Ronda Rousey Responds To Holly Holm’s Comments, Says a Rematch Is Not Important To Her Anymore

As previously reported, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm, who handed Ronda Rousey her first defeat at UFC 193, said that she’d be open to an MMA rematch with Rousey, but she doubts that Rousey would want a rematch. During an appearance on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, Rousey discussed Holm’s recent comments.

Also, Rousey addressed criticism of her MMA return against Gina Carano on Netflix, and the fight being too short. Below are some highlights:

On Criticism of Her Fight With Gina Carano Being Too Short

“First off, it’s my third fastest fight. Like, what are you talking about? Like, what are you expecting? And I was telling my coaches cuz you know, like one of my coaches, I was like, when I first started working with him, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m the greatest of all time, and I just had a baby.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ But then, as we started training, as I started getting better, he’s like, ‘Holy, you’re the greatest of all time.’ But I’m not like, I know. But the thing is, any then the fight, they just see a tiny little MRI slice of what you’re capable of. And if you’re that good, then any tiny little bit of a mistake or not even a mistake, opportunity, you’re going to capitalize on it, and the fight’s going to be over very quickly. And that’s what makes you so great, is that efficiency, you know, but it also makes people not be able to see all these things that you’re capable of because you’re so efficient and take advantage of all these little things so quickly. And so it was kind of funny to be like, damn it, they’re not even going to know. I’m like, nobody’s ever going to know, you know? They’re not going to know. But it’s if you’re if you’re really like a student of the the game at that high of a level, you’ll see like, oh my god, all she did.”

Ronda Rousey on Holly Holm’s Comments on a Rematch

“I said I’m retired A and B, like I think that I am a completely different fighter now, and I would clean her clock, and definitely now that I got that um that new medication I took it before. So, I had I was diagnosed with cortical spreading depression, which was what was happening in my last fights and why I basically was like, I need to stop cuz I thought that like my concussions were catching up to me. And this was the first fight where I was able to take it. And when I spiked my head into the mat, that’s exactly the kind of thing that would have set me off before, and I would have lost, you know, big chunks of my vision. And it didn’t come back at all. It was like it ended up working perfectly in a live situation. And I was just talking about yesterday, how like I — I feel like you know, like an alchemist, where the person, like, goes through everything that they went through, and they would turn like a changed person at the end.

“And I feel like, you know, show many years ago, 10 years ago, whatever the hell it would be, this would be like this would be exactly what I would have wanted more more than anything. and be a chance at like coming back and and redemption and like beating her and um you know I could you know feasibly have like Amanda Serrano or something after that and have bigger and bigger money fights and all this fame and all of this money and um and right now it’s completely within my grasp. You know, I’m better than I’ve ever been. I have better coaching I’ve ever had. I finally don’t have this like this, you know, these neurological issues I had before.

“And but now that I have it all set in front of me, like I’ve changed, and the things that I want have changed, and what’s more important to me is suddenly these aren’t the most important things in the world to me anymore. It’s these kids and spending time with them. And I think that’s like the journey that I had to go through, is I had to get to this point where you could have all of those things that you wanted 10 years ago, but you have grown, and you’re a different person now, and you don’t want those things anymore. And so, yeah, I think I definitely have the ability and the opportunity to be able to clean her clock and rewrite all of that, but it’s no longer important to me anymore.”

“It doesn’t like haunt me. It doesn’t, you know what I mean? It’s not the most important thing in my life. and like these people’s perceptions and people knowing how great I am and all this stuff like I know how good I am and my kids need me in their life and I want to be there for them and this isn’t the most important thing anymore and of course the the time that I get where I now can can um can go back and do that I don’t want to go back I only want to go forward.”

Ronda Rousey defeated Gina Carano in their MMA fight earlier this month in just 17 seconds. The event was promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and streamed live on Netflix.

Additionally, Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance at AEW Revolution earlier this year, confronting Toni Storm after she defeated Rousey’s longtime friend and training partner, Marina Shafir. Later on, Rousey said in a vlog that her appearance at the event was a “little bit of a **** you to the TKO group.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.