she will fight whoever has that belt,” White said. “I think Miesha, she’s fighting at [UFC 200], she might fight again before that. She wants to fight. We’ll see what happens. Miesha has been the No. 2 baddest woman in the world for years. For her to stay active right now, makes sense.”

Unfortunately for Ronda, Holly Holm was defeated by Tate in March. Rousey has hinged her hopes for regaining her title and defeating Holm in one fight, but that now seems unlikely. Rousey will have to fight her way up to Tate, who now holds the title, which would include defeating Holm along the way. The UFC president says Tate is prepared to fight Rousey, whenever that can be arranged.

[Image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Reebok]

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