At one point, Ronda Rousey was bigger than the division itself. The outspoken former bantamweight queen didn’t just dominate—she legitimized women’s MMA at a time when even UFC CEO Dana White doubted its place. Rousey became such a cultural force that White placed her on his MMA Mount Rushmore. After a legendary UFC run, she walked away in 2016, and for nine years, not a whisper of a return—until now. A recent training montage has reignited the buzz, forcing even Conor McGregor and the MMA world to plead: Is Rousey coming back?

Ronda Rousey stepped away from the world of MMA in 2016 after suffering back-to-back defeats against Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. Following her MMA career, she transitioned into professional wrestling and became a star in WWE. However, she retired from WWE in 2023, officially ending her combat sports career forever.

In her recent escapade, the former UFC champion has come forward to upload a video of her training with her colleagues, showcasing a takedown. She captioned the post with a cute message that read, “I don’t shoot doubles often, but when I do, they’re called morote gari.” Well, despite retiring from the sport, Ronda Rousey trains on a daily basis, as we can witness from her Instagram handle, but is there any possibility of her return?

While having a conversation with the ‘Insight podcast,’ Ronda Rousey stated, “Every couple of years the same rumour comes out, but it’s not happening. I’m not neurologically fit to compete anymore at the highest level. I just can’t.” Rousey is certain that her body would break down if she competes now, however, the fans, as well as Conor McGregor, have come forward to ask the former women’s MMA GOAT to step back inside the Octagon again.

Conor McGregor and MMA fans demand Ronda Rousey’s return to the Octagon

To start off, it was Conor McGregor who commented a series of GOAT emojis on Ronda Rousey’s post. Both Rousey and McGregor share a pretty cordial relationship with one another. Rousey considers McGregor as one of her closest friends in the MMA world, “I love Conor… he has my utmost respect as an athlete, as a man, and I appreciate him always being so respectful back to me,” said Rousey when asked about McGregor. It is the same for ‘Mystic Mac’ as well, as he considers her one of the best women in the sport.

Moving on from Conor McGregor, we now have a fan urging Ronda Rousey to return to the bantamweight division for a showdown against Kayla Harrison: “Come back to the UFC and beat Kayla Harrison.” Interestingly, Harrison herself has ignited the unseen rivalry when she called out to Rousey by stating, “She doesn’t hold a candle to my career.”

Quite a bold statement from someone who has yet to win the belt. Regardless, the callouts for a matchup between Rousey and Harrison keep coming, “Ronda vss. Kayla would make a good fight.”Interestingly, she continued her rant against Rousey when she said, “First of all, I’m not Ronda because Ronda couldn’t win an Olympic gold medal.”

Kayla Harrison will be fighting Julianna Pena at UFC 316, and looking at this, a fan stated, “Don’t let Kayla settle on your crown.” 

Moreover, a fan gave a reality check to Rousey, “I like Ronda. But any folkstyle wrestler looking at this clip would say that she didn’t finish the double leg takedown attempt. But nice try, tho’!” Last but not least, a fan added, “So we just go pretend she not coming to take the 145 belt that they have to bring back cuz women are draining to make 130 135.” 

After becoming a mother, Ronda Rousey has been focused on her responsibilities as a parent, making a return to the Octagon highly unlikely. However, more than Rousey, there’s a stronger possibility of Amanda Nunes making a comeback. Regardless, between the two, who are you more excited to see back in action?