Rousey looked for 'honorable' exit from UFC before WWE foray
For Ronda Rousey, being the most lauded woman in MMA wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
The former UFC women's bantamweight champion has largely avoided the subject of her MMA career since suffering the head-kick KO heard 'round the world against Holly Holm over two years ago, with her aversion surfacing in a pair of awkward Tuesday interviews with Mike Golic and Max Kellerman.
But in a candid conversation with ESPN's Brett Okamoto this week, the fighter-turned-WWE Superstar revealed her passion for MMA had taken a backseat to perceived duty before she ultimately exited stage right.
"In judo and MMA, there were times when the process was fun and the results were fun. And there's a time when things run their course. You fall in love, you fall out of love and you find a new love," Rousey said.
"There was a while when I was just looking for an honorable way out (of the UFC). I felt satisfied that I'd proven everything I need to prove, but I didn't feel anybody else felt that way, and I wasn't sure if the women's division could survive without me. I felt obligated to do more than what I actually wanted to. But I also have no regrets, and I'm so happy I fulfilled those obligations. And I really feel the women's division can hold their own."
Rousey shunned the spotlight for 13 months between knockout losses to Holm and reigning bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes, and while her newfound calling as a pro wrestler has thrust her back into it 15 months after the latter defeat, the 31-year-old said her mandate is simple: put happiness first.
"I could very happily be in some house in the mountains and never see anyone again, hang out with my goats and chickens," Rousey said. "It would have to be something as great as the WWE to make me this happy, to pull me away.
"Otherwise, no one would hear from me. I would live in the woods and be happy. That's all I really want."
She's set to appear at WrestleMania 34 on April 8 in New Orleans in a mixed tag match, teaming with Kurt Angle versus the team of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.