Ronda Rousey thinks people have forgotten the role she played in revolutionizing combat sports.
Dana White famously claimed women would never compete in the UFC before ‘Rowdy’ changed his mind.
Ronda Rousey went on to become UFC bantamweight champion and one of MMA’s greatest fighters.
Almost a decade on from her retirement, the 38-year-old believes her greatest achievement has been forgotten.
- THROWBACK: Ronda Rousey promised to prolong punishment of bitter rival before scoring vicious 34-second KO win
Ronda Rousey doesn’t get the credit she deserves
Ronda Rousey won an Olympic medal, two MMA titles, and made millions during her iconic career.
Still, her proudest achievement is opening up the door for the next generation of female fighters.
“I think I’m most proud of being able to create a way for women in combat sports to be able to make a living that just didn’t exist before,” Rousey told Yahoo Sports.
“Reverberating out from what happened in the UFC to now, women in WWE are getting a lot more respect and making a lot more money. Women in boxing are getting a lot more respect and making a lot more money. And I know that is a direct result from what we were able to do in the UFC.
“It warms my heart to be able to see all the women taking that torch and running with it, and setting fires of their own.”
Unfortunately, Rousey doesn’t believe she gets the credit she deserves for revolutionizing combat sports.
She added: “I don’t think any woman trailblazer gets enough credit because I think people forget very quickly the way that it was and how difficult it used to be,” she says.
“I think the people not remembering how it was, that no one wanted to give women fighters a minute of their day, as opposed to seeing them as a valuable investment now. But I don’t want them to be able to know what that was like.
“There’s no way you could know if you hadn’t lived it. And I don’t want them to live it.”
Ronda Rousey won’t rule out a comeback
Ronda Rousey recently refused to rule out MMA comeback while reacting to a rumor that she’ll fight on the UFC White House card in June 2026.
“I am not fighting at the White House,” Rousey told The Lapsed Fan podcast.
“After Mike Tyson being the biggest fight of the year, you never say never.
“But I ain’t fighting at the f—-ing White House.
“Even if offered? I got better s— to do. My kid needs pasta!”