October 13, 2015
Ronda Rousey Opens Up in an Intimate Interview, Revealing the Glory and the Pressures of Her Career
Ronda Rousey is a much-discussed name in the media right now. And it's not just because of her incredible, record-breaking athleticism. People want to know about her every move. Someone says she's masculine, and she shows up in heels, skinny jeans and loose curls to an event, proving everyone wrong. Someone mentions something about her weight, and she shoots back by putting any and all haters to shame with her body positive outlook. She's been asked about her upcoming fight against Holly Holm and she's nothing short of frank about it, admitting that she knows she'll win, despite Holm's great track record. Every in and out of Rousey's life is followed ever so closely. And can you blame people for keeping such close tabs? She's quite the hot commodity. Inspiring, powerful, beautiful ... she's a household name not be messed with.
Rousey recently sat down for an interview with the Huffington post, revealing intimate details about her pre- and post-fight mentality and where she sees herself in the future.
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What makes you cry?
Everything. Especially during fight week. You’re supposed to be going super ninja death mode, but I’m really the most emotional ever. If I spill milk, I will cry.
Is it the anxiety leading up to the fight that puts you on edge?
You go through every single inch of the emotional spectrum on fight week. You’re the most stressed out you’ve ever been, you’re the most pressured you’ve ever been, you’re the happiest you’ve ever been -- it’s hard. It’s exhausting. That’s why these fights will sometimes be a couple seconds, but I’ll still walk out and feel sore from my head to my toes. Just because I’ve had my shoulders held up for weeks on end and they finally drop [after a fight]. I always feel really, really sore in my shoulders afterward because that’s where I hold all my anxiety.
What’s that post-fight release like?
Oh my God. It’s like the biggest relief and falling in love all at the same time. You instantly fall in love with all the people in the room. It’s love at first sight with 18,000 people -- or in the case of the next fight, 70,000 people -- and it’s the greatest relief ever. It’s like you just heard you don’t have cancer, and you meet the love of your life, all at the same time. Like the doctor just told you, “You don’t have cancer, will you marry me?”
What do you do after a fight to wind down then? Is there a routine you get into?
I have to eat hot wings. I have to. It’s a really big deal to me -- something I’ve cried about before. After I defended my title the first time when I beat Sarah Kaufman, I went back to my room and my friend ordered all these trays of hot wings. They came into the room and the little hotel sheet thing was draped over it and I go to open it up, and it’s breaded and boneless. I cried. I got everybody together like, “We’re going on a reconnaissance mission. We are finding hot wings tonight!”
With your career advancing so much, so rapidly, does your undefeated record put pressure on you?
No, the pressure is what I put on myself. From the first fight I ever did to now, it’s just as much pressure. It reminds me of like, if you don’t win the first round of the Olympic trials, you’re not going to get to the Olympic finals. If you don’t win the quarterfinals of the trials, you’re not getting to the finals. If you don’t win the finals of the Olympic trials, you’re not going to the Olympic finals. If you don’t win the first round of the Olympics, you’re not going to get to the Olympic finals.
The retiring undefeated [goal] is the Olympic finals, but every single fight leading up to it is just as important as the Olympic finals, because I need to win that in order to get there. Every single fight is just as important as the one before it to retire undefeated.
How far off are you from attaining your goal of retiring undefeated? How long do you think your career as a fighter can go for?
I don’t think I’m going to fight into my 30s. I’m 28 now, but it’s not so much about how many fights or how long. It’s about how much fight time you have in you. People forget that I had a 10-year judo career before I started doing this. I’ve had arthritis since I was 19. My doctor went and checked out my leg before this and was like, “You have an impressive amount of arthritis for your age,” and I was like, “Thank you!” I don’t have as many miles left in me as the average 28-year-old athlete.
What are your thoughts on Ronda Rousey? Are you as enamored by her fame as others seem to be?
Source: Huffington Post
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With your career advancing so much, so rapidly, does your undefeated record put pressure on you?
No, the pressure is what I put on myself. From the first fight I ever did to now, it’s just as much pressure. It reminds me of like, if you don’t win the first round of the Olympic trials, you’re not going to get to the Olympic finals. If you don’t win the quarterfinals of the trials, you’re not getting to the finals. If you don’t win the finals of the Olympic trials, you’re not going to the Olympic finals. If you don’t win the first round of the Olympics, you’re not going to get to the Olympic finals.
The retiring undefeated [goal] is the Olympic finals, but every single fight leading up to it is just as important as the Olympic finals, because I need to win that in order to get there. Every single fight is just as important as the one before it to retire undefeated.
How far off are you from attaining your goal of retiring undefeated? How long do you think your career as a fighter can go for?
I don’t think I’m going to fight into my 30s. I’m 28 now, but it’s not so much about how many fights or how long. It’s about how much fight time you have in you. People forget that I had a 10-year judo career before I started doing this. I’ve had arthritis since I was 19. My doctor went and checked out my leg before this and was like, “You have an impressive amount of arthritis for your age,” and I was like, “Thank you!” I don’t have as many miles left in me as the average 28-year-old athlete.
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