Justin Flores, the judo coach for former UFC female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, doesn’t believe she’ll compete again inside the Octagon – at least not at this time.
Rousey, who recently became engaged to UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, returned this past December and was promptly finished by Amanda Nunes. In 2015, she dropped the title to Holly Holm.
“Oh man, there’s a lot of layers to that. Personally, I would support her, but personally I don’t think it’s in the cards,” sad Flores, during a recent interview with Submission Radio. “I don’t think that’s what she wants in this time of her life. I mean, I’m not discounting anything. Maybe later. But I just don’t see that being something she wants to jump into and focus full force to be the best. Because if she’s gonna do anything, from what I know about her, she’s gonna do it to be the best. And not that I don’t think that she can be the best, it’s just, I just don’t know if her body and her mind at this stage in her life, if that’s what’s right for her. She’s competed her whole life. Her whole life has been about being the best, and I just think personally, the best thing is for her to kind of be okay with herself not as a fighter. So I love her to death, dude.
“I just know the pain she’s gone through physically, doing this forever, multiple surgeries, concussions, broken bones, weight cutting. All those things add up and take its toll, and it’s accumulative. So being 30 years old now and doing this since you were eight years old non-stop, I mean, the mileage you’ve put on your body and that she’s put on her body, I just don’t think if she wants to, you know, live a long happy life and raise kids with Travis, which I know that’s the future, I just don’t think that’s something I feel like would be in her best interests.”
Flores added that he talks with Rousey “fairly often,” but that their discussions have little to do with MMA or fighting right now.
“I know she’s taken a step back,” he said. “I’m just a good friend to her and I just hope the best for her.”
