Ronda Rousey wants to be action star so she doesn’t have to worry about dying

Ronda Rousey

When your fights last in the tens of seconds, you’re probably going to have a lot longer career than most in the UFC’s octagon. It’s the training camps that wear you down.

For UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, longevity means sticking around as long as she is physically able. But there’s also a very enticing idea – to fight without the persistent threat of a career-ending injury.

“I know that you have a short shelf life fighting for real, so it would be kind of cool to do something similar, but in a space where I don’t have to worry about dying,” Rousey on Wednesday told “The Howard Stern Show.”

Rousey caused a stir in 2013 when she said her career could be over in two years. At the time, her movie career was just beginning to flourish, with roles in “The Expendables 3” and “Fast & Furious 7.”

“I do four-year cycles,” she said. “I think I’ve got two years left in me, realistically, if I’m going to do this like an Olympic run.”

Later, she distanced herself from the comments, saying she didn’t necessarily have a solid plan in place for retirement. If she did, of course, she would now be close to winding down a celebrated career – just as she seems posed to reach another level of fame.

This week, Rousey, 28, released a new autobiography and booked the cover of “Sports Illustrated” while being named the most dominant athlete in sports. She appeared on “The Tonight Show,” guest-starred at WrestleMania, and was attached to a new Peter Perg movie.

Still, Rousey (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) said she’s closest to her current job, which affords her the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in MMA. In August, she attempts her sixth title defense when she takes on Brazilian Bethe Correia (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), whom she meets in UFC 190’s pay-per-view headliner in Rio de Janeiro. The two share a rivalry from Correia’s previous meetings with Rousey’s teammates.

Rousey’s past two title bouts have lasted 16 seconds and 14 seconds, cementing her status as the most dominant champion in the UFC. If she keeps up her current pace, fans will probably see her for a while.

“I want to fight for as long as possible,” Rousey said. “I think it’s not about a number of fights. I think you have a certain amount of ring time in you. If I have shorter fights and I come out unscathed, I’ll fight much longer. If I’m having five-round wars, I won’t have that many more fights.”

For more on UFC 190, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.