The UFC’s massive success over the years is down to the contributions of all the fighters past and present. However, there are a few who deserve a special mention, with Rhonda Rousey being one of them. Given the impact that Rousey had on the sport, it was very disheartening the way her career ended in the UFC. While most assumed it was because of the losses, ‘Rowdy’ recently revealed the real reason behind stepping away from the UFC.
Rousey’s last two fights in the UFC were both knockout losses against the likes of Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm. The loss against Holm is one of the biggest upsets in the history of the company. In her recent biography, the 37-year-old revealed that the reason why she stepped away from the sport was because of the repeated concussions she absorbed. This was not just in MMA but also in Judo, a sport she had been practicing since a very young age.
Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen recently shared their opinions on Ronda Rousey bringing the issue of concussions to the forefront. In a recent episode of ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy’ Cormier said,
“For Ronda to have gone through all that as most of us did younger. And go on to be what she was, in not only fighting but also wrestling, and now being the person that goes out and speaks about it, that matters. That tells you that she wants to try and help the generation that follows. Because a lot of times you get embarrassed about that man. Because it can slow your speech, Muhammad Ali and those guys. It can really mess with your brain.”
Despite a horrible end to her career, Rousey is now using her platform to spread awareness to aspiring fighters
Ronda Rousey sheds light on a major topic of concern in combat sports
In combat sports such as boxing and MMA among others, a major concern for fighters is Chronic traumatic encephalopathy better known as ‘CTE’. Repeated blows to the head cause fighters to lose control over their bodily functions.
Muhammad Ali is a prime example of the same. Ali lost the ability to talk after he was done with his fighting career due to the repeated blows to his head. In her recently released autobiography, Rousey shed light on this issue and how it affected not just her but millions of individuals who practice combat sports on a daily basis.
