What’s the story?
Rumors about Ronda Rousey’s fragile mental state have been circulating ever since she lost her 135 pound Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strap to Holly Holm at UFC 193. However, after Rousey lost her second consecutive fight inside the Octagon, questions are being raised whether or not Rousey was mentally prepared to even step inside the Octagon, let alone fight someone as dangerous as Amanda Nunes.
However, one person is quick to shoot down any such reports about Rousey’s alleged ‘mental state’. That person is UFC President Dana White.
White denies any such reports circulating in the news stating that Ronda Rousey was absolutely prepared to step into the cage on December 30th 2016, at UFC 207, to challenge Amanda Nunes in an attempt to regain her 135 pound UFC world title.
In case you didn’t know:
‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey (12-2) stepped into the Octagon for the first time since Holly Holm (10-2 MMA; 33-2-3 boxing) dethroned her with the headkick heard around the world at UFC 193. Since then, the UFC Women’s Bantamweight (135 pound) belt has been through a game of championship hot potato, with the belt shifting hands from Holm to Miesha Tate and from Tate to Amanda Nunes.
Upon her return, Rousey stepped up to face Amanda ‘The Lioness’ Nunes (14-4) at UFC 207 but got knocked out by Nunes in just 48 seconds. The nature of Rousey’s loss and Rousey’s past habit of taking her losses way too hard on herself led to the speculation that maybe after suffering her first professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) loss to Holm, Rousey never recovered mentally.
The heart of the matter:
UFC President and Rousey’s close friend and confidante, Dana White, on his part, is shooting down such reports consistently. After her UFC 207 loss to Amanda Nunes, Rousey reportedly told White that she was devastated by the loss.
Furthermore, White went on to state that Rousey is incredibly competitive, and that, is the main reason behind her disappointment. He strongly suggested that her will to win and desire to be champion was always present throughout the build-up and event of UFC 207.
“She trained hard for that fight. She wanted that fight and she was mentally and physically ready for that fight but she knows what happened, I don’t.” (Dana White on Ronda Rousey’s mental preparedness for her fight at UFC 207). *via FOXSports
What’s next?
As of today, the ‘Rowdy’ one’s future remains uncertain, to say the least. If and when, Rousey decides to make a comeback it is sure to be a blockbuster event, regardless of who her opponent is. However, at this point, Rousey isn’t showing any desire to return to the Octagon.
That said, she hasn’t gone into complete seclusion like she did after her UFC 193 loss to Holm. So far, on the surface, Rousey seems to be taking this loss to Nunes far better than she did her previous loss.
Dana White, on the other hand, seems to be moving on. The Ronda Rousey show has now turned into the Conor McGregor show, and White, for one, isn’t complaining, at all. White and the new UFC owners may be a bit over-reliant, for now, on McGregor, but with several up-and-coming prospects on the UFC roster, the UFC’s future doesn’t seem too shabby, with or without the ‘Rowdy’ one.
Sportskeeda’s take:
MMA fans and experts all around the world can sit and speculate all they want about Rousey’s mental state, however, the truth is that the only one who can actually put an end to this endless amount of speculation is the ‘Rowdy’ one herself.
As far as all her critics are concerned, people have criticised Rousey’s ways even when she was undefeated.Therefore, all this criticism and backlash that Rousey has been receiving, as of late, wouldn’t come as a surprise to many.
Rousey critics will keep accussing her of being ‘mentally fragile’, White on the other hand, being a Rousey supporter right from the beginning, will continue to disagree with them.
Regardless of all this back and forth banter, the fact remains that Ronda Rousey will, forever, be considered as one of the true pioneers of MMA, in general, and Women’s MMA (WMMA), in particular.
Irrespective of whether she fights again, Rousey can move forward in life with her head held high with a trophy case full of medals and belts, including the a UFC championship. As a fighter, she may have been defeated inside the Octagon, but as a human being, she will always be a winner.
