Morning Report: Ronda Rousey feels unwelcome to UFC events: ‘I gave them everything I had, and it wasn’t enough’ (2024)

Ronda Rousey hasn’t been at a UFC event since her final fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016.

Unfortunately for the “Rowdy” one, that was a tough 48-second night at the office.

Rousey, 37, understandably didn’t have any immediate media appearances backstage following her first career loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. The unforgettable second-round head kick knockout loss left the world wondering how Rousey would react and return. All we were left with was the visual of her arriving home at the airport alongside future husband Travis Browne and a face-covering purple pillow. That was until news broke a year later that she’d challenge the new champion, Nunes.

Before and after Rousey’s second and last career loss to Nunes, she had no media requirements or obligations and kept completely quiet, a generally unprecedented luxury given to any UFC fighter (just ask Nick Diaz). Rousey felt that stretch led to poor treatment and critique from the media as she revealed in her new book, Our Fight. She expanded on the sentiment in a recent podcast conversation and explained why that’s the reason she’s steered clear of the UFC.

“Ask the MMA media [why what I gave wasn’t enough] — they’re the ones saying it,” Rousey told High Performance. “That I was a fraud and I was hype and I was exposed and I was never anything and just lucky and all of these things, that I was ungracious or I was a loser or every other thing that I just assume at this point because I don’t take the time to read it.

“Everything that could be said that was negative was said, and I feel really vilified by MMA media at this point and not really welcome back, which is why I haven’t gone to a UFC fight since [I left]. I’m pretty sure if I walked into the arena, I’d be booed. That’s how it feels.”

Love her or hate her, Rousey is undeniably one of the most important figures in MMA history. Her trailblazing efforts as a woman in combat sports led to a class of 2018 UFC Hall of Fame induction, one of the rare UFC-related settings Rousey has attended after her MMA retirement.

Rousey joined the professional wrestling world as part of WWE shortly after her MMA run. Despite having a large amount of success, particularly in her first year, Rousey left in 2023 and has indicated she likely won’t ever go back.

There were times throughout her WWE run when the crowd got to Rousey, she admitted. This wasn’t the only time she had “lived” with everyone hating her, as she says it’s the same with MMA.

“I live it,” Rousey said of fans and the community disliking her. “I guess I wish it didn’t [bother me]. I gave them everything I had, and it wasn’t enough. But that’s why a lot of people don’t give everything that they have, because they don’t want to face it if it wasn’t enough. I realize it was enough for me, but not enough for people on the outside. But it really wasn’t for them.”

Roundtable. How does Dustin Poirier’s legacy change if he upsets Islam Makhachev?

Support. Khabib Nurmagomedov respects Dustin Poirier but hopes Islam Makhachev will finish him at UFC 302

Speculation. Daniel Cormier reacts to Dustin Poirier retirement talks ahead of UFC 302: ‘I hate that

Boxing. Paige VanZant suffers brutal knockdown but comes back for split draw with Elle Brooke

Story. Kyra Gracie recalls battling sexism for the right to train jiu-jitsu and ‘have a voice’ in the family

Prediction. Charles Oliveira picks UFC champ Islam Makhachev to beat Dustin Poirier, Arman Tsarukyan

Goal. Leon Edwards wants Conor McGregor if he wins at UFC 303: ‘That’s the fight

Cooking with Demian Maia.

This is CineMMA.

UFC 302 Countdown.

UFC lightweight champion history.

Super RIZIN 3 trailer.

Invicta 19 subs.

Inside Islam Makhachev’s training camp.

Aspinall’s birthday.

Per-hair-a.

Wonderboy on Strickland.

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

Power couple.

The highest ranked power couple in martial arts today. We have another belt to add to the collection this year. @tatianaufc comes for the UFC strap next
20-1
11-0 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tovRcGqUy2

— Patchy Mix (@TeamMixMMA) May 24, 2024

Typical Din.

First ballot Hall of Fame "Good Dude" Din Thomas!!#FuryPRO10 pic.twitter.com/XBl511shdy

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 25, 2024

Got ‘em.

Rob Haydak brought CM Punk the heat on that one!!#FuryPRO10 pic.twitter.com/59AqYcxLQk

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 25, 2024

Enemy territory.

#UFC303 Press Conference
June 3, 2024
Dublin, Ireland pic.twitter.com/traI8tZfpD

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) May 24, 2024

Ouch.

WHEEL-KICK TO THE CHIN #TNU137 pic.twitter.com/uQXVM7GtCh

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 25, 2024

Momentum.

Morales locked in the submission! #TNU137 pic.twitter.com/4geTjGyFXB

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 25, 2024

Well done, Cub.

NGL if me and Gsp fought at the same age( 30 ) I’d knockout the goat TBH https://t.co/ikXSpGAfHy

— Joaquin New Mansa Buckley (@Newmansa94) May 25, 2024

Get yo ass on a winning streak first Cub Talking bout better men https://t.co/CgMJHbvg0a

— Joaquin New Mansa Buckley (@Newmansa94) May 25, 2024

I’ll work on that homie. Go ahead and keep chasing clout. Just don’t disrespect the legends of this sport. You haven’t done enough yet

— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) May 25, 2024

Disrespect nah see you never once been on my page and you talking nonsense mf fighters fight and for me GSP is the goat but in my humble opinion Id knock GSP out at this stage of my game just my opinion hoe

— Joaquin New Mansa Buckley (@Newmansa94) May 25, 2024

I was being honest when I said better Men have tried. You’re sipping too much of your own Kool-Aid. Ive been here, you just got here. Have some MF Respect lil boy

— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) May 25, 2024

Aldo’s “He’s just like me” moment.

Playing pic.twitter.com/KjKAbu7SvK

— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) May 23, 2024

Dumb, man. Dumb.

| Canelo delivers a NASTY body shot to a fan. #Boxing pic.twitter.com/m7u1CemP3V

— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) May 25, 2024

Almost time.

1 week pic.twitter.com/CC4DdjKM4L

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) May 25, 2024

Dustin Poirier said earlier this month that if he submits Islam Makhachev with a Guillotine choke, he'll get a bronze statue of himself in that position in his front yard

Imagine this is how Poirier finishes the story and becomes undisputed champ #UFC302 pic.twitter.com/EBEYnMMkAr

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 26, 2024

Don't be silly.. pic.twitter.com/WwNQzO5eFp

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) May 26, 2024

Come on, Dana.

We coulda had underwater Jiu Jitsu but instead, we got powerslap https://t.co/mr2JnVvtiI

— Blaine Henry (@BlaineHenryTFL) May 25, 2024

Don’t hate it.

I heard China is your lucky land @HenryCejudo , you got your Olympic gold medal in 2008. I’m inviting you to come over this year in August, let’s put on a show for the fans. This will be a real show, stop calling out Font! @ufc

— Song Yadong (@SongYadongLFG) May 25, 2024

Night-night.

Emmanuel Sanchez chokes Peter Petties to SLEEP with a 2nd round anaconda choke. That's two in a row for El Matador. Gotta go full Aldo with Scarface himself cageside. #APFC11 pic.twitter.com/gXIQlZpKjD

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 26, 2024

Well, damn.

Urijah Faber just submitted Jeff Glover.

You read that right.#A1Combat21 pic.twitter.com/TLV9NLuMjR

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 26, 2024

Patience.

Just wait... https://t.co/MZgJsOQYwg

— Shannon Knapp (@shanknapp) May 26, 2024

Still perfect outside the UFC.

Oshima is just too much fun.

Saori Oshima successfully defends her DEEP Women's Microweight Championship with a first round TKO!#DEEPJEWELS45

pic.twitter.com/IzarWLM8PM

— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) May 26, 2024

Wow. Off another impressive win, Saori Oshima is coming stateside. She's one of the best atomweights on the planet, so huge blow to Deep and RIZIN... if she can't still fight there, which I DON'T think SHOULD be a problem.

Massive gain for Invicta. Not sure what the future holds… https://t.co/lgMOTXs4sy pic.twitter.com/M1MAL6djMA

— Drake Riggs (@DrakeRiggs_) May 26, 2024

Yeah, not great.

Fighting at a kids tournament is some real loser behavior pic.twitter.com/KUwV5oN3RN

— N (@prettyinaGi) May 26, 2024

Team.

Big fan.

Letsgo //\\ pic.twitter.com/BIqDoCdpqt

— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) May 26, 2024

Lookout!

Muay Riot!

Crazy Brawl at Bangla Boxing Stadium in Patong, phu*ket pic.twitter.com/ISlqv9HcN9

— FMD ☣️ (@FullMetalDojo) May 27, 2024

Shinobu Ota (6-3) vs. Francesco Nuzzi (10-1); Bellator Dublin, June 22

Ian Machado Garry (14-0) vs. Michael Page (22-2); UFC 303, June 29

Sam Patterson (11-2-1) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (10-4); UFC 304, July 27

Modestas Bukauskas (15-6) vs. Marcin Prachnio (17-7); UFC 304, July 27

Jarno Errens (14-5-1) vs. Youssef Zalal (14-5-1); UFC Vegas 95, Aug. 10

“I just assume at this point because I don’t take the time to read it.” Ronda. Come on.

Happy Monday, gang. Thanks for reading ... if you did!

Last Week’s Results:

Friday: 50% of 350 total votes answered "Yes" when asked, "Is Curtis Blaydes the worst matchup for Tom Aspinall at heavyweight?"

Thursday: 96% of 561 total votes answered "Yes" when asked, "Did Kayla Harrison make the right choice leaving PFL for UFC?"

Wednesday: 49% of 488 total votes answered "Islam Makhachev" when asked, "Which fight would Ilia Topuria be more likely to get?"

Tuesday: 57% of 407 total votes answered "No" when asked, "Will Tyron Woodley fight again?"

Monday: 71% of 289 total votes answered "No" when asked, "Will the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight the winner of Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes 2?"

Today’s exit poll:

Poll

Who wins this weekend?

  • 40%
    Islam Makhachev and Sean Strickland

    (181 votes)

  • 28%
    Islam Makhachev and Paulo Costa

    (127 votes)

  • 16%
    Dustin Poirier and Sean Strickland

    (75 votes)

  • 14%
    Dustin Poirier and Paulo Costa

    (65 votes)

448 votes total Vote Now

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Morning Report: Ronda Rousey feels unwelcome to UFC events: ‘I gave them everything I had, and it wasn’t enough’ (2024)

FAQs

What is a quote from Ronda Rousey? ›

Ronda Rousey Quotes. You have to fight because you can't count on anyone else fighting for you. And you have to fight for people who can't fight for themselves. To get anything of real value, you have to fight for it.

How much does Ronda Rousey weigh? ›

How long was Ronda Rousey undefeated? ›

Rousey was undefeated in her first twelve mixed martial arts fights, having won eleven of her fights in the first round, and nine fights by armbar. Rousey became the first U.S. woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008.

Why did Ronda Rousey give up? ›

Ronda Rousey says that a history of concussions put an end to her mixed martial arts career.

What do they call Ronda Rousey? ›

Ronda Rousey
Other namesRowdy The Baddest Woman On The Planet
SpouseTravis Browne ​ ( m. 2017)​
Children1
ParentAnnMaria De Mars (mother)
42 more rows

Does Ronda Rousey eat once a day? ›

With Ronda, she only eats one meal a day, but she says she eats until she gets full, which is an interesting concept. How many calories is that in a given day, and what does that do to the body's performance, digestion, insulin level regulation? It opens up a few other questions.

How much does WWE pay Ronda Rousey? ›

During her second run with the WWE, Rousey reportedly commanded a salary of $1.5 million, or an estimated $2.1 million when accounting for bonuses and merchandise sales.

How many fights has Ronda lost? ›

Ronda Rousey Record: 12-2-0
W/LFighterTime
lossRonda Rousey Amanda Nunes0:48
lossRonda Rousey Holly Holm0:59
winRonda Rousey Bethe Correia0:34
winRonda Rousey Cat Zingano0:14
9 more rows

Is Ronda Rousey's husband? ›

On September 27, 2021, Rousey and Browne announced the birth of their daughter La'akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne. Browne's moniker, 'Hapa', is derived from the term in Hawaii for a person who is mixed blood. Browne attended the 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony with his wife, Ronda Rousey, who was working with WWE.

Was Ronda Rousey a good fighter? ›

In the span of just a few years, Rousey went from someone only judo enthusiasts had ever heard of to probably the most impactful female fighter in combat sports history. Then, with the first two losses of her career, it was all over. From start to finish it was just under six years.

How rich is Ronda Rousey? ›

Financial Success and Business Ventures. Rousey's financial success is evident from her substantial net worth of $14 million. Her multi-deal contract with WWE has significantly contributed to her wealth, with her salary reportedly reaching $1.5 million, making her one of the highest-paid female stars in the industry.

What does Ronda Rousey say? ›

I am vulnerable; that's why I fight.” “To be the best, you have to constantly be challenging yourself, raising the bar, pushing the limits of what you can do. Don't stand still, leap forward.” “Life is a fight from the minute you take your first breath to the moment you exhale your last.”

What is a fighter quote? ›

I'm a fighter. I'm a survivor, and I'll get through anything people can throw at me. Muhammad Ali - he was a magnificent fighter and he was an icon... Every head must bow, every knee must bend, every tongue must confess, thou art the greatest, the greatest of all time, Muhammad, Muhammad Ali.

What was Ronda Rousey's theme song? ›

Stream Download Bad Reputation by Joan Jett - Ronda Rousey's WWE Theme Song from Robert | Listen online for free on SoundCloud.

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