UFC icon gets brutally honest about Ronda Rousey potentially returning to action: "But then an adult steps into the room"

A UFC legend recently voiced his displeasure with the news of Ronda Rousey's possible MMA return.

Rousey has been posting several training clips on her social media accounts after giving birth to her second daughter, Liko'ula Pā'ūomahinakaipiha, in January earlier this year. This has piqued the interest of MMA fans all over the world, who are wondering if the former women's bantamweight champion will return to the sport.

However, former two-division UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen isn't keen on the idea. In a recent YouTube video, Sonnen said:

''There is just this idea that when somebody goes out there and they break a sweat or they used to do this sport and they dangle this idea of a return. But then an adult steps in the room and goes, 'Hey, it’s not a return. You were forced out.' It's not a retirement when they throw your a*s out of the cage. There's never a day that you want to be done with this sport.''

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He continued:

''You will wake up and find out one day that the sport is done with you, with three exceptions: Georges St-Pierre, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Jon Jones. They all had belts, they all left on top, and they were all wanted and welcomed to stay, and they made their own decision that they were not going to."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (5:50):

Rousey (12-2) retired from combat sports in 2016 at the age of 29 after suffering consecutive defeats against Holly Holm and then-champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 193 and UFC 207 respectively. Notably, prior to her losses, she became the first UFC women's bantamweight champion, successfully defending her belt five times.

Ronda Rousey is excited to get back into training

In a recent Instagram post, Ronda Rousey expressed her happiness to resume her sparring as she was spotted hitting the pads in a gym.

Hinting at a potential MMA return, 'Rowdy' captioned the post:

''From eight weeks after having a baby and eight years of stepping away from MMA to eight months postpartum and finding my love for it again. The first clip is my first session working with [coach AJ Matthews]. I was super self-conscious, embarrassed of how much I regressed... Second clip was yesterday, I’ve never laughed or smiled so much on the mat as I do these days. The last six months have been an absolute blast, feels like I have so much left to grow, and without the weight of the world on my shoulders nothing is holding me back.''

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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