Tag: Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey on the red carpet: Photos through the years

Ronda Rousey, the biggest women’s MMA star of all time, made the most of her work inside the UFC cage.

[autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] took the world by storm from the moment she became one of the first two women to compete in the UFC on Feb. 23, 2013. She was an instant sensation and a force inside the octagon, racking up six consecutive women’s bantamweight title defenses. Her work didn’t go unnoticed outside of the MMA world, which turned her into a mainstream star and afforded her movie roles that would land her on many red carpets. Take a look back at these images. (Photos via Associated Press and Getty Images)

Holly Holm dismisses Ronda Rousey’s concussion claim prior to UFC 193 fight: ‘I was the better fighter that night’

Holly Holm respectfully isn’t putting too much stock in Ronda Rousey’s recent admission.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] respectfully isn’t putting too much stock in [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag]’s recent comments about their 2015 fight.

Holm scored a massive upset knockout of the previously unbeaten Rousey to claim the women’s bantamweight title at UFC 193. Rousey recently revealed she entered the fight concussed prior to even suffering the head-kick knockout.

When Holm was asked to react to Rousey’s comments, the former champion simply said she outperformed her on the night.

“I say this all out of respect,” Holm told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 300 media day. “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. 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.

“You go back and look at some of my boxing fights and some of the things that I’ve done, I’ve definitely had some concussions. I’ll never sit here and use that as an excuse for any loss. I think that it’s probably just hard for her to really want to, like, maybe admit that I was just the better fighter. Was she so dominant and a good champion? One hundred percent. I give her that, but she wasn’t better than me and especially that night.”

Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) welcomes Kayla Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the octagon in a bantamweight bout Saturday at UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Ronda Rousey admits she was concussed before 2015 Holly Holm fight, talks ‘resentment’ toward fans

As Ronda Rousey put it so bluntly, “I was out on my feet for the entire fight” even before the first strike at UFC 193.

[autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] didn’t just face pressure heading into perhaps the biggest fight of her career at UFC 193. She stepped into the octagon that day still dealing with a serious head injury.

In an interview with YouTuber Valeria Lipovetsky released Tuesday, Rousey, 37, admitted she was concussed just before she suffered a devastating head-kick knockout against Holly Holm in the second round of their 2015 women’s bantamweight title fight in front of more than 56,000 fans at then-Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

As Rousey put it so bluntly, “I was out on my feet for the entire fight.”

“My mouth guard was bad,” Rousey added. “I literally came into that fight concussed from slipping down some stairs already after all these years of concussions. Then I had an absolutely terrible weight cut, which means you have less fluid in your brain to protect it. … I was just trying to make it look like I wasn’t hurt, but I wasn’t there cognitively.”

Rousey’s admission comes after she recently revealed a years-long history of concussions throughout her career, dating back to her amateur judo career and even after MMA while she competed in WWE.

Prior to the Holm fight, Rousey was a media darling as she became one of the UFC’s biggest stars while defending her women’s bantamweight championship six consecutive times in two-and-a-half years. Immediately after UFC 193, Rousey didn’t attend the post-fight news conference and never addressed the loss.

Heading into her comeback fight vs. Amanda Nunes on Dec. 30, 2016, Rousey stayed silent by skipping all pre-UFC 207 media obligations. After she lost to Nunes by standing TKO in just 48 seconds on Dec. 30, 2016, Rousey’s media mutiny continued and she eventually retired from MMA without a formal announcement.

While her health was the primary reason for her abrupt MMA retirement, Rousey said the fan backlash of being called a “fraud” after her two losses also didn’t motivate her to want to get back in the cage.

“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 anymore, suddenly everything that I accomplished meant nothing,” Rousey said. “So then after that second fight (vs. Nunes), and I saw how all these people that I was coming back to fight for had suddenly turned against me, all of my appreciation for them turned into resentment, and I just didn’t want to have anything to do for them and with them anymore. I didn’t wanto do anything for them anymore, because I gave them everything that I had, and they hated me for not being able to give them more.”

Holly Holm knocks out Ronda Rousey with a head kick in November 2015 at UFC 193. (Photo by Getty Images)

In addition to wanting to continue her career, which she did for five years with WWE after leaving the UFC, Rousey understood the negative optics she’d have faced by coming clean about her concussion history immediately after her losses to Holm and Nunes. That’s why she waited until now – and in her autobiography, “Our Fight” – to open up about it.

“I think people would have thought I was just making excuses, and I couldn’t say anything after the first fight, because I’d literally just be putting a target (on) my head,” Rousey said. “And after the second fight, I didn’t want to say anything to anyone because the media was just trying to sensationalize everything and chop everything up into a headline. They weren’t trying to help me tell my story, and it’s the kind of thing I think that could only have been told in a book, only in that long form because there was just so much that happened and so much that I went into at that time.”

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Video: Does Ronda Rousey’s concussion admission change our view of her UFC exit?

Does Ronda Rousey’s concussion admission change our view of her exit from MMA? We discussed on “Spinning Back Clique.”

On the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique, the panel discusses [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag]’s recent comments, revealing that a concussion history primarily forced her abrupt retirement from MMA.

Rousey, one of the biggest stars the sport has ever seen, mysteriously walked away from fighting after a TKO loss to Amanda Nunes and never returned. Rousey built her name off MMA, yet she never really addressed with her fanbase why she stopped fighting, nor did she formally announce her retirement. This left many fans with a sour taste regarding her exit from the sport.

Did this recent admission from Rousey change the way we view her exit from MMA? MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, Mike Bohn, along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia, discussed.

Watch their conversation in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

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Ronda Rousey once told Triple H ‘I can’t be associated with mediocrity’ in WWE

Ronda Rousey expressed more frustrations with her time in WWE in a recent interview.

In 2018, Ronda Rousey made a highly anticipated move to WWE, seamlessly transitioning from MMA to pro wrestling and swiftly rising as one of WWE’s premier performers. She worked a storyline alongside Kurt Angle, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34 almost immediately, while later headlining WrestleMania 35 in the first women’s match to the main event the show.

Rousey’s initial stint succeeded, but her second stint from early 2022 to SummerSlam 2023 never had that same spark. She left with little fanfare and it doesn’t seem like she plans on returning.

In an interview with Cageside Seats, the ex-UFC star said she had a long conversation with Triple H, saying she refused to associate with “mediocrity” in WWE, while expressing optimism for change (h/t Fightful for transcription).

I had a long sit down with Triple H and I was like, ‘I can’t be associated with mediocrity.’ That’s what they seemed to be happy with at the time. I hope that is different now, but I can’t say… that I’ve ever experienced it any other way.

Rousey also praised Triple H’s contributions to WWE, crediting him for believing in the women’s division.

I’m so glad that it’s getting turned around. Triple H has been great towards the women in the company and really believing in us. He’s the whole reason that I was there, ’cause he believed in me. I really wish that my last run was under Triple H running things and Vince being gone.

Rousey also criticized Vince McMahon’s regime and how WWE treated women in her upcoming book.

It’s safe to say things did not go swimmingly for Rousey in WWE, and she hasn’t hidden any of her frustrations. As her book launch nears and she moves away from her recent WWE stint, it will be interesting to see what else comes to light.

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UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey reveals concussion history primarily forced abrupt MMA retirement

In an Instagram Live stream, Ronda Rousey opened up about a history of concussions that she “had to keep secret for years.”

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] has finally addressed her exit from MMA.

Rousey, a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, is one of the biggest stars in combat sports history. She mysteriously walked away from fighting after a Dec. 30, 2016 TKO loss to Amanda Nunes and never returned.

Although she closed out her career with two devastating knockout losses, Rousey never really addressed why she stopped fighting, nor did she even formally announce her retirement.

However, more than seven years after her last MMA fight, Rousey finally shed some light on why she left MMA.

“My concussion history that I had to keep secret for years so I would be able to continue to compete and perform, that’s basically why I had to retire” Rousey said in an Instagram Live stream ahead of the release of her new book, “Our Fight.”

At the peak of her MMA career, the Olympic judo bronze medalist was unbeaten and had defended her UFC title six consecutive times. She had also defeated some of the biggest names of her time, including Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, Liz Carmouche, Julia Budd, and others.

However, everything changed for Rousey after her first professional defeat. Rousey, who was seen as an unstoppable force, was viciously knocked out by a Holly Holm head kick in front of 56,000 fans at UFC 193 in late 2015. She didn’t take the loss well.

Rousey never fully addressed the defeat and stayed away from the public eye for months.

“I think that there was just so much to (that loss), that I couldn’t talk about it in the form of like an interview or an article or anything like that, or there would be several filters between my words and people reading it,” Rousey said regarding why she never spoke about the loss to Holm. “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.

“Same thing with WWE. They have a complicated history with their performers getting concussions, and it would be a bad look on them. So I felt like I really couldn’t talk about it at all. So I feel like this long form (book) is the only way that I would be able to adequately address it.”

Rousey would return a year after the loss to Holm to try to win back her title against then-champ Nunes. Unfortunately for Rousey, she was quickly stopped in the first round. Rousey never fought again and eventually turned to professional wrestling, where she performed for WWE from 2018 to 2023.

Throughout her years in WWE, many fans were hopeful for an MMA return, but it never came. The 37-year-old understands some of the confusion from the fan base regarding her exit from MMA but said that she had no choice but to stay away from fighting.

“I’d like people to understand more of my reason and motivation behind things, why I was forced to leave fighting when I’ve never been faster, stronger, more skilled and had a better understanding of the art than ever before,” Rousey said. “It was a really hard decision to understand but one that my body really made for me. I feel like this is the only way to really get that across in the best, most complete way that it’s not just a tweet and a headline short.”

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Ronda Rousey takes shots at Vince McMahon, WWE’s ‘sexist, degrading bulls–t’ during his time in charge

Ronda Rousey didn’t hold back about WWE’s treatment of women under Vince McMahon.

Whatever one may think of Ronda Rousey as a performer during her time in WWE, there’s no question that her presence was a boon for the company and or continuing to push its women’s division forward. She just wishes that wasn’t necessary in the first place.

That’s clear from excerpts that surfaced today from her upcoming biography, “Our Fight,” which goes on sale April 4 (perhaps not coincidentally during WrestleMania week). Rousey makes it very clear that while she has respect for Triple H, the same does not go for Vince McMahon, for whom she said it was hard to tell where the “evil, unethical, slimeball character” he played on-screen deviated from his true nature (h/t to Inside the Ropes for the excerpts).

It’s hard sometimes to know where the evil, unethical, slimeball character of Vince McMahon played out for the cameras ends and the actual questionably ethical, many times sued, and multiple times accused of sexual misconduct Vince McMahon begins. That blurred line between character and reality is a recurring theme within the WWE Universe.

Rousey also sounded off on the way WWE long treated female talent, suggesting that the company needed to be dragged kicking and screaming into seeing them as more than eye candy.

WWE loves to do well-produced video segments about the legacy of women within the organization, but the truth is women have largely been footnotes. For the longest time, they were relegated to serving male characters in a valet role, an overly sexualized supporting character that takes cheap shots when the ref isn’t looking. Over time, as the level of female talent grew and society as a whole started to shift, the organization gradually expanded the role of female wrestlers.

WWE bills itself as a sports entertainment organization, and just like in the mainstream entertainment industry, there was, by all accounts, a casting couch culture where men backstage in powerful positions pressured female talent for sexual favors in return for airtime. There were so many public accusations and scandals it’s hard to keep track, and more that I’m sure the WWE managed to sweep under the ring.

Women weren’t just being demeaned backstage, but center stage. Up until 2007, “Bra & Panties Matches,” where female wrestlers won the match by stripping their opponent down to her underwear, were an actual f*cking thing. Even after that gimmick was retired by WWE executives—I’m sure very reluctantly and with a lot of lamenting about political correctness—it was still clear that the organization placed more value on a woman’s physical appearance than her physical ability.

She ultimately thanks the pioneers who helped change that state of affairs, but also bemoans “the amount of sexist, degrading bullsh*t they were put through” along the way.

Perhaps Rousey’s most serious accusation also carries the fewest details. She talks about the “casting couch culture where men backstage in powerful positions pressured female talent for sexual favors in return for airtime,” but doesn’t name any names.

It’s possible that’s because she doesn’t have any firsthand knowledge of things like the sexual abuse allegations against Vince McMahon, which would hopefully imply that things within WWE were starting to change for the better by the time she made her debut in early 2018.

Still, Rousey has never been shy about giving her opinion on any number of issues, and she’s definitely going on the record here. It will be interesting to see what else she reveals about her WWE run when “Our Fight” is released next month.

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Video: Has former UFC champ Robert Whittaker earned another middleweight title shot?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates former champion Robert Whittaker’s current standing in the UFC’s middleweight division.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] has been among the top names in the UFC’s middleweight division for quite some time.

In the co-main event of UFC 298, the former champ picked up a big unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa. It was an incredible battle between two top names in the division, but the question now becomes: Where does Whittaker go from here?

Is it time for another crack at the title, which is currently held by the man who handed him his last loss, Dricus Du Plessis? Or does Whittaker need another win over another top contender, such as former champ Sean Strickland?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below.

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Video: Is UFC champ Ilia Topuria the sport’s next breakout superstar?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates the star power of Ilia Topuria after winning the UFC featherweight title.

Few fighters have broken through the MMA bubble to become true crossover stars, and [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] could be the next one to do it.

Stars such as [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] and [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] capitalized on their success inside the octagon to become big stars in other avenues such as movies, advertising, professional wrestling, and more.

Topuria, who just became champion by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 298 main event, could very well be on his way to be the next fighter to do such things.

So far, he’s checked all the boxes. He has an undefeated record, dresses the part, has the look, and gets fans excited with his fighting style and what he says on the microphone. Perhaps most importantly, he has the full support of two countries, Spain and Georgia.

Can he go on a run to become that next big star?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below.

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Video: Reaction to UFC 300 main event announcement Alex Pereia vs. Jamahal Hill

Is Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill really a blockbuster main event to headline UFC 300?

It seems like it took forever, but we finally have an official main event for UFC 300.

There wasn’t a big video package or surprise announcement during the UFC 298 pay-per-view event or anything like that, but minutes after the main event, UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] announced the light heavyweight title will be on the line in the main event of the upcoming milestone event when [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag].

The announcement of the matchup drew plenty of criticism online. Some were fantasy booking the whole time, holding out hope for the inclusion of one of the sport’s biggest stars like [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] or a surprise return of [autotag]Ronda Rousey[/autotag] or [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

While we didn’t get any of those things, we do have a former champion in Hill returning from injury and attempting to reclaim the title he vacated due to an Achilles injury against an exciting, dangerous champion in Pereira.

Is this the fight to headline one of the biggest cards of the year? It’s a stacked event from top to bottom, but is Pereira vs. Hill a nice cherry on top?

That’s what our “Spinning Back Clique” panel Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia discussed along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode below.