Rousey thinks loss could be the ‘best thing that ever happened’ to her
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey has accomplished a whole lot of great things during her athletic career, both on and off the mat.
She won a bronze medal in judo at the Olympics and essentially forced the UFC to create a women’s division because of her immense skills in the cage and unprecedented marketability as a mixed martial artist.
Rousey also hosted “Saturday Night Live” and has a burgeoning Hollywood career that already includes several major film credits.
So it may be surprising to hear her say the devastating loss she suffered to Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia, in November could be the “best thing that ever happened” to her.
During a speech at Reebok’s Luncheon for Inspirational Women which was covered by InsideHalton.com, Rousey reportedly addressed the only loss of her career.
“Every single setback (is) not the end of the world, it’s just the beginning of that lesson.” Rousey said during her speech. “That had to happen for me to learn these certain things and it’s not about being completely infallible, it’s about getting better and there’s no room for improvement in perfect.”
While she admitted feeling suicidal after the loss during a recent appearance on “Ellen,” the 29-year-old appears to be dealing with the defeat in a constructive manner.
“When it comes to challenges, I honestly believe that things happen for a reason,” she said. “At the time, yes, it’s hard on a personal, emotional level and it’s hard to look past what’s happening to the future, but you have to believe in yourself because down the line in two, five, 10 years’ time you’ll look back and think that was actually the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Rousey has said how important it is to her career to win a rematch against Holm, but that appears to be on the back burner.
Not only is Rousey currently working on several film projects, but Holm lost the belt to Las Vegan Miesha Tate on March 5. UFC president Dana White said that night Rousey will fight Tate for the belt when she is ready to return to action.
November has been a working target date for Rousey’s potential comeback fight.
She has already defeated Tate twice, once for the Strikeforce belt in 2012 and again to defend the UFC title in 2013. Both fights ended due to submission due to armbar.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj
