Rousey accepts 'not being completely infallible', is moving on from first loss

When Ronda Rousey returns to the Octagon, she'll be doing so with a more level head on her shoulders.

A number of factors contributed to Rousey's catastrophic loss to Holly Holm last November that cost her the UFC women's bantamweight championship and her unblemished record. In addition to her technical limitations, the hype surrounding her success and her dalliances with Hollywood were both suspected to have had a negative effect on her training and subsequent performance.

Rousey was invited to speak at a Reebok Women's Luncheon in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and she appeared to have a fresh outlook on what it meant to lose her aura of invincibility.

"Every single setback it's not the end of the world, it's just the beginning of that lesson," Rousey said, according to InsideHalton.com. "That had to happen for me to learn these certain things and it's not about being completely infallible, it's about getting better and there's no room for improvement in perfect."

The words are a sharp turnaround from the initial disappointment and frustration Rousey felt in the months after the Holm loss. In particular, she seems to have moved past the suicidal thoughts she mentioned experiencing during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in February.

Rousey is now preaching a message of acceptance and optimism.

"A lot of people think they're a good person because they don't do this, and they don't do that. But for me, it's not about what you abstain from, it's about what you do that makes a difference," Rousey said. "When it comes to challenges, I honestly believe that things happen for a reason.

"At the time yes it's hard on a personal, emotional level and it's hard to look past what's happening to the future, but you have to believe in yourself because down the line in two, five, ten years' time you'll look back and think that was actually the best thing that ever happened to me."

- With h/t to MMA Fighting