Ronda Rousey says a fear of being booed is the reason she doesn’t attend UFC events.
Dana White famously said women would never compete in the UFC before ‘Rowdy’ came along, changed his mind, and blazed a trail for female fighters worldwide.
4Rousey is one of the biggest UFC stars of all timeCredit: Getty
Rousey won the bantamweight belt and went on a legendary run of quick finishes against the best fighters in MMA, but her career came crashing down in November 2015.
A shocking and brutal knockout loss to Holly Holm led to 13 months on the sidelines and Rousey has openly admitted to considering suicide during this time.
In December 2016, Amanda Nunes stopped Rousey in 48 seconds to end her MMA career, which she later revealed was marred by concussion issues, for good.
The 37-year-old is revered as one of the most influential fighters of all time and has subsequently been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame – but she hasn’t attended an event since retiring.
Rousey feels like she’s become a villain within the MMA community.
The American, who went on to become a WWE superstar, blames the media for portraying her in a way that means she will get a bad reception if she turns up at a UFC show.
“Everything that could be said that was negative was said,” Rousey told Jake Humphries on the High Performance podcast.
“I feel like really vilified by MMA media at this point. I’m not really welcome back, which is why I haven’t gone to a UFC event since [retiring].
4She was the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of FameCredit: Getty
“I’m pretty sure if I walked into the arena, I’d be booed.”
Rousey’s interviewer let out an audible gasp before saying, ‘No!’
She added: “That’s how it feels.”
This is not the first time that Rousey has accused the media of mistreating her as she has repeatedly made similar claims while promoting her new memoir ‘Our Fight’.
Joe Rogan was namechecked as Rousey discussed people who had turned on her after she suffered back-to-back losses against Holm and Nunes.
Former UFC and WWE commentator Jimmy Smith responded by calling her a ‘bully’ and claiming she mistreated people at the height of her career.
It is currently unclear where she stands with the UFC brass, but they have almost certainly extended event invitations her way over the past eight years.
It appears she won’t be making a UFC cameo anytime soon.
