Andrew Ravens
Ronda Rousey believes she would win a rematch with Holly Holm — and also has no intention of ever taking it.
Speaking on Up and Adams following her return at the first MVP MMA event, where she submitted Gina Carano in 17 seconds before announcing her retirement again, Rousey addressed the rematch conversation that Holm had already opened up about publicly.
Holm told MMA Fighting this week she doubted Rousey would ever want a rematch, but said the offer has been open since their first fight ended in 2015. Rousey’s response was direct: she is confident the result would be different now, but she does not want to fight again.
Ronda Rousey predicts KO win in Holly Holm rematch
“I think I definitely have the ability and the opportunity to f***ing clean her clock and rewrite all of that,” Rousey said. “But it’s no longer important to me anymore.”
Rousey said the biggest difference between now and 2015 is medical. She disclosed that she has been diagnosed with cortical spreading depression, a neurological condition she says was affecting her in her final fights and ultimately led to her stepping away from the sport. She said she was able to take medication for it ahead of the Carano fight for the first time and that it performed as hoped when her head made contact with the mat during the bout.
“I would have lost big chunks of my vision, and it didn’t come back at all,” Rousey said of what would previously have happened in that moment. “It ended up working perfectly in a live situation.”
Rousey said UFC CEO Dana White connected her with doctors who determined her issues stemmed from the neurological condition rather than cumulative concussion damage. That discovery is what made a return feasible.
Despite acknowledging she is in the best shape of her career with better coaches and no neurological issues for the first time, Rousey said her priorities have shifted entirely since stepping away. She said the things she would have wanted 10 years ago — redemption, bigger fights, money, recognition — no longer hold the same weight.
“My kids need me in their lives, and I want to be there for them,” Rousey said. “I only want to go forward.”
