UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has become a recognisable figure for even the most causal of sports fans over the past year, but as the American gets set for the biggest night in her career at UFC 193, she's already thinking about getting away from the limelight.
Rousey has been non-stop in promoting her bout with Holly Holm in Melbourne on Nov. 15, in one of the biggest spectacles the sport has ever seen. However, speaking with Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone, the 28-year-old revealed she’s looking forward to taking a step back following the seventh defence of her title:
I'm selling a product and I have to be out there; I don't have the option not to be. But after this fight, I'm definitely going to let some people miss me, for sure. Believe me, there's nothing I would like to do more than disappear for a while.
I would like to wait until UFC 200 to fight again. I'm going to be filming [movies] in the meantime, so I'm still going to be keeping busy. When I'm filming it's kind of weird, I'm on camera the whole time, but nothing really goes out until a year or two later. It is kind of like disappearing in a way.
Despite wanting to take some time away from fighting, Rousey was insistent she still has big ambitions to fulfil in the UFC. "What I'm really looking to do is retire undefeated," she says. "I'm not sure when the right time to retire will be, but I know that I'm not done yet."
The spotlight has been forensically trained on Rousey for a while now. Not only is she an engrossing character who has drawn more and more fans to the sport over time, but the manner in which she competes makes her fights thoroughly entertaining, even if the last few have been over in a flash.
Sam Monson of PFF is unsure whether or not Holm will fare any better than any of Rousey’s last four opponents, who have been taken out inside the opening round:
Indeed, while Rousey is still a hugely popular figure among fans, too much of the same thing is never good for anyone.
After a while, seeing big fights over so quickly will begin to grate on even the sport’s staunchest fans, as will the constant media attention that the UFC bantamweight has received over the past nine months, during which she has fought three times.
A break will keep Rousey engaged in the sport, too. She’s been immersed in UFC for a while now, and although fighting at such remarkable venues will delight her, being under so much scrutiny for so long must be draining. In a sport that requires peak motivation and full focus more than most others, some replenishment time is vital.
As Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden noted recently, such is the hype around Rousey, even other massive names in the combat sports stratosphere seem to be latching on:
The clash with Holm should be an interesting test, as the challenger is well equipped to fend off Rousey for a while with her boxing background. Given the furore that’s unshakeably engulfed Rousey in the build-up to the bout, Holm will be clinging to the hope that the champion will be jaded in defence and there for the taking.
It’d be a deviation from the norm. Rousey has showcased a steeliness and commitment in all her title defences so far, and you suspect that’ll be no different when stepping into the Octagon in Melbourne on Sunday. Nevertheless, even if she lands another quick-fire win, some time away from the sport will be hugely beneficial for Rousey in prolonging her career in MMA.
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