Since her loss to Holly Holm in November of 2015, Ronda Rousey has been nowhere to be found – at least when it comes to MMA. After a few months out of the spotlight, she made some talk show appearances in which she talked of suicide and being happy that she can finally eat an apple, but we haven’t heard from the same fierce competitor that dominated women’s MMA and, frankly, put women’s MMA on the map. On that fateful night at UFC 193, Holly Holm took part of Ronda’s fighting soul.
Now, Joe Rogan is no stranger to hyperbole, and it’s hard not to get caught up in the idea that Ronda Rousey was one of the greatest fighters ever, female or not, but to hear him finally open up and discuss Ronda’s current mental state is interesting. Ronda was a monster, fiery and ready to kill anything that moved near her precious belt and the Octagon she helped expand, but since she lost to Holly, Ronda has retreated to Hollywood. Ironically, Hollywood might be what led to her loss against Holm. The e-book would be called: Holly, Hollywood, and Hubris: A Ronda Rousey Story. Publishers love alliteration (I don’t actually know if this is true).
“What’s interesting is that these themes play themselves out over and over again. And the traps are all there, but everyone keeps going for the candy. And they keep getting caught in the traps. The traps of Hollywood are always there for any superstar athlete, especially fighters.”
So is Joe Rogan right? The old adage is that time defeats all men, but did Ronda stretch herself too thin thinking she could conquer the world without giving her training the full attention it deserves? She believed she could defeat a champion boxer on her feet because her trainers told her she could, and she knocked out a Beithe Correira who was only training for a few years. That’s not Holly Holm.
It’s an interesting clip that will probably supplement the debate over the subject for years to come.