Ronda Rousey has suggested she would knock out Holly Holm in a rematch, but while reiterating that she is retired from mixed martial arts (MMA).
Earlier in May, Rousey returned to the sport after 10 years away, submitting fellow trailblazer Gina Carano in 17 seconds – 17 years after Carano last fought.
The bout headlined the first MMA show organised by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, and Rousey, 39, said it would be her last – despite some fans suggesting that she should rematch Holm.
In 2015, Holm knocked out her fellow American to win the UFC bantamweight title, one year before Rousey retired after a KO loss to Amanda Nunes.
This time around, according to Rousey, things would go much differently in a clash with Holm, yet “Rowdy” has also hinted that fans should not get their hopes up.
“I said I’m retired, A,” Rousey said on Up and Adams, “and B, I think that I am a completely different fighter now. I would clean her clock.
“And definitely now that I got that new medication. I took it before, [when] I was diagnosed with cortical spreading depression, which was always happening in my last fights – and basically why I was like I need to stop. I thought my concussions were catching up to me.
“This is 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. I would have lost big chunks of my vision and it didn’t come back at all. It ended up working perfectly in a live situation [this time].” Rousey was referring to her immediate takedown of Carano, 44, whom she submitted with a signature armbar.
“I think I definitely have the ability and the opportunity to be able to f***ing clean her clock and rewrite all of that,” Rousey said of Holm, “but it’s no longer important to me anymore.
“It doesn’t haunt me. It’s not the most important thing in my life, and these people’s perceptions and knowing how great I am and all this stuff [isn’t either]. I know how good I am, and my kids need me in their life, and I want to be there for them.”
Earlier this week, Holm had told MMA Fighting of a potential second bout with Rousey: “I highly doubt she’ll ever want a rematch.
“I always have said, since the minute the last fight was over, I’ll always rematch her. That’s always been available, but she wanted to come back and have this win, and go back and enjoy and have a win like that.
“No hate from me, I hope she does well. I hope she does whatever she wants with her life. That’s her life. I’d always be open to fight her again.”
