Ronda Rousey turned 30 years old Wednesday, and it’s looking more and more like she won’t compete in the UFC beyond her 20s. After being knocked out in her last two fights, Rousey’s MMA career might be over.
Since she was knocked out in just 48 seconds by Amanda Nunes on Dec. 30 at UFC 207, there’s been speculation regarding what’s next for Rousey. Shortly before her birthday, UFC president Dana White expressed doubt that Rousey would ever return to the octagon.
“In the conversation I had with her, if I had to say right here right now — and again, I don’t like saying right here right now because it’s up to her — but I wouldn’t say she fights again,” White told hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra on “UFC Unfiltered” Monday. “I think she’s probably done. She’s going to ride off into the sunset and start living life outside of fighting.”
Rousey has accomplished more inside the octagon than Betmoon any female fighter in history. Prior to her first ever loss at UFC 193, she totaled a 12-0 record, becoming UFC’s most dominant athlete. All of her fights ended via early stoppage, and only one lasted beyond the first round. She was the only fighter to hold the UFC women’s bantamweight championship for three years.
But everything changed on Nov. 15, 2015 at UFC 193. Rousey was stunned by Holly Holm, who used her superior boxing skills to score a second-round knockout. Rousey returned to the ring more than 13 months later against new champion Amanda Nunes, but she was outmatched, looking like she no longer belonged inside the cage.
Ronda Rousey’s loss against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 30, 2016 in Las Vegas might have been the last fight of her career. Photo: Getty Images
The women’s bantamweight division has become much more competitive since Rousey put it on the map. After losing two straight title matches, Rousey’s next fight would probably have to be against an opponent that hasn’t achieved much in the UFC.
Following two stunning losses, though, it appears that Rousey might simply want to walk away from the sport.
“It’s not even that I think it’s an invincible thing, it’s just that she’s so competitive that her career and record meant everything to her,” White said. “And then once she lost, she started to say to herself, ‘what the fuck am I doing? This is my whole life — this is it? I want to experience and start doing other things.’ And I think that’s what she started to do, and she’s got a lot of money. She’s never going to need money again.
“Because, unless you spend money like Floyd [Mayweather], you’re not going to need money again when you have the kind of money Ronda has.”
As one of the few UFC fighters that became a mainstream star, Rousey was able to command big money for her fights. She was reportedly worth $4.1 million before she suffered her first loss in 2015, and her bank account has almost certainly seen a boost since then. Rousey was guaranteed a purse of $3 million for her UFC 207 fight.
Rousey has appeared in movies, landing roles in “The Expendables 3” and the upcoming remake of “Road House.” She’s also made an appearance for WWE in the past with constant speculation that she could do more with the company in the future.
As far as her future with UFC goes, Rousey might be finished.
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