“I wasn’t there cognitively” – Ronda Rousey blames concussion for losing ill-fated UFC 193 title fight against Holly Holm

According to combat sports icon Ronda Rousey, she believes she suffered a concussion prior to her highly anticipated match against Holly Holm at UFC 193 (Nov. 15, 2015). The much-anticipated fight resulted in Holm defeating Rousey with a second-round knockout, marking the first time the Olympic bronze medalist in judo had been defeated in MMA.

Despite participating in only one MMA fight after this, Rousey’s career took a turn for the worse as she suffered a first-round TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016. As a result, she chose to retire from professional MMA competition.

In a recent episode of the Not Alone podcast, hosted by Valeria Lipovetsky on Tuesday (April 2, 2024), Rousey covered various topics. Despite criticism from detractors, the 37-year-old has not shied away from discussing her MMA losses.

Rowdy revealed that her time as a Judoka resulted in numerous concussions, ultimately impacting her performance in the UFC and ultimately forcing her to retire from MMA prematurely. Ronda Rousey admitted that she kept her concussion history hidden from the UFC out of concern that it could prevent her from being medically cleared to continue competing in MMA.

Additionally, the previous UFC women’s bantamweight champion made it clear that she believed she was the greatest fighter of all time. However, Rousey also acknowledged that she was facing significant “neurological damage”during the Holm fight. ‘Rowdy’ declared:

“People making all these judgments about me in a fight, where I was literally, my first loss, I was not like — my mouthguard was bad. I literally came into that fight concussed from slipping down some stairs already after all these years of concussions. And then, I had an absolutely terrible weight cut, which means you have less fluid in your brain to protect it.”

She made an addition, saying:

“And I was out on my feet for the entire fight. I was just trying to make it look like I wasn’t hurt, but I wasn’t there cognitively. I couldn’t think as fast. I couldn’t judge distance. And just from that one fight, everybody felt like, ‘Oh, she’s a fraud.’”

You can find Rousey’s remarks at the timestamp of 15:03 below.

Veteran MMA fighters praise Ronda Rousey’s memoir ‘Our Fight’

Ronda Rousey discussed her latest book, ‘Our Fight: A Memoir,’ during her conversation with Valeria Lipovetsky, which was released on April 2, 2024. Another noteworthy aspect that ‘Rowdy’ touched upon was her decision to keep her concussion history hidden from the WWE after leaving the UFC.

Despite her success in the WWE, the Hollywood personality ultimately left the promotion in 2023 after winning numerous singles world championships and tag team titles. However, her recent book, in which she opens up about her history with concussions, has led many to believe that Ronda Rousey may have hindered her chances of returning to MMA and/or professional wrestling competition.

Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, both former UFC stars and MMA legends, have expressed a similar sentiment. They believe that while Rousey’s revelations in her book may hinder her chances of returning to athletics, they also demonstrate the sincerity of her claims and her selfless desire to mentor future generations of athletes.