Ronda Rousey's MMA Goodbye

Ronda Rousey has confirmed she is walking away from MMA for good.

The announcement came days after her first-round submission win over Gina Carano — the ending she had spoken about wanting before fight: "I am before anything else a martial artist. I am the best to have ever done it and nothing can compare to the experience of creating within my craft. But I'm finally ready to move on, this time with my head held high. Thank you, Gina."

The origin of the comeback, as Rousey told it, began nine months into her pregnancy. She watched Carano going through a difficult public period and felt something she could not ignore: "I KNEW she had it in her to pull herself out of it. And just like when I saw her fight for the first time I thought, 'Well, if she can do it, I can too.” The fight, in her telling, was not ultimately about the result — the camp itself had been the real reward.

The retirement she is confirming now is a different one from the exit she made in 2016. That departure came under the weight of back-to-back losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, leaving a career that felt unfinished and a legacy shadowed by how it ended. This one comes on her own terms, with her own chosen opponent, finished in the manner that made her name.

Rousey Reacts

She will now focus on her family and having more children as she moves into the next chapter of her life. The MMA chapter is closed — this time, by her own hand. Rousey looked back on the experience with fond memories.

“This fight, the year and a half of training that went into it, and even the promotion was more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. At nine months pregnant, when I saw Gina experiencing a low similar to what I endured — I KNEW she had it in her to pull herself out of it. And just like when I saw her fight for the first time I thought, 'Well, if she can do it, I can, too,” Rousey