Is Ronda Rousey Pregnant With Travis Browne’s Baby?

Is Ronda Rousey pregnant and about to retire from fighting? Her fighting rival says yes, but she says no. What’s the scoop?

According to TMZ, the “Ronda Rousey pregnant” rumor started thanks to a tweet sent by her UFC rival, Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

“I keep hearing the rumor [that] Ronda Rousey is pregnant,” wrote the World Featherweight Champion while posting a seemingly unflattering image of Rousey walking her pet pooch.

In the photo, Rousey looks to be sporting a baby bump.

I keep hearing the rumor @RondaRousey is expecting and no longer fighting #ufc205 if true congrats on the new life pic.twitter.com/2ozBb5LHpR

— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) July 28, 2016

But while Rousey has, in the past, talked about having children with her MMA fighter boyfriend, UFC president Dana White confirmed to Larry Browne Sports that the rumor is, indeed, false. So why did Cyborg send the tweet?

One theory, of course, is that Justino was simply trying to get Rousey to fight again. Rousey is currently on an extended hiatus from fighting, which leaves the rumor mill ripe for the picking. Justino, then, was simply adding fuel to the “Ronda Rousey pregnant” fire.

And there are few things that are more emotional than a woman talking about how the thought of having children saved her life, but that’s exactly what Rousey did in an emotional interview last year. Rousey, whose family has a history of suicide, told Ellen DeGeneres on her eponymous show that the only thing that prevented her from killing herself after her infamous loss to Holly Holm in 2015 was the thought of having a family with Browne. However, at that time, she didn’t give a timeframe about having children, nor did she say that she was pregnant or that she was looking to get pregnant.

But even though Ronda Rousey isn’t pregnant — yet — she is certainly keeping busy. She has just launched her #PerfectNever campaign in cooperation with Reebok Women, and according to Total Pro Sports, the Lingerie Fighting Championships wants to sign Ronda Rousey if, indeed, she does retire from the UFC. If Ronda Rousey is pregnant, though, it could throw a proverbial monkey wrench into their plans.

At the time that he extended the invitation, Lingerie Fighting Championships’ president, Shaun Donnelly, said that he hopes Ronda Rousey’s presence in the fledgling league will help boost their profile.

“Ronda Rousey has long been at the very top of our wish list. Not only is she one of the top fighters of all time, she is also a very beautiful woman who isn’t afraid to show off her sexy side,” he said.

He went on to explain that she has always been very critical of how little women fighters are paid in the UFC, and Donnelly promised to pay her well if she does, indeed, join their league.

Although Ronda Rousey isn’t pregnant with Travis Browne’s baby, there’s no word as to when she’ll have a rematch with her longtime rival Holly Holm or any other UFC fighter for that matter. Even though she was previously voted as the so-called Best Female Athlete Ever by ESPN.com, when she suffered her first and only ring loss to Holly Holm nearly nine months ago, she all but retired from professional fighting. While it seems she took the loss extremely hard, and while she hasn’t addressed the rumors on Twitter, if Ronda Rousey is indeed pregnant, it will be good news for her.

[Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images]