Nutritionist puts Rousey’s return at 50-50

Mike Dolce, long-time nutritionist for former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. The coach calculated the odds of her return at 50-50, following her title challenge loss to champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.

Very shortly after the fight, a TMZ Sports stringer caught up with Rousey’s mother, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, who said wisely that while she would like to see her daughter retire, it would not be wise to make the decision quickly.

Dolce concurred.

I think it’s gonna take some time, said Dolce, as transcribed byMarc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. I don’t think she truly knows right now. As any good athlete, she should take her time to really think about it.

I wouldn’t be surprised either way. I want to make sure that’s contextual. If she says, ‘I want to be back for Super Bowl weekend or the July 4th card,’ I would not be surprised in the slightest. If she says, ‘I’ve done my thing in MMA, I’m gonna retire as a legend in the sport, specifically for WMMA,’ I wouldn’t be surprised, either. I truly think it’s 50-50 right now.

There were grossly exaggerated stories after Rousey’s loss of title to Holly Holm in November of 2015 that she felt suicidal. What she in fact said was that backstage in the locker room immediately after the fight, with her teeth loose in her head, for a second, she felt like she was worthless and had thoughts of suicide. They lasted until she glanced at her boyfriend. This time UFC president Dana White reported that Rousey was taking the loss much better.

Dolce was asked if Rousey was having similar desperate thoughts. He has not spoken to her personally post-loss, but is in contact with members of her camp.

No, there’s no concern about that, said Dolce. She’s in a great place. She has an amazing support system around her, truly. I think she’s at an excellent point in her life. And this is my personal opinion, what happened in Australia against Holly, that was like a death. It was the death — and she had said — of who she wanted to be and what she wanted to be.

Dolce also addressed rumors that Rousey was not ready for the fight. He said she was on weight throughout fight week.

That shows the dedication of the athlete, said Dolce. She had really made some lifestyle changes, put her training first. So I don’t think, there’s no excuses. She did everything and had every opportunity to be perfectly prepare and she was for this fight. Kudos have to go to Amanda Nunes for putting on an amazing performance and going out there and getting the win over Ronda Rousey, who was well-prepared.