Ronda Rousey says she is ‘grateful’ for Conor McGregor and his presence in the UFC

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has one thing on her mind in her first fight back in the Octagon ever since being served her first loss over a year ago.

Rousey is set simply on winning. By doing so in her scheduled UFC 207 fight on December 30, she will also happen to reclaim the UFC women’s bantamweight title as she challenges the talented current champion Amanda Nunes for the title.

In a revealing piece from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Rousey says that she isn’t in the fight game for the money. She is fighting solely because of the competitive fire that burns inside of her that made her the superstar she is today.

Interestingly, Rousey said that with her time off and Conor McGregor’s rise in the UFC, it has focused the spotlight on the Irish superstar. McGregor just became the first fighter to be a concurrent two-weight UFC champion with his win over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, holding both the UFC featherweight title and UFC lightweight titles for a short time before relinquishing the 145-pound belt.

“Conor gave me the chance to rest, he took the weight off my shoulders, and I’m grateful,” Rousey said.

“I will never put my body at risk for money and views ever again. What makes me happy is winning and being the best in the world and that’s it. F— all the promotion and energy spent on anything that’s not me winning. And anyone who tries to tell me I owe them energy on frivolous s— during camp out of ‘loyalty’ or ‘friendship’ deserves no loyalty from me and is no friend of mine.

“This is not a time for f—ing favors. This is a time for redemption and revenge.”

Do you think the media and promotional workload took away too much time from Rousey being able to focus on fighting? How do you think she will do in her comeback against the current champion Amanda Nunes? Give us your thoughts in the comment section!