Ronda Rousey says a history of concussions ended her mixed martial arts career.
Before becoming one of the biggest stars in UFC history, Rousey excelled in judo, winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This week she said concussions during her judo career contributed to her retirement from the UFC in 2016 after knockout defeats to Amanda Nunes and Holly Holm.
“I would like people to understand my reasons and motivations behind things,” Rousey said in an Instagram Live appearance to promote her upcoming memoir. “I was forced to leave fighting when I was faster, stronger, more skilled and understood the art better than ever before. It was a very difficult decision to understand, one that my body made for me.
Rousey was 29 when she retired and said she suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts after leaving the UFC. She was criticized for refusing to answer questions about her losses to Nunes and Holm, but said in her Instagram appearance that it was due to her reluctance to talk about her history of concussions.
“I think there was so much going on (that loss) that I couldn’t talk about it in the form of an interview or article or something like that, otherwise there would be different filters between my words and the people reading it,” Rousey said. “A lot of that had to do with the fact that I had so many concussions when I was doing judo before I even started MMA. I couldn’t talk about it at all when I was doing MMA because it would literally put a target on my head and I might not have been allowed to compete any further.
Rousey was seen as instrumental in giving female fighters a solid foundation in the UFC. Since her retirement from MMA, she has starred in WWE and dabbled in film and television work.