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Word is that Ronda Rousey is leaving the WWE. With the recent retirement of double-division champ Amanda Nunes, rumors are swirling of Rousey’s return to the UFC. Nunes effectively chased Rousey out of MMA in 48 brutal seconds at UFC 207 back in 2016.
UPDATE: Holly Holm pours cold water on Ronda Rousey return rumors
Holly Holm, one of two UFC champs to pummel Rousey out of the promotion, told MMA Fighting she doesn’t see Ronda returning at all, ever.
“She’s doing her thing. Let her live. Obviously she’s not passionate about fighting anymore. Let her do her thing. She’s still active. She’s still living her life. She’s still doing her thing. Let her do it.
“I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s just fans want it so bad that they’re just wishing it to come true,” Holm said. “She’s doing her own thing. Honestly, I truly think she’s happier doing what she’s doing now than she was in fighting. I just sense that. I don’t know so I’m not going to say 100 percent on that, but I sense that she’s enjoying her time and her life and being a mom and doing her wrestling. I honestly don’t think [she’s coming back].
“She knows she can do whatever she wants. She’s made a name for herself and she can go out there and she’s going to do what she wants, and this is what she wants to do.”
Ronda Rousey leaving WWE
Legendary pro wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer reported on his Wrestling Observer Radio that Ronda Rousey would be leaving WWE before the next WrestleMania.
“The deal is that Ronda has a hard out. She gave a date, ‘This is my last date.’ Cause I remember talking to somebody there and it’s like, ‘I know they’re going to do this, and I guess, make the big match for WrestleMania.’ And it’s like, ‘No, her hard out is…’ – they didn’t give me the date but it’s long before WrestleMania.”
Apparently, Ronda Rousey and her tag team partner Shayna Baszler want to end her run with a feud but Rousey’s recent broken arm chewed up most of the time they would have used to lay the groundwork.
She’s been openly critical of the WWE’s treatment of women’s division, telling the NY Post:
“Well, the lack of competition is really the problem. I mean, we want to be the most active champions out there. I want to be able to defend this title every week and even twice a week on both SmackDown and Raw.
“But with how dismally shallow the women’s division is right now, there’s not enough women around here to keep us busy for a month. And so that’s the biggest challenge that we have is to get this company to actually care and invest into this tag division.
Rousey felt the division was stripped while she was out on maternity leave from 2019 to 2021.
“It was like the entire women’s division just got stripped clean. And now we’re the women that are the women that are left trying to piece together, you know, stories and a division, a tag division with around 10 women or even less on each roster. I mean, we’re trying the best that we can to make chicken shit into chicken salad, and we made some amazing chicken salad [Monday night].”
Ronda Rousey returning to the UFC? Immediate title shot?
Former UFC strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk thinks Ronda has earned an immediate title shot at bantamweight should she return. Joanna talked to The Schmo and said, “”She can fight for the vacant title, it’s her belt.”
Jedrzejczyk speculated that Rousey could face Raquel Pennington or Juliana Pena, “Can be Juliana or Raquel, Raquel deserves the title shot, she has a few wins straight so yeah definitely.”
Or maybe she’ll return at featherweight?
UFC fighter Chelsea Chandler thinks Ronda will be coming back at 145 pounds. She spoke to the collective press at UFC media day (transcribed by MMA Junkie). Chandler trains out of the Ralph Gracie gym so maybe she knows something?
“I’ve been hearing Ronda is coming back,” Chandler said. “I’ve heard she’s coming back at 145. You never know. … If I got out there and put on the performance I plan on putting (on), I’ll welcome her to 145. I think it would be a great fight. It has been a long time for her and things change, people get better, and I think people are on to her one-trick-pony armbar. Money talks, and she would bring eyes to the sport again. I feel like her time in WWE is starting to go down, so I’d like to see it.”
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