Ronda Rousey is preparing for one final walk into the cage, and this time, the emotions surrounding it feel distinctly different. Nearly a decade after leaving mixed martial arts behind, the former UFC champion will return on Saturday night to face Gina Carano in the headline bout of Netflix's first major MMA event in Los Angeles. While fans are focused on the comeback, Rousey is already speaking like someone ready to close the chapter for good.
Family Influences the Decision
The 39-year-old made it clear that her family played a major role in the decision. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Rousey admitted this comeback came with one important condition at home. She stated, "I promised my husband up and down that this is the last one. He's the one that I really got to convince to get on board for this promoter shit afterwards. He's not 100% sold on it. He's not going for the fighting at all after this. This is the dream fight. This is the absolute pinnacle... This is the perfect way to end it."
A Historic Matchup
The matchup against Carano carries significant history. Both women helped push women's combat sports into the mainstream long before female fighters became regular headliners. Rousey believes this fight gives her the perfect opportunity to leave MMA on her own terms.
Past Struggles and Injuries
Her return comes almost 10 years after the devastating losses that changed the direction of her career. Back in 2015, Rousey lost her undefeated record and UFC bantamweight title to Holly Holm in one of the sport's biggest upsets. A year later, Amanda Nunes stopped her in under a minute, effectively ending her MMA run. At the time, many fans only saw the defeats. What they did not see, according to Rousey, was the neurological struggle happening behind the scenes.
Rousey revealed that migraine aura symptoms badly affected her during the Holm fight and continued into the Nunes bout. The symptoms impacted her vision, reactions, and ability to track movement inside the cage. "I got this huge migraine aura — a big chunk of my vision missing, like losing my depth perception and ability to think clearly, quickly, and track moving objects," Rousey explained. She said she spent most of the Holm fight trying to hide the severity of the issue because fighters are trained never to show weakness. "That entire fight was just me trying to hide the fact that I couldn't see or think." Eventually, the damage became impossible to ignore. "It just got to the point where I couldn't even get hit anymore." Rousey credited UFC president Dana White for helping connect her with specialists at the Cleveland Clinic, where she finally received treatment that changed her life.
A Winning Mindset
Even now, Rousey insists she views the painful ending to her UFC career differently than most people do. "I think everything happens for a reason — the exact way it was meant to go," she said. Instead of retiring undefeated, she believes her losses ultimately helped grow women's MMA and created opportunities for future fighters. Now she gets one more chance to shape how the story ends, if she opts for retirement.
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About the Author: Lachit Roy is a sports writer at The Times of India, where he covers the NBA, WWE, and other major international sporting events. With over five years of experience across different media houses, he has developed expertise in reporting, analysis, and storytelling. His sharp insights are complemented by a clear and engaging writing style. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Tezpur University. Beyond sports, Lachit is passionate about movies and enjoys gardening in his free time.
