When Ronda Rousey enters the Octagon for her upcoming Dec. 30 bout with Amanda Nunes, it will be her first fight in more than a year. It will also be one of her last.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the 29-year-old former Bantamweight champion revealed that her attempt to regain her title at UFC 207 will mark the beginning of the end of her mixed martial arts career. “This is definitely one of my last fights,” she told the host. “Everybody better watch because the show isn’t going to be around forever.”
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Rousey hasn’t fought in a match since being knocked out by Holly Holm in a huge upset at UFC 197 last November, a loss that left her hospitalized and “really f—ing sad.”
However, its not the fighting itself that has her ready for retirement, but rather the hype leading up to it. “I think it’s the build-up that’s more tiring than anything else,” she said. “Like if we had a fight right now, I’d fight right now and then I’d go get dinner, and I wouldn’t feel really tired about it. It’s the weeks and weeks of build-up beforehand, and you know you’re fighting this one person, and it’s your showdown, the most important thing in your whole life, and millions of people are watching.”
Watch the full clip below.