Ronda Rousey Speaks Out For The First Time Since Her Defeat By Holly Holm

Just weeks ago, Ronda Rousey suffered a shocking defeat by underdog Holly Holm in a fight that left her unconscious and in the hospital.

Rousey, who was once thought to be nearly invincible, lost her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight belt in just five minutes. Other than a quick Instagram post, in which the fighter let everyone know that in time she would “be back,” Rousey hadn’t spoken a word about the loss that ended her winning streak.

Now, Ronda is reportedly recovering from her injuries, both to her body and her pride. It has been revealed that Rousey needed stitches in her lip from the kick Holm gave her, but other than that she suffered no other serious physical injury. The main injuries Ronda received were those to her pride.

Rousey opened up in an interview, the first since her devastating defeat, with ESPN Magazine about UFC 193. Ronda revealed how she was feeling after losing her title to Holm, as reported by People.

“[I’m] really f—ing sad.”

The kick that Rousey received from Holm at the end of the fight loosened some of her teeth, and she said “it might be three to six months before [she] can eat an apple, let alone take an impact.”

MMA Junkie pointed out that the time it would take for Ronda Rousey to recover could threaten her chances at a rematch against Holly Holm, especially if the projected rematch date is UFC 200 in July.

The rematch between Rousey and Holm has been in the works ever since Rousey received that fight-ending kick to the face. UFC President Dana White made it clear that a rematch definitely “makes a lot of sense,” and even Holm repeated those exact words.

“I think a rematch makes sense for sure. I’ve been on the losing side of a fight (in boxing), and I wanted a rematch. I wanted to avenge my loss. With a champion like Ronda, who’s gone out of her way and gone above and beyond to do great things, absolutely, she deserves a rematch.”

Holm’s coach agreed that a rematch is exactly what should happen, and that Holly would absolutely agree to it in the wake of her victory.

“There’s no doubt about it. I’m not sure what else they’d want to do. Holly’s got to sit down and reassess it, and (I) don’t want to think about it right now anyway, but there’s no doubt in my mind Holly would give her a rematch if that’s what Ronda wants.”

As far as a rematch goes, all parties are ready and willing, but scheduling it depends on how long it will take Ronda to recover and get back in to full-contact training.

Rousey doesn’t plan on giving up, though. In her interview for ESPN‘s “Ideas of the Year” issue, Ronda makes it clear that she might have suffered the first loss of her career, but she isn’t counting herself out just yet.

“Maybe I can’t do it all before my prime, before my body is done. But f— it, maybe I can.”

Ronda Rousey is staying positive despite the backlash she had to endure after her loss, which has been called “arguably the biggest upset” in the history of UFC.

After the fight, Rousey received comments from celebrities to presidential candidates. GOP candidate Donald Trump reportedly said he was “glad” Rousey had lost because she “was not a nice person.” Even Lady Gaga commented by posting a picture on Instagram of Ronda receiving a blow to the face from Holm with the caption, “THATS WHAT YOU GET FOR NOT TOUCHING GLOVES!”

Despite the negative attention, however, Ronda Rousey is reportedly still determined to be a champion, and she won’t let one loss get her down.

[Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images]