Rousey: I fell out of love with MMA
Ronda Rousey: “You fall in love, you fall out of love and you find a new love. There was a while when I was just looking for an honorable way out.”
Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey retired following back to back losses. It’s widely assumed that ‘Rowdy’ left MMA because she lost, but during a recent ESPN interview, it became clear that the opposite may be true. Rousey lost her love for the sport, and when that happens, loss is even more inevitable. Now she’s a cast member with the WWE, fulfilling a long-standing passion for professional wrestling.
“I could very happily be in some house in the mountains and never see anyone again, hang out with my goats and chickens,” said Rousey, as transcribed by Brett Okamoto for ESPN. “It would have to be something as great as the WWE to make me this happy, to pull me away. Otherwise, no one would hear from me. I would live in the woods and be happy. That’s all I really want.”
“In Judo and MMA, there were times when the process was fun and the results were fun. And there’s a time when things run their course. You fall in love, you fall out of love and you find a new love.
“There was a while when I was just looking for an honorable way out [of the UFC]. I felt satisfied that I’d proven everything I need to prove, but I didn’t feel anybody else felt that way, and I wasn’t sure if the women’s division could survive without me. I felt obligated to do more than what I actually wanted to. But I also have no regrets, and I’m so happy I fulfilled those obligations. And I really feel the women’s division can hold their own.”
Rousey was an Olympic medalist in Judo, fell out of love, and moved on to MMA. She fell out of love with that, too, and has moved on the WWE. And rasslin’ too likely has a shelf life. But for now, there is nothing but love.
“There’s a reason I don’t do anything when I walk out [at WWE],” said Rousey. “I’m just paralyzed with happiness every time I go out there. I get to look around, feel it and show myself feeling it, which is something I was never allowed to do. Now it’s all I want to do.”
Rousey and tag team partner Kurt Angle will face Triple HHH and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
