Ronda Rousey disclosed that the reason for her departure from the UFC and entry into professional wrestling was not solely prompted by her defeat to Amanda Nunes in 2016.
Renowned as one of the greatest female fighters, ‘Rowdy’ faced adversity when Holly Holm, a former boxing World champion, secured a memorable victory over her through a second-round knockout at UFC 193 in 2015. This defeat deeply affected Rousey and had a noticeable impact on her subsequent fights.
Following the defeat to Holm, she admitted to contemplating suicide and questioning her self-worth without the UFC championship. Less than a year later, Rousey officially retired from MMA and began her transition to professional wrestling
Rousey didn’t specify the exact moment during her UFC career when she realized her passion was fading, but she acknowledged that it took her setbacks near the end of her career to understand that she had been competing for the wrong reasons.
Rousey has currently signed to WWE. After the $21 billion UFC-WWE merger, it would be easy for Rousey to reenter the UFC octagon. According to Anik, the fact that Nunes is no longer a part of the sport and the merger that took place in April makes it the best time for ‘Rowdy’s return.
Anik said, "If anyone is worthy of that time of opportunity, it’s probably Ronda Rousey. And I do believe she would be competitive because she would not enter that setting without the guarantee that she would be competitive. "
Like most of her MMA fans, even Anik believes that it would be great if Rousey could make a comeback now.