Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, has not been seen inside the Octagon since her brutal knockout loss to Amanda Nunes last December in Las Vegas.
It’s not that she hasn’t been busy, but fake fighting is a lot safer than real fighting.
During her mixed martial arts (MMA) hiatus, “Rowdy” got engaged to longtime boyfriend (and UFC heavyweight) Travis Browne. And you know how that song goes: First comes love, then comes marriage ...
Her judo coach, Justin Flores, speculates on Rousey’s MMA return (via Submission Radio):
“Personally I don’t think it’s in the cards. I don’t think that’s what she wants in this time of her life. I mean, I’m not discounting anything. Maybe later. But I just don’t see that being something she wants to jump into and focus full force to be the best. Because if she’s gonna do anything, from what I know about her, she’s gonna do it to be the best. And not that I don’t think that she can be the best, it’s just, I just don’t know if her body and her mind at this stage in her life, if that’s what’s right for her. She’s competed her whole life. Her whole life has been about being the best, and I just think personally, the best thing is for her to kind of be okay with herself not as a fighter. So I love her to death, dude. I just know the pain she’s gone through physically, doing this forever, multiple surgeries, concussions, broken bones, weight cutting. All those things add up and take its toll, and it’s accumulative. So being 30 years old now and doing this since you were eight years old non-stop, I mean, the mileage you’ve put on your body and that she’s put on her body, I just don’t think if she wants to, you know, live a long happy life and raise kids with Travis, which I know that’s the future, I just don’t think that’s something I feel like would be in her best interests.”
Rousey has remain tightlipped about her future plans, though it’s no secret retirement is somewhere on the horizon. Whether or not she can bounce back against a lesser-ranked competitor remains to be seen, but it sounds like everyone from Floyd Mayweather to her own mother are calling for drastic pre-fight changes.
Time will tell.
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