Ronda Rousey reveals what inspired her to end nine-year MMA hiatus for one final fight

This Saturday volition people the extremity of Ronda Rousey's nine-plus-year hiatus from mixed martial arts, and if each goes arsenic planned, it volition people her farewell.

The 39-year-old is possibly the top pistillate MMA prima of each time, and she's giving fans 1 much amusement arsenic she volition look chap legendary combatant Gina Carano astatine the Intuit Dome successful Inglewood, California, with the assistance of Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions.

"Yeah, I’m excited. It’s finally, like, ace real," Rousey told Fox News Digital. "At first, we were grooming successful concealed for, like, a year. It was truly much similar a twelvemonth and a fractional astatine this point, but astatine slightest implicit a year. And present it’s benignant of truly bittersweet that it’s coming to an end. I’ve been having specified a large time. This campy has been 1 of the astir unthinkable experiences of my life."

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UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey celebrates her triumph implicit Alexis Davis astatine UFC 175 wrong the Mandalay Bay Events Center successful Las Vegas, Nev., connected July 5, 2014. (Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC)

Rousey, the archetypal pistillate signed by the UFC who became a Hall of Famer successful 2018, retired successful 2016 aft six palmy UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship defenses earlier entering WWE full-time. Rousey’s MMA grounds got disconnected to a 12-0 commencement earlier she mislaid her last 2 bouts to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, respectively, and 9 of Rousey’s 12 victories came wrong the archetypal 70 seconds. All but 1 triumph was successful the archetypal round.

It's nary concealed that Rousey is retired of her prime, but this campy "hasn't felt similar a grind astatine all."

"We made joyousness a precedence — really enjoying the process alternatively of conscionable hoping enjoyment would travel on the way," Rousey said. "Before, everything was truthful result-oriented. Now, it’s astir the process. And erstwhile we made that shift, 'Let’s marque this arsenic amusive arsenic possible,' I started getting amended results than ever. I consciousness amended than I ever have, physically and mentally."

"I utilized to beryllium precise overmuch successful that old-school mentality of, you person to endure and marque yourself miserable successful bid to beryllium the champion you tin be. And present it’s like, no, I recognize it doesn’t person to beryllium that. I tin bask this arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, and it makes maine the champion that I tin be. Because I already cognize that I’m a bada--. I already cognize that I tin excavation deep. I’ve already paid each those dues, I’ve done each of those things. So I deliberation conscionable making it fun... bully vibes only, it’s each astir me, there’s nary of this different worldly going connected astir me, nary superfluous noise."

So, wherefore travel backmost successful the archetypal place?

Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano airs aft the property league for the Most Valuable Promotions MMA paper astatine the Palladium Theater successful New York connected April 15, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images)

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"Gina, that’s the reason," she said.

"I was sitting 9 months pregnant, astir to pop, successful an bureau chair. I saw her astatine a debased point, losing her bodily individuality and being truly unhealthy. And aft seeing Mike Tyson travel backmost astatine astir (age) 60 and beryllium the most-viewed combat sports lawsuit of each time, I knew determination was a immense request retired determination and that these showcase fights were the aboriginal of combat sports.

"When I saw wherever Gina was at, and I looked down astatine my large belly, wherever I was at, I was like, ‘You cognize what? A combat betwixt america would beryllium immense not conscionable for the world, but for each other.’ And I deliberation this is what combat sports needs. This is what we need. And conscionable similar she inspired maine to bash MMA successful the archetypal place, she’s the 1 who inspired maine to travel back."

Rousey said she "promised my hubby and swore up and down to my sister" that this is her last fight. Knowing it's a farewell aft astir a decennary out, each of the emotions are successful play.

"That fluttering successful the chest, that nervousness, I cognize that’s what happens erstwhile I’m astir to bash large things. I don’t go acrophobic of my ain anxiousness oregon my ain fear, successful a way. I wouldn’t adjacent statement it similar that. I’m not acrophobic of however my assemblage reacts to those things, due to the fact that I cognize that’s what it does earlier I bash thing great. I execute supra myself erstwhile I’m nether a immense magnitude of pressure. So erstwhile I consciousness those symptoms of that pressure, I don’t shy distant from it and get frightened of it.

"It’s much similar the motorboat series earlier the rocket blasts off."

As overmuch amusive Rousey has had, determination is inactive a extremity - winning. Admittedly, "if there’s anyone connected this world who I would beryllium good with taking my happiness and moving astir with it, it’s Gina," Rousey said.

"Because she’s the lone idiosyncratic successful women’s MMA that doesn’t beryllium maine a damn thing—and that I beryllium immensely," she added. "And if this is the lone mode that I tin springiness backmost to her—to springiness her the comeback communicative of a lifetime—I beryllium everything, each the prosperity successful my life, to her. If that’s the mode that it has to go, past that’s the mode that it has to go."

But it won't beryllium easy.

UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey interacts with the assemblage during the UFC Time Is Now property league astatine The Smith Center for the Performing Arts successful Las Vegas, Nev., connected Nov. 17, 2014. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images)

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"She’s going to person to pry triumph from my cold, dormant fingers. Because I privation to amusement her the monster that she created. And I privation her to beryllium arrogant of me," Rousey said.

"I privation maine beating the s--- retired of her to really beryllium the top compliment I could ever wage her."

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