LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Ronda Rousey, a former Olympic judo medalist who became a top mixed martial arts star, will likely not fight again in the octagon, UFC president Dana White said Tuesday.
Rousey has not announced her plans after a humbling 48-second loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in late December.
“If I had to say right here, right now — and I don’t like saying right here, right now because it’s up to her, it’s her thing — but I wouldn’t say she fights again. I think she’s probably done,” White said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
White said the former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion was in good spirits after recent conversations, but he had the sense she did not want to return to competition.
The 29-year-old American helped widen the sport’s global appeal, becoming the first UFC female champion in 2012 and defending her title six times before being knocked out by a kick to the head from Holly Holm in November 2015 at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia.
Rousey drew attention for her comeback fight against Nunes but suffered her second loss in a row after winning her first 12 UFC bouts.
“She changed the world,” White said of Rousey. “She put female fighting on the map.”
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