Ronda Rousey has confirmed her retirement from MMA is permanent, releasing a lengthy Instagram statement after submitting Gina Carano in 17 seconds at MVP MMA 1 on Netflix that detailed why she came back, what the camp meant to her, and why she is now ready to walk away for good.
Rousey opened by admitting the weight of the moment had delayed her writing.
“I’ve been putting off this post-fight post because I think I’ve been procrastinating admitting that it’s really over.”
She explained that Carano herself was the reason she returned, tying the comeback directly to watching her opponent go through a difficult period in her own life.
“This fight, the year and a half of training that went into it, and even the promotion was more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. At nine months pregnant, when I saw Gina experiencing a low similar to what I endured — I KNEW she had it in her to pull herself out of it. And just like when I saw her fight for the first time I thought, ‘Well, if she can do it, I can, too.’ Pro wrestling helped me move on from my past in MMA, but Gina is the one who gave me a reason to confront it.”
Rousey said the fight meant more than just a result.
“The story we could tell together was one I desperately needed to believe. That you’re never too low to rise again, that your body is never too far gone to reclaim, and that it’s never too late to be better than you’ve ever been.”
She revealed a behind-the-scenes moment where she and Carano worked out contract issues themselves.
“When there were a few hiccups at the finish line getting her contract done I just said, ‘F*ck it, let’s meet up’ and we hammered out all the issues together over a bottle of wine — well, actually, she had martinis, I smoked a blunt and had the wine — and got the deal done ourselves.”
Rousey also made clear she has no apologies for how she views her own legacy.
“I am before anything else a martial artist. I’m better at MMA than I ever was at anything else — and f*ck who this may offend, but I am the best to have ever done it and nothing can compare to the experience of creating within my craft.”
She described the camp itself as a healing process.
“The joy of being in this camp and falling back into my skill again and seeing the shock on the faces of my coaches and training partners watching me create sh*t no one’s ever seen on the spot, watching me tap out some of the best in the world up to five times a round during sparring — it healed my soul.”
Rousey closed the statement with gratitude for Carano and finality about what comes next.
“The fight is over, it’s bittersweet because for the first time the experience of preparing for the fight eclipsed the joy any victory could have brought. But I’m finally ready to move on, this time with my head held high. Thank you, Gina.”
Rousey vs. Carano reportedly peaked at 17 million global viewers, with the final three fights on the card averaging 12.4 million. She finishes her MMA career at 13-2.