Ronda Rousey reveals devastating impact of first punch she took from Holly Holm in famous KO loss after years of ‘secret’ concussion issues
Ronda Rousey has been reflecting on her first MMA loss.
‘Rowdy’ recently revealed that her Hall of Fame UFC career was cut short due to her long history of suffering concussions as an Olympic medallist judo player.
3
The 37-year-old amazingly managed to enjoy a dominant run as bantamweight champion in MMA’s premier league, despite experiencing concussion symptoms almost every time she took a punch.
However, it finally caught up with Rousey when she fought Holly Holm in 2015.
A decorated three-weight world champion boxer, Holm had the perfect set of skills to exploit Rousey’s ‘secret’ health issue, which was kept under wraps until last week.
Ultimately, Holm scored a brutal second-round knockout win, but the fight was essentially over after she landed one significant strike on her opponent.
READ MORE ON RONDA ROUSEY
“It got to the point where if I was getting touched at all, if I was getting jabbed, I was starting to get concussion symptoms and I couldn’t tell my coach about it,†Rousey told .
"I couldn’t tell Dana [White] about it because they would retire me. They wouldn’t let me fight. And I wasn’t ready to let go. I wasn’t ready to admit that I couldn’t do everything perfectly.â€
“The first time I got touched in that [Holm] fight, it knocked all my bottom teeth loose and I was completely out on my feet the entire fight.
“I couldn’t see how far away she was from me, if that makes sense. And [I was] not seeing things as quickly. Usually, when I fight, time dilates, and I see everything in slow motion.
Most read in MMA
3
3
“This was like I was in like a fog where I couldn’t tell a range or anything.â€
Rousey returned to the Octagon 13 months later for an ill-advised fight with Amanda Nunes, who stopped her with a series of strikes in 48 seconds and prompted her retirement at 29 years old.
Seth Rollins reveals 'real reason' UFC legend Ronda Rousey left WWE
A massive career in the WWE followed, but Rousey continued to suffer concussions and she ultimately walked away from the company for good in 2023.
It’s currently unclear what she plans to do next, but rumours about Rousey returning to the UFC should die down for good after her recent health revelation.
Topics