Former UFC queen Ronda Rousey has dropped a massive hint about the fighting future of her legendary family, revolving around her newborn daughter. Rousey’s own journey into combat sports was off the back of a decorated familial lineage, and she had sizeable footprints to follow.
The former Strikeforce champion’s mother, AnnMaria De Mars, was a prolific judoka. De Mars was the first American woman to become a world champion in judo, winning gold at the 1984 World Judo Championships. She was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Paving her way as a decorated judo player, Rousey won an Olympic bronze at the 2008 Games in Beijing. And she used her grappling skills to massive success in the UFC. Before the competition got the measure of the Californian inside the octagon, the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion defended her title a staggering six times.
Rousey recently welcomed her second daughter with husband Travis Browne. Liko’ula Pa’uomahinakaipiha Browne is a little over two months old now. The couple’s first daughter, La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne, was born in 2021.
And while her own combat sports career is over, Rousey hinted that her second child may have a future in the sport. “3 generations, 1 mat,” Rousey wrote on Instagram, while posting a photo of herself, De Mars, and her newborn daughter.
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As far as Rousey’s fighting career is concerned, she is likely never to compete again. The 38-year-old had addressed her combat sports tenure in some unsettling terms last year.
Neurological issues prevented Rousey’s UFC comeback
Though she has been largely considered retired from the sport, Rousey has still been linked with a return to the octagon for one final fight. These rumors gained some traction ahead of UFC 300 last year. Linked with a trilogy fight with former foe, Miesha Tate at the time, Rousey opened up on her decision to step away from the sport.
Ending her stint with back-to-back devastating knockout losses to both Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, the Olympian worryingly addressed the damage she suffered from competing extensively.
“Every couple [of] years – the same rumor [of a UFC return] comes out,” Ronda Rousey told the Insight podcast. “It’s nice to feel missed, I guess. But it’s not happening. I’m not neurologically fit to compete anymore at the highest level. I just can’t.”
“You just get to a level where the neurological injuries you take accumulate over time,” Rousey explained, adding, “They don’t get any better,” she added.
However, these ailments haven’t kept her fully away from the action. Rousey did compete in professional wrestling with the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) to a rousing reception from its fandom.
But since her exit from the UFC and WWE, Rousey, considered a pioneer in women’s mixed martial arts, claims her legacy has been ripped to shreds.
The Riverside grappler has often asserted how the media never gave her the respect she deserved during her iconic run. So any sort of return to competition seems off the cards as of now. But, like she hinted, her legacy is likely to be carried forward by the next generation.
