Ronda Rousey says she saved women's MMA because 'no one' wanted to watch women 'pumped to the f***ing gills with steroids'



UFC Hall of Fame member Ronda Rousey praised herself in a recent interview for saving women's mixed martial arts after numerous organizations had failed to make lasting stars in the sport.

Rousey appeared on the podcast "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" and was asked if she ever considered retiring while still undefeated. The MMA star retired after two consecutive losses, finishing with a record of 12-2.

The champion said that while she considered retirement, she didn't want to leave the women's bantamweight division without a star to push the sport forward.

"People forget how fragile that situation was and how last-minute I was able to get us in [to the UFC]," she told Van Vliet. "Strikeforce was the only organization that was really showcasing women, and that was because of Gina Carano, because her dad was involved with the Nevada Athletic Commission."

Carano, a fighter turned actor, was one of the original women's MMA stars who was undefeated until losing to Cris 'Cyborg' Justino in 2009, a fighter whom Rousey revealed she despises. Carano never returned to MMA despite being booked for a fight in 2011.

Rousey said she stepped in for Carano both for the fight and as the new star in the sport.

"When [Carano] was gone, Cris Cyborg's pumped to the f***ing gills with steroids. No one wants to watch that cheating-ass bitch; everything just tanked. The division was dying."

"Retiring undefeated would have been such a selfish goal to be able to accomplish because I would have taken all that equity with me," Rousey continued. "No one would have respected the rest of the women that I left behind."

Cyborg responded to a clip of Rousey's comments on X and asked if Rousey realized she only won six out of eight UFC fights.

"Does [Ronda Rousey] realize she only has 8 fights in the ufc and only won 75% of them?!" she wrote.

Responding to a fan comment, Cyborg also stated that she never "quit" like Rousey did and called the idea of Rousey saving the sport "goofy."

😂 does @RondaRousey realize she only has 8 fights in the ufc and only won 75% of them?!

🤡 🌎
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) August 21, 2024

By all accounts, Rousey did save women's MMA by being a dominant force in the sport as well as being a marketable face for the UFC.

Rousey also said in her recent interview that the WWE is where she learned that retiring undefeated would have been selfish. However, Rousey has previously stated that her retirement was due to concussion issues.

"I was so done fighting after that [first] loss. I'd had so many concussions I literally couldn't take a jab without getting a concussion at that point," Rousey explained. "My body and mind started to fall apart, and when I couldn't give anything any more, they hated me for it, but you couldn't even tell them why."

In a series of 2024 interviews to promote her book, Rousey caused controversy over her recollections of different events and stories. The fighter has claimed that members of the media, such as Joe Rogan, have turned their back on her while also falsely recalling the outcome of fights.

This spawned a series of responses from former UFC employees, including fighter Brendan Schaub, who said a story from Rousey's book "never happened." Former UFC commentator Jimmy Smith also said Rousey was "miserable," "mean," and widely disliked by UFC staff.

UFC legend Matt Brown also offered Rousey the advice of practicing humility, because "no one wants to hear" what she has been saying.

Rousey last fought in MMA in 2016 and has showed no interest in returning.

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'No one wants to hear the s*** that she's saying': UFC legend Matt Brown says Ronda Rousey needs humility, not excuses

'No one wants to hear the s*** that she's saying': UFC legend Matt Brown says Ronda Rousey needs humility, not excuses



Retired UFC fighter Matt Brown stated that former champion Ronda Rousey would be much more adored by fans if she showed some humility instead of making excuses.

Rousey has been touring and participating in interviews for her book "Our Fight" and has received backlash as she has insisted that she has been unjustly disliked by fans and mixed martial arts media.

Among Rousey's claims have been that she is the greatest fighter of all time and only ever lost because she was too concussed. She was soon called out by fans and MMA journalists who pointed out her UFC career was immediately followed by a stint in the WWE.

Former UFC fighter and ex-boyfriend Brendan Schaub also disputed claims in Rousey's book surrounding a recollection of a fight between Schaub and her now-husband, Travis Browne.

During her promotional circuit, Rousey has doubled and tripled down on her sentiments that she has been treated unjustly. During a recent interview on the High Performance channel, Rousey once again stated that she had no idea why she isn't loved by UFC fans considering she "gave them everything [she] had" but it "wasn't enough."

The former fighter expressed that she is reluctant to show up at any UFC event because she fears being booed by attendees.

'She pushes us away. She pushes that away from her. I think every fan wants to love her.'

Matt Brown, who as of this writing has the second-most knockouts in UFC history, attempted to offer Rousey advice while on MMA Fighting's "Fighter vs. Writer" podcast.

"I mean the first thing that comes to my mind is what's the problem? Like is she complaining? What’s the problem? Maybe people have said bad things about you. Welcome to being a human. Welcome to being famous. What did you expect?" Brown told the podcast.

Brown said he understood that Rousey is "bitter" and "can't accept" her losses, but he added that externalizing the excuses is "always the wrong thing."

"Even if you were injured, and I can relate to this because it's happened to me. I've been injured in fights. 'I've been sick."

"For her to think that she’s special because she had a concussion, it's just silliness," he continued. "I could look at a loss, and I could give you all the reasons why I lost. But any time you say it out loud, it’s an excuse. It’s purely excuse."

The welterweight added that he felt it is sad because Rousey just needs to live with herself and reconcile her losses.

"I've got losses. I've got way more losses than Ronda. I fought a lot more times than Ronda. But you don't want to go around living that way, blaming other people for the way your life is or the way that you're portrayed."

Along with saying that Rousey should show "a little bit of humility," he said that she would benefit from hiring a public relations representative to coach her on what to say. Brown said that while Rousey has all the attributes of a likeable person, "no one wants to hear the s*** that she's saying."

"She pushes us away. She pushes that away from her. I think every fan wants to love her," Brown explained.

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'That never happened': Brendan Schaub responds to claims from Ronda Rousey's book

'That never happened': Brendan Schaub responds to claims from Ronda Rousey's book



Former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub responded to and denied several claims Ronda Rousey made about him in her book.

Rousey's claims come from a leaked excerpt of the book "Our Fight," which were posted to Reddit, and described her feelings about her ex-boyfriend Schaub and current husband, Travis Browne, fighting each other at UFC 181 in 2014.

Rousey claimed that Schaub "thrived on playing f***ed-up mind games" with her during their relationship, especially when she "had a fight coming up."

Schaub responded to the claim, saying that by "mind games" Rousey might be referring to him simply not being in touch with her.

"When she says mind games, no it's not mind games, the mind games came from, in all honesty, her camp," Schaub said on his podcast "Fighter and the Kid."

"I have nothing to do with that. Mind games? I guess that would mean ... it wasn't a match," he explained, saying the two were not meant to be a couple.

Schaub then disputed more of Rousey's claims about what happened during his fight with Browne, specifically the ending.

"When Travis knocked him out at the end of the first round, I didn't think it could get any more gratifying," the excerpt from Rousey read, as narrated on the podcast by cohost Bryan Callen.

"TKO, to be fair. Ground and pound. First lie," Schaub interjected.

Callen continued to read:

"My ex covered up on the ground while Travis pounded away on him. The referee waved the match over. Then Travis, towering over the crumpled, semi-conscious body of my ex, leaned down and whispered something in his ear."

Schaub rebuffed:

"I wasn't unconscious and also wasn't crumpled. I was in downward dog, okay ... I was fully conscious,"

'The difference is if I wrote a book she would not be in my book. That's not an event in my life that I would put in a book.'

Producer Chin on @FighterNtheKid broke some news during the show. Apparently my name was mentioned in a book 🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/b9BHUp2PDS
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) May 16, 2024

Callen then read Rousey's last claim about Schaub, which was as follows:

"His words were indiscernible to the camera, but I swore I could hear Travis' voice saying, 'Ronda says f*** you,'" Rousey recalled in the book.

"That never happened. ... I don't think he said 'Ronda says f*** you,'" Schaub immediately stated.

"Didn't he come to your dressing room and say I'm glad you're okay?" Callen asked.

"In the back, yeah. He's cool. I have no issues with him," Schaub said about Browne.

"But why bring it up 14 years later? I mean, she has kids and it obviously worked out [for her] and like, it’s just life," Schaub added.

The former UFC heavyweight explained that while he wasn't trying to disrespect Rousey, he wasn't sure why he was included in her book. He then said that she would not be included in his own.

"The difference is if I wrote a book she would not be in my book. That's not an event in my life that I would put in a book."

"I'm flattered, I guess?" Schaub later added.

Schaub partially defended Rousey's comments that the MMA media, including Joe Rogan, turned its back on her. Rousey called media figures fakes and "a bunch of a**holes" in other interviews about her book.

"The way the media treats her, I think, is not fair, but some of it's justified by the way she treated the media [and] some of the comments she's made," Schaub claimed.

He continued to praise Rousey and said he was a big fan of her personality and work ethic, then cited her breaking barriers for women in mixed martial arts.

"People forget what she did for women's MMA, and there would be no female MMA fighters if it wasn't for Ronda."

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'Ronda says f*** you': Ronda Rousey says ex-UFC fighter Brendan Schaub 'thrived' on mind games, tried to hide relationship

'Ronda says f*** you': Ronda Rousey says ex-UFC fighter Brendan Schaub 'thrived' on mind games, tried to hide relationship



Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey claimed in her book that fellow UFC alumnus Brendan Schaub, who she dated, refused to publicly acknowledge that they were in a relationship.

During the promotion of her book "Our Fight," Rousey has made consistent headlines surrounding her various claims that have left fans perplexed.

Her latest claim comes from a leaked excerpt from the book, posted to Reddit, where she described her feelings about her ex-boyfriend Schaub and current husband Travis Browne fighting each other at UFC 181 in 2014.

"Travis had been training with us for a while when it was announced that his first fight as an official member of our team would be against my ex-boyfriend," Rousey wrote, referring to her gym the Glendale Fighting Club.

'When Travis knocked him out at the end of the first round, I didn't think it could get any more gratifying. My ex covered up on the ground while Travis pounded away on him.'

Rousey then claimed that Schaub would play mind games with her at the time and, despite it being widely known in the MMA world that the two were dating, wanted to prevent their relationship from being confirmed publicly.

"My ex thrived on playing f***ed-up mind games with me when I had a fight coming up and insisted we hide that we were dating so he wouldn’t be labeled 'Ronda Rousey’s Boyfriend,'" Rousey stated.

"As Travis headed into the match up, I pretended it wasn't personal. I tried not to be overly involved or emotional. This wasn’t my fight. I was hoping he would win, but I was in training camp, so I didn't really think too much more about it," she remembered. "That is until it was on live TV, and I lost my goddamn mind. Screaming at the top of my lungs, 'Get him, Travis!' while punching the arm of the person on the couch next to me."

Rousey then recalled the end of the fight, which, it should be noted, wasn't quite how it actually turned out.

"When Travis knocked him out at the end of the first round, I didn't think it could get any more gratifying. My ex covered up on the ground while Travis pounded away on him. The referee waved the match over. Then Travis, towering over the crumpled, semi-conscious body of my ex, leaned down and whispered something in his ear. His words were indiscernible to the camera, but I swore I could hear Travis' voice saying, 'Ronda says f*** you,'" she recalled.

The fight's ending, which of course is available online, doesn't entirely match the description that Rousey gave in her emotional tale.

At the end of the fight, Browne indeed remained in a dominant position over Schaub as the referee stopped the match. However, Schaub was seen complaining to the referee about the stoppage and was seemingly arguing with Browne at the same time the alleged statements (according to Rousey) were made.

There was no visible or televised "whisper" to Schaub, who immediately began getting up after Browne made remarks to him.

The former bantamweight champion has made several questionable claims during her book release. She stated that she is "the greatest fighter that has ever lived" and only stopped due to concussions, losing her last two fights. This left fans and even commentators confused as she embarked on a full-time career in the WWE shortly after retiring from mixed martial arts.

She would then claim three weeks later that the entirety of MMA media, including Joe Rogan, turned its back on her, calling media figures fakes and "a bunch of a**holes." The underlying reason for this claim was that no one in the media had called her to apologize for criticizing her over her retirement and final fights once they found out about her concussions.

Ronda Rousey: MMA media hates me, it's fine. No, not a single person has called me or anything like that. They've all just doubled down and said that I'm making excuses. Or lying. Or was blowing things out of proportion. Or not giving credit where it's due. \n\nFull podcast here:
— (@)

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Dana White 'absolutely' open to WWE/UFC crossover with one fighter already planning on making the jump

Dana White 'absolutely' open to WWE/UFC crossover with one fighter already planning on making the jump



UFC President Dana White said that he is certainly open to UFC stars making appearances in the WWE wrestling ring since the two companies merged under TKO Group Holdings, Inc. in 2023.

White spoke at a press conference following a UFC fight night in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was asked whether he was okay with his fighters competing or appearing in WWE pay-per-views.

'You remember Gold Dust? Probably something like that. As long as I get to paint my face.'

"Some of the fighters who fight here, you know, have always dreamed about doing a WWE match or whatever it is, and yeah, I don't have a problem with that," he revealed.

"I mean I didn't have a problem with that when Vince [McMahon] was consistently f***ing me for no reason, and you know now that's not the case anymore. Obviously, I would absolutely do it," White said, speaking of the former WWE chairman.

A reporter pointed out that there have been several MMA and WWE crossovers, namely wrestlers named Bobby Lashley and Jake Hager. Lashley, who was a professional wrestler first, went 15-2 in MMA fighting from 2006-2018 but never in the UFC.

The same goes for Hager, who fought four times between 2019-2020, going 3-0 with a no-contest. His last fight was at 38 years old.

As for former UFC fighters, both Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey enjoyed time in both sports. While Rousey fully joined the WWE after retiring, Lesnar is the only fighter to compete at the highest level possible while being fully immersed in both sports.

Lesnar won at least 10 world championships in the WWE and also won the UFC heavyweight championship in 2008 and defended it twice.

Reporters brought to White's attention however, that a current heavyweight fighter was expressing interest in the WWE.

"We were talking to Derrick Lewis this week and he had mentioned that he might have been in talks with WWE," a reporter told the UFC president.

"I didn't know that, but I would do anything for Derrick Lewis. I really like Derrick Lewis," White replied.

Lewis said later at the same press conference that he had plans to visit WWE facilities in Orlando, Florida, in the coming weeks.

"I wouldn't stop here at UFC, but I would like to dibble dabble in WWE," Lewis told reporters.

When asked what his wrestling attire might be, he likened himself to Dustin Rhodes' character Goldust.

"It's probably going to be — you remember Goldust? Probably something like that. As long as I get to paint my face so people don't really know it's me ... I'm going to be a whole freak out there and be a little sassy with it," the heavyweight added.

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'They said she was a b***h': Ex-UFC commentator says staff couldn't stand 'miserable' and 'mean' Ronda Rousey



Former UFC commentator and mixed martial arts broadcaster Jimmy Smith gave a scathing review of ex-UFC champion Ronda Rousey, saying that when she fought in the promotion, the staff couldn't stand her and equated her to a bully.

Smith was a UFC commentator for a year (2018-2019) before moving on to other promotions and eventually the WWE. While hosting his show "Unlocking the Cage" on SiriusXM, Smith responded to recent comments by Rousey about her being the "greatest fighter that has ever lived" and that she only lost her last two fights due to concussions.

Rousey claimed that if it weren't for her head injuries, she would have continued to dominate. Smith called into question the idea that Rousey was so badly concussed that she couldn't fight, yet was able to have a career in professional wrestling.

"I've never been a religious person. One thing's always said about God, he gets all the credit, none of the blame. That's what Ronda Rousey wants," Smith began. "She never gives credit to the people who actually beat her. The idea that 'I left MMA and went to the WWE because I had concussion problems' makes no sense," he continued.

Then, Smith provided insight in regard to Rousey's further remarks that people in her industry turned on her, including media members like Joe Rogan.

"It was disappointing to see how happily everyone turned on me," she told Chris Cuomo on his podcast. When asked if she understood why media members weren't calling her to apologize for not knowing about her concussions, Rousey responded that she understands "that they're a bunch of a**holes."

"That's what I get. I get 'f**k you.' I would rather not have those fake friendships in my life, I would rather that those people expose themselves," she added.

In response, Smith said he would let Ronda "in on something."

"Ronda, if you’re listening: the people behind the scenes; camera people, audio people, the people you can push around, and the people you can bully, talk down to. Can’t stand your f**king ass."

"Everybody behind the scenes that had to put a mic on Ronda Rousey couldn't stand her. I said why? They said, 'She was a b***h to us from the moment she sat down, to the moment she got up.' Like it's our fault that she has to do this interview ... and she's miserable, mean, and, 'We can't stand her,'" Smith recalled.

Truth hurts
— (@)

Smith continued with the alleged hearsay from UFC employees and said that he was told the staffers "were cheering when she got knocked out."

"Those are the people you can be mean to and rude to, and they can't fight back. Those people couldn't stand Ronda Rousey, so don’t sit here and tell me that you're the victim," the announcer went on. "The poor guy sitting behind the camera is doing his job, gets s**t on by you or you're mean to the person asking you questions when we're hyping your fight, don’t give me this victim s**t. Don't waste my time with that."

Smith had a three-year stint as a pro fighter as well that ended in 2006. He finished with a record of 5-1 with four submission victories.

He also worked for MMA promoter Bellator, the Discovery Channel, and the show "American Ninja Warrior."

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Ronda Rousey says Joe Rogan 'turned' on her despite 'crying' in the octagon — calls MMA media 'a bunch of a**holes'

Ronda Rousey says Joe Rogan 'turned' on her despite 'crying' in the octagon — calls MMA media 'a bunch of a**holes'



UFC Hall of Fame inductee Ronda Rousey said that the entirety of mixed martial arts media "happily" turned on her, and that included commentator Joe Rogan.

Rousey has been promoting her new book, "Our Fight," and has made headlines for new revelations about believing she is the "greatest fighter that has ever lived" and stating that concussions are what ended her career, not losses.

While appearing on the "Chris Cuomo Project," Rousey again made newsworthy comments, this time about her industry. The former fighter responded to Cuomo asking what it was like to not be able to explain how she was suffering from concussions at the time of her retirement.

"It was disappointing to see how happily everyone turned on me," Rousey replied. "People like Joe Rogan, who were crying in the ring out of the honor of being able to call my fights, people I considered friends in the media, so quickly turned on me," she claimed.

Rousey had said in an early April 2024 interview that near the end of her career, she had so many concussions that she literally couldn't take a jab in training without suffering one.

"I'm also kind of grateful for it," Rousey continued. "It forced me to separate other people's perception of me, from my own perception of myself, which I hadn't realized had become intertwined. When you have that outpouring of love and support from people, you’re being love-bombed from the world."

Ronda Rousey: MMA media hates me, it's fine. No, not a single person has called me or anything like that. They've all just doubled down and said that I'm making excuses. Or lying. Or was blowing things out of proportion. Or not giving credit where it's due. \n\nFull podcast here:\u2026
— (@)

The former champion said that a lot of her mindset had to do with pleasing others and chasing a life of fame and fortune in order to "impress everybody else."

"I was pandering to everybody and doing things that other people would think was cool, but I didn’t really enjoy. I do not enjoy being paparazzi-famous. I hate it," she explained. "Being put through that, it forced me to see that oh, this isn't real love, this was fake."

The 37-year-old added that she came to a realization that the media's criticism of her was actually a criticism of itself.

"They don't actually know me, they don't actually love me, they don't actually hate me, this is a reflection of themselves and what I represent to them," she asserted.

Out now: my interview with Ronda Rousey - she says Joe Rogan went bad on her AND she talks about how she hid being concussed. \n\nhttps://t.co/kvDUzKvue8
— (@)

Cuomo also asked if Rogan or any other media members had reached out to Rousey since hearing about her concussions.

"Nobody is correcting themselves," Cuomo affirmed.

"MMA media hates me, but it’s fine," Rousey declared. "Not a single person has called me or anything like that, they've all just doubled down and said that I'm making excuses or lying or blowing things out of proportion or not giving credit where it's due. I'll be waiting for that call forever."

"Are you waiting for it? Or do you get it and get where they're coming from?" Cuomo then asked.

"I get that they're a bunch of a**holes," Rousey laughed. "That's what I get. I get 'f**k you.' I would rather not have those fake friendships in my life, I would rather that those people expose themselves."

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'I was just the better fighter': UFC's Holly Holm responds to Ronda Rousey's claim that she only lost due to concussions

'I was just the better fighter': UFC's Holly Holm responds to Ronda Rousey's claim that she only lost due to concussions



UFC fighter Holly Holm responded to claims by former UFC bantamweight and champion Ronda Rousey, who claimed not only that she was the best fighter to ever live but that the only reason she lost to Holm was because she was concussed.

An undefeated Holm shocked the world when she knocked out the champion Rousey in 2015 after a second-round head kick. Nearly a decade later, Rousey claimed that a series of concussions is what caused her to lose to Holm, despite Rousey being the best she had ever been.

"I know that I'm the greatest fighter that has ever lived," Rousey said during a podcast.

Regarding her loss to Holm, Rousey went on to tell the host that her "mouth guard was bad" and that she had recently suffered a concussion from "slipping down some stairs." This, coupled with a "terrible weight cut" meant she was out on her feet the entire fight, she claimed, which lasted a total of five minutes and 59 seconds.

Holm was asked about Rousey's remarks at a press conference ahead of UFC 300.

"Do you feel like she's trying to take away from your win all these years later? Do you think this is accurate?" a reporter asked.

"Everything I say, which I'm sure people will just take parts of and make it sound how you guys want ... I say this all out of respect: In order to have a big upset like that fight was, you have to have a dominant champion, so without her being so dominant, then I couldn't have been able to have such an upset," Holm prefaced.

"But with that being said, I was the better fighter, I was the better fighter that night, and every fighter at this point, if you've made a career of fighting, you've had a concussion at some point."

#UFC300's Holly Holm reacts to Ronda Ronda's claim she was concussed when they fought at UFC 193.\n\n"I think it's just hard for her to admit that I was just the better fighter."
— (@)

Holm added that prior to her UFC career, she "definitely had some concussions" and noted that she would never use that as an excuse for a loss.

"I think that it's probably just hard for her to really want to maybe admit that I was just the better fighter. Was she so dominant and a good champion? 100%. I give her that, but she wasn’t better than me and especially that night," Holm explained.

Holm has continued to fight at 42 years old, whereas Rousey retired a year after her fight with Holm at 28 years old.

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'I’m the greatest fighter that has ever lived': Ex-UFC champion Ronda Rousey says she only lost fights due to concussions

'I’m the greatest fighter that has ever lived': Ex-UFC champion Ronda Rousey says she only lost fights due to concussions



Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey coined herself as the greatest fighter of all time, along with claims that she wasn't promoted very much by the UFC.

Rousey became the UFC bantamweight champion in December 2012 after fight promotion Strikeforce was absorbed by the UFC. She remained champion for over 1,000 days and had six title defenses before suffering her first loss in a fight to Holly Holm in November 2015.

It was more than 13 months before Rousey fought again, losing to title holder Amanda Nunes, who remained champion for nearly 2,000 days and won seven title fights over two tenures.

During an interview with podcaster Valeria Lipovetsky, Rousey explained why she felt she lost her final two bouts and attributed much of her poor performance to neurological issues from concussions.

At the same time she said that she had "never been so much better than everybody else," but unfortunately her concussions stood in her way.

"I had taken punishment and taken punishment until I couldn't take it any more," she continued. "I know that I'm the greatest fighter that has ever lived, but when it got to a point where I'd just taken so much neurological damage that I couldn't take it any more ... suddenly everything that I accomplished meant nothing."

Ronda Rousey: I know, that like, I'm the greatest fighter that has ever lived.
— (@)

"I was so done fighting after that [first] loss. I'd had so many concussions I literally couldn't take a jab without getting a concussion at that point," Rousey explained. "My body and mind started to fall apart, and when I couldn't give anything any more, they hated me for it, but you couldn't even tell them why."

Rousey also told the host that her "mouth guard was bad" during her first loss and that she had recently suffered a concussion from "slipping down some stairs." This, coupled with a "terrible weight cut" meant she was out on her feet the entire fight, she claimed, which lasted a total of five minutes and 59 seconds against Holm.

For her return fight against Nunes, Rousey said she "owed it to the fans" and perhaps needed to "give them an example of overcoming diversity."

She lost that fight by TKO in 48 seconds.

Ronda Rousey on how #concussions ended her career. \n"Your brain doesn't callus. It doesn't heal back stronger after a break." \n"I had taken so much neurological damage, I couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly everything I accomplished meant nothing."
— (@)

The Californian also discussed how she tried to use sex appeal to her advantage "as much as possible."

"I got to start putting an effort out there, and I just figured that the guys didn't have sex appeal to sell their fights, but the women could; at least the women that had something to sell," she joked. "I tried cleaning up a bit and ... when I came into MMA, I was like, all right, I need to try my best to look gorgeous."

Rousey noted that she has felt that when others complain about lack of promotion from the UFC, she didn't get that privilege either.

"I promoted! I was doing the promoting! It wasn't them paying for commercials; I was working to promote those fights as hard as I was working to train for them."

The perfect scenario, Rousey described, was like the reality television shows about housewives. She tried to emulate this when she coached on "The Ultimate Fighter" against rival Miesha Tate.

"Gorgeous women that are bickering with each other. What if there was a fight at the end of the season?"

"These gorgeous women that are creating drama and there's a fight at the end. Everyone would buy that," she explained. "That was what I was trying to create."

Despite all her injuries at the time, Rousey still signed with the WWE in 2017 and continued wrestling outside the organization through 2023.

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