For so long, Ronda Rousey shied away from her abrupt MMA exit.
A lot of fans had a problem with how Ronda Rousey left MMA. After bringing women to the UFC, thrusting herself into the mainstream and absorbing the spotlight, she fell almost completely silent when she lost.
When Holly Holm's seismic head kick shattered the myth of her invincibility, she fell off the face of the Earth for a year. When she returned to try to reclaim her belt, she didn't take part in any of the media obligations during fight week. After Amanda Nunes brutally knocked her out in the first round, she didn't answer questions regarding the defeat.
She subsequently signed for the WWE, but never fully shut the door on her MMA career. To her fans that knew her as an MMA superstar, it felt like an unsatisfactory goodbye.
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However, Rousey has finally faced up to her abrupt exit from the sport to
ESPN.
When asked if she fell out of love with MMA before her fight with Nunes, Rousey had an interesting response. She paused, stared off into the distance and spoke very honestly.
"There was a while where I was just looking for an honourable way out because I felt satisfied like I proved everything I needed to prove, but I didn't feel like anybody else felt that way. I wasn't sure that the women's division could survive without me. So I felt obligated to do more than I actually wanted to."
"But I also think that everything happens for a reason. I have no regrets and I'm still happy that I fulfilled those obligations. I really do feel like the women's division can hold its own now and I'm proud of all the work that I did there. I don't need anyone else's approval to be proud of myself."
Considering how reluctant she was to speak about this subject matter before now, this must have taken a lot. No doubt her fans will appreciate these comments.
