Saddening Loss of Her Old Man Forced Ronda Rousey to Take a Life-Changing Decision: “After My Dad Died, I Didn’t Want to Swim Anymore”

Published 12/23/2022, 2:43 PM EST

Ronda Rousey is an amazing athlete. The girl who lost her father at the age of 8 rose to become the first American woman to win an Olympic medal. She also became the first woman fighter ever to appear in a UFC PPV event. According to UFC president, Dana White, Ronda Rousey was the woman who raised the standard of talent in women’s fighting. It is intriguing to know that Rousey‘s father wanted her to become a swimmer and Rousey was on her way to becoming a swimmer. She, however, gave up swimming when her father passed away.

Dana White had once denied any possibility of women fighting in the UFC. His opinions changed only after meeting Rousey, who he found “Charismatic“. In her book My fight/Your Fight, Ronda Rousey mentioned how she lost all interest in swimming after her father’s demise. She had been on a swim team for a couple of years but moved to Judo.

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Ronda Rousey found swimming introspective

In her book, Ronda Rousey mentioned the differences she found between swimming and Judo. She said, “I had been on a swim team for couple of years. But after my dad died, I didn’t want to swim anymore. Swimming is very introspective. It makes you think about things, and I didn’t want to be thinking about my life.”

She then added, “Judo was the opposite of swimming. One hundred percent of my focus had to be in the present moment. There was no time for introspection”.

WATCH: Ronda Rousey Gives Major Mom Goals to Mothers Across the Globe

Ronda Rousey has been a fighter all her life. She has broken many glass ceilings. Her father, who wanted her to be an Olympian, always encouraged ‘Rowdy’. It was, however, her mother who stood by her on her journey from a judo star to an MMA fighter.

Rousey defeated all struggles that came her way

Ronda Rousey‘s struggle began at birth. Her umbilical cord got entangled around her neck and damaged her throat. Till the age of six, she couldn’t even speak out coherent sentences.

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To add to her struggles, her father took his own life after suffering a freak sledding accident. Although, this incident affected her badly; but Rousey’s mother stuck by her through tough times and helped her achieve the potential she always had. Do you think the UFC would have missed out on a lot if they didn’t allow women to fight? Is Rousey the face of MMA women? Let us know.

Watch This Story: From impressive victory to Twitter Trend, Fire Ronda Rousey Trends after SmackDown Botch

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Written by:

Akshay Pallav is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his undergraduation from National Institute of Fashion Technology in Apparel Production, he has been a sports enthusiast all his life and has several medals at the University level across multiple sports including basketball, badminton, track and field. He aspires to interview Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo someday.

Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana

Saddening Loss of Her Old Man Forced Ronda Rousey to Take a Life-Changing Decision: “After My Dad Died, I Didn’t Want to Swim Anymore”

Ronda Rousey found swimming introspective

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Rousey defeated all struggles that came her way