Ronda Rousey Permanently Rules Out MMA Comeback, Citing Neurological Damage
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has officially put to rest any rumors of a potential return to mixed martial arts. She opened up about the severe neurological damage sustained throughout her career, which has rendered her unfit to compete at the sport's highest level.
"It's nice to feel missed, I guess. But it's not happening. I'm not neurologically fit to compete anymore at the highest level. I just can't. You just get to a level where the neurological injuries you take accumulate over time. They don't get better," Rousey said.
Rousey, who became one of the most recognizable faces in MMA, discussed the accumulation of concussions over her lifetime, which led to her early exit from the sport in 2016. The iconic fighter revealed that her battle with concussion symptoms began as early as six years old. Not just from combat sports but surprisingly from swimming accidents.
"I started dealing with it at six years old. I started getting concussions much earlier on in swimming. Two kids doing a backstroke in the other direction crack heads or hit the wall doing the backstroke. I started doing judo at a young age and kept getting concussions regularly and multiple times a year and not being allowed to speak up or say anything about it," she recounted.
The former Olympic bronze medalist transitioned from judo to mixed martial arts, where she rapidly ascended from the regional scene to the UFC. Along the way, she became a mainstream star and household name. Rousey's influence was instrumental in UFC President Dana White's decision to reconsider his stance on women's participation in the UFC.
However, her career was cut short following two devastating knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. The brutal nature of these losses underscored the deteriorating state of her neurological health.
"I got to a point where I couldn't take a jab without getting dazed, without getting concussion symptoms. It just got to a point where it wasn't safe for me to fight anymore. I just couldn't continue to fight at that higher level," she explained.
Rousey's candid revelations shed light on a troubling aspect of contact sports—the culture of silence surrounding neurological injuries. Despite enduring numerous concussions throughout her career, she often trained through them without making them known. This ingrained habit started in her youth and continued well into her professional career.
"When I got into MMA, I had already had dozens of concussions that I trained through. Like, not even stopped for. So that was about a decade of having concussion symptoms more often than not. So when I got into MMA, I was playing a game of zero errors. Then it got to the point where I was fighting more often than anybody. I had more outside of fighting responsibilities than anybody, and it just got to be lighter and lighter hits were hurting me more and more and more," she shared.
Rousey highlighted the toxic environment where expression of vulnerability is seen as a weakness. "As a fighter, you're not supposed to show any weakness or talk about things like that or the inevitable neurological decline that comes with taking headshots. A lot of people talk about it as if it's making excuses or weakness," she noted.
Her story is a stark reminder of the invisible battles many athletes face, particularly in sports where concussions are a frequent risk. Rousey's experiences and subsequent decisions have triggered necessary discourse on athlete health and safety. She emphasized the urgent need for better concussion management and support systems in contact sports.
Rousey has indeed left an indelible mark on the world of MMA, not just through her in-cage achievements but also by raising critical conversations about the long-term health impacts of the sport. Her decision to openly discuss her neurological issues serves as a wake-up call for the sporting community, highlighting the importance of transparent dialogue and reforms focused on the welfare of athletes.
Despite the end of her fighting career, Rousey remains a significant figure in the sports world, continuing to influence discussions about athlete safety and the future of contact sports.