Even in retirement, Ronda Rousey remains a polarizing figure in the MMA community. Ronda Rousey has never officially announced her retirement from mixed martial arts, but with her induction into the Hall of Fame, her 2 and 1/2 year absence from competition, and her plans to start a family with Travis Browne, it seems safe to consider Rousey’s MMA career is a closed book, which inevitably draws legacy questions, which Ronda Rousey was more than happy to answer herself in an exclusive interview with Megan Olivi…and the only opinion that matters to the original bantamweight queen is her own:
“I want my legacy to be a force of good and mankind was better off because I fuckin’ existed,” Rousey told the UFC. “I do not need people to know that. I just need to have that effect.
“I do not need anyone else jumping to the top of the mountain and saying, Oh, you’ve changed the culture so much,” Rousey continued. “I also don’t need to censor myself and worry about other people hating me giving myself some credit. Like, fuck you guys. I’m fuckin’ proud of myself. I did some awesome shit and I really enjoyed the effect that I’ve had, and I can’t wait to see my daughters enjoying that effect.”
Ronda Rousey became the first woman to headline a UFC event in what was the first ever UFC women’s bantamweight title match when she defeated Liz Carmouche at UFC 157. Rousey would then proceed to five additional times, setting a record for female title defenses in the UFC which still stands. However, after losing two consecutive fights in devastating fashion to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, Rousey’s place among the greatest female fighters has been called into question by many, fairly or unfairly.
Ultimately, Ronda Rousey appears to be satisfied with her UFC career and the unquestioned impact that she has left behind, even in the wake of an unceremonious exit, and she does not appear to give a damn about her bad reputation.
How will you remember Ronda Rousey?
