Ronda Rousey reveals real reason for UFC retirement

UFC legend and mixed martial arts pioneer Ronda Rousey revealed during a recent Instagram Live session that a history of concussions is the biggest reason why she hasn't fought since December 2016 and is now retired from combat sports. 

"I'd like people to understand my reasons and motivations behind things," Rousey explained about head injuries she suffered going back to her days in judo, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN. "I was forced to leave fighting when I was faster, stronger, more skilled and had a better understanding of the art than ever before. It was a really hard decision to understand, one that my body made for me."

Rousey, who became the first woman signed by the UFC as a fighter in 2012, debuted as the promotion's bantamweight champion and later became a household name and sports sensation for her dominant title defenses. She was a perfect 6-0 in the promotion when she entered her Nov. 14, 2015, bout against Holly Holm at UFC 193 as a -2000 betting favorite but then suffered a brutal head-kick knockout in the second round of that contest. 

Some thought Rousey planned to retire after that defeat considering her lengthy absence away from the sport, but she ultimately returned to challenge Amanda Nunes in December 2016. Nunes thoroughly outclassed Rousey, with the former champion taking numerous shots to the head during that one-sided fight. 

As Mike Chiari noted for Bleacher Report, Rousey debuted as a World Wrestling Entertainment talent at the 2018 Royal Rumble. She last made an appearance with that company at SummerSlam 2023. Rousey declared during a Wednesday appearance on "Never Before Told" (h/t Ringside News) that she has no intentions of ever working another match with WWE. 

"I think there was just so much to [that loss] that I couldn't talk about it in the form of an interview or article or anything like that, or there would be several filters between my words and people reading it," Rousey said about the Holm defeat. "So much had to do with having so many concussions when I was in judo before I even got into MMA. I couldn't talk about it at all when I was doing MMA because it would literally put a target on my head and I might not have been allowed to compete any further."

Rousey, 37, retired with a 12-2 professional MMA record and was the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. While Nunes is now widely viewed as the G.O.A.T. women's champion in UFC history, neither she nor any other woman has yet filled Rousey's shoes as it pertains to overall star power among casual fight fans.