Ronda Rousey on UFC Career: Undefeated Retirement Would Have Been ‘Selfish’

Ronda Rousey on why she didn't retire on top: "Your legacy means nothing if you take it with you..."

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Ronda Rousey never got her perfect storybook ending in the UFC.

UFC Star Ronda Rousey Slams Joe Rogan & MMA Media: 'I Do Not Enjoy Being Paparazzi Famous'

Instead, it was a bit of a fall from grace for the seemingly unbeatable UFC women's bantamweight champion, which saw Rousey retire from MMA in 2016 after being handed her first and only losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.

UFC's Ronda Rousey. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Rousey On Why She Didn't Retire On Top: "It Was All Dependent On Me"

Before her championship reign came to an end at UFC 193, Rousey went all the way up to 12-0 in her pro career, defending her title six times to become a trailblazing pioneer for women's MMA.

An Olympic Bronze Medalist in Judo, Rousey was on the top of her game for years and ran through the bantamweight division with super-fast finishes, leaving many to wonder what would've happened if she had decided to retire from fighting at the peak of her success rather than her downfall.

"I wanted to retire. I was trying to find a way out already. But, it was all dependent on me," Rousey told Chris Van Vliet (h/t: Jed I. Goodman), when asked if she had thought about retiring when she was undefeated.

"I also realized that because what I learned from from pro wrestling is that retiring undefeated would have been such a selfish goal to be able to accomplish, because I would have taken all of that equity with me. And no one would have respected the rest of the women that I left behind."

Ronda Rousey is asked if she thought about retiring while she was undefeated:

"Retiring undefeated would have been such a selfish goal to be able to accomplish because I would have taken all that equity with me and no one would have respected the rest of the women that I left… pic.twitter.com/9LcJC8An1B

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 20, 2024

Rousey Didn't Want Women's MMA To Fade Away

There wasn't a plethora of WMMA stars back when Rousey was on top, leaving "Rowdy" to think the UFC might do away with the women's 135lb division had their undefeated champion just walked away.

However, Rousey decided not to, taking inspiration from the WWE (where she spent her post-UFC career) to continue fighting in the UFC, not for just herself but for the rest of women's MMA.

"Nobody retires with a belt in the WWE. You have to give it away. So, I kind of learned that through WWE, which kind of helped me to get through a lot of that stuff and process it when it's about the division," Rousey explained. "WWE was therapeutic to me in putting things in perspective. And it's about the vision and your legacy. And your legacy means nothing if you take it with you."

"I didn't want what happened after Gina Carano left, to happen after I left. Whereas the division just faded and went away without her. If I retired undefeated, I think that might have been a real possibility."

Before she went on to become an actress in Hollywood, Gina Carano was another undefeated WMMA star who held a record of 7-0, that is, until she ran into former UFC Champion Cris Cyborg in 2009, who Rousey labeled a steroid cheat during the same podcast. That was Carano's last pro fight, with Rousey saying she was brought in to replace Carano as the new face of women's MMA.

While Ronda Rousey didn't retire undefeated, there's no denying the UFC Hall of Famer paved the way for the sport of women's MMA for years to come.

Former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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