In a candid revelation, Ronda Rousey has put to bed any lingering doubts about a potential return to mixed martial arts (MMA). The former UFC champion and mainstream star disclosed that irreversible neurological damage has ended any hope of a comeback.
Rousey's career trajectory was meteoric, catapulting her from local circuits to the global spotlight of Strikeforce and the UFC. She didn't just become a world champion; she became a household name, influencing even UFC President Dana White to reconsider his previously firm stance against women's participation in the UFC.
However, the brutal realities behind Rousey's early departure from MMA in 2016 have now been laid bare. "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 explained.
The decline in her neurological health hit her hard and fast. Rousey shared vividly how severe her concussion symptoms had become: "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."
The root of her neurological issues dates back to an unexpectedly young age, long before she had ever set foot in the octagon. Rousey began dealing with concussions at just six years old. "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," she recalled. This early exposure was only the beginning, as her passion for judo exacerbated the problem. "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 elaborated.
Training through these injuries only set the stage for more serious issues when she transitioned to MMA. "When I got into MMA, I had already had dozens of concussions that I trained through. Like, not even stopped for," Rousey admitted. The toll of repetitive head trauma became increasingly evident as her career progressed. "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."
Rousey's openness underscores a troubling culture within contact sports—a culture of silence regarding neurological health. "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 stated. Her reflections raise urgent questions about athlete health and safety in sports where concussions remain a common risk.
Rousey's achievements are etched in combat sports history, from being a former Olympic bronze medalist to significantly raising the profile of women's fighting in MMA. Yet her revelations compel a broader conversation: the need for better concussion management and support systems in contact sports.
By sharing her story, Rousey highlights the often invisible battles many athletes face, advocating for an important discourse on the subject. Her forthrightness in discussing her neurological decline lends a crucial voice to the dialogue on athlete safety.
For Ronda Rousey, the octagon doors may have closed. But her influence endures—both in the realm of women’s sports and in shining a necessary light on the often-hidden realities of neurological decline in athletes.