Ronda Rousey Reveals When She Decided To Retire From MMA

Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest stars in WWE currently. She often makes it a point to trash her fans, as they constantly boo her. However, when the star made her return at the Royal Rumble 2022, fans graced her by applauding for her. She even defeated Charlotte Flair to become the SmackDown’s Women’s Champion.

Rousey has a lot to look forward to in her career in WWE. However, she came to the company after retiring as a UFC star. The former MMA fighter was incredible, to the point that she was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

The former UFC star had a rough end to her career, as her last two fights had her losing to both Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. That had a negative impact on her self-esteem, and even led to her having suicidal thoughts.

Rousey was in a conversation with fellow UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. In the interview that’s available on Cormier’s YouTube channel, Rousey talked about the conclusive phase of her UFC career.

I think it was difficult [to quit] in both judo and MMA, in that everyone else felt that they wanted more from me. Like, in judo you peak in your mid-20s. I medaled at 21 so I was going to be 25 for the next Olympics. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, this is it! You’re going to be the first [American woman] to win an Olympic gold!’ And I didn’t want it anymore, and I couldn’t do it for everybody else. And I think that’s a mistake that I made with MMA, was when I got to that point where I didn’t want it anymore, I kept doing it for everybody else.

The WWE star kept on going despite not having her heart in it. While she didn’t really point out when her passion for the sport ran out, she kept doing it for everyone else. Now Ronda Rousey sits at the top of WWE’s women’s division, and she is glad to be back.

What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!