Ronda Rousey Will Retire When She’s The ‘Greatest Of All Time’
Ronda Rousey is a trendsetting trailblazer for the UFC and women’s mixed martial arts alike. She is the organization’s first female bantamweight champion and remains undefeated. Not only has the champion never lost a bout, only one of her matchups has exited the first round. Rousey (10-0) has finished all her opponents and has done so in dramatic fashion.
Eight of her wins have come via submission and two by knockout. In fact, Rousey’s last two wins combine to a total of just 82 seconds.
The Olympic Games medalist (judo) has made every one of her opponents appear amateurish in their attempts to defeat the champion. At 28-years-old, irrespective of her gender, the California native plans on retiring as the world’s greatest MMA competitor ever. According to MMA Fighting, Rousey commented on her dominance and her future status as a MMA fighter.
“Whether I achieve that or not (becoming the greatest fighter of all time), whether or not people perceive it one way or another has nothing to do with the accomplishment. I’ll know when I reach the point, like ‘OK, I’m the most dominant and the greatest of all time.’ I (sic) know that I’m there and I’ll be ready to hang up my gloves and move on. But whether or not anyone else sees it that way doesn’t matter. Because I’ll see it that way.”
In cementing such a standing, Rousey will attempt to become the first UFC champion to retire undefeated. Leading up to her UFC 157 fight against Liz Carmouche (via Five Ounces of Pain), the champion sternly exclaimed her desire to leave the sport without a single loss.
“I’m going to retire undefeated and there’s not anything these girls can do about it. They can try. They’re welcome to try, but it’s just not happening.”
Rousey has been such a dominant figure that, according to Black Sports Online, UFC president Dana White jokingly stated that he would have to pit the Olympic medalist against men if she makes light work against another undefeated contender in Cat Zingano at UFC 184.
“She’s gonna have to start fighting men if she walks through Cat Zingano. If Ronda Rousey walks through Cat Zingano the way she has walked through every body else, I don’t know what to do with her.”
Irrespective of how history will judge her after she retires, Rousey is heavily responsible for the advent of women’s MMA in the UFC and is currently the only female noted on the UFC’s Top 10 pound-for-pound list.
[Featured Image Courtesy of Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
