Ronda Rousey opens up on return, negativity from fans

Leading up to the highly anticipated return of Ronda Rousey this Friday at UFC 207, the former champ has been subject to much criticism for her unwillingness to participate in fight week events, and media-related events leading up to the fight.

In addition, in the UFC’s promotion for the event, Rousey has been the main focus in promo videos, not UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.

During the Countdown to UFC 207 video, Rousey discussed her highly anticipated return, as well as the criticism she’s received from people online.

“Fighting is my life, and I need to do it again,” Rousey said. “After going through all of that, I have a much bigger point to make this time. … I have more experience (than Nunes) being under the most pressure possible, and the pressure’s different. I’m still the greatest fighter in the world.”

“I hear so many of the worst things anyone could ever even imagine to say about me every single day,” Rousey said. “Thousands of times people are trying to reach me and say these negative things. … People like to see people rise because they want to see people fall because they want to feel like they’re human like they are. That’s why we have this cycle of raise people up, and then we crash down.”

While Rousey is prepared to make a dominant return to the Octagon this Friday, she can’t help but hold onto her UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm, the first of her professional MMA career.

“I’m still grieving the person that could have won it all,” Rousey said. “But I have to live up to the fact that I’m not her. That’s just who I’d like to be. And instead I’m what I need to be for myself and everyone else. You have to go through those stages of acceptance and renewed optimism.

“I’m coming back to win this title for the people that believed in me. Everything in my whole life that I’ve always worked for. Everything depends on it. Everything is at stake.”