Losses are never easy to accept, especially for athletes with the competitive drive that it takes to become a world champion. Perhaps no fighter in combat sports history took losing worse than former women’s UFC bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey after she was knocked out by Holly Holm at UFC 193. It was her first career defeat.
Following the loss, Rousey went into seclusion and fell into depression. In an emotional interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Rousey revealed that she had suicidal thoughts after losing to Holm. It was a startling confession, sparking concern for the former champion.
On Friday, 13 months after the UFC 193 loss, Rousey returned to the Octagon. For the first time in her UFC career, she entered the cage first as the challenger against champion Amanda Nunes. She didn’t have a good showing. 48 seconds into the opening frame, Rousey was stopped by a series of punches that had her out on her feet.
“Rowdy” didn’t suffer any major injuries in the fight and was described as doing better physically than mentally backstage at the T-Mobile Arena. Although Rousey was upset, UFC president Dana White said that she’s handling the loss better than she did after losing to Holm.
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“I’ve been with her this whole time. Obviously, she’s so competitive. She’s devastated, but she’s a lot better than she was in the Holly Holm fight,” said White during the event’s post show on FS1. “She was backstage and obviously she was upset. But she has a lot of support. I think it’ll be better than the Holm fight.”
Nunes’ win over Rousey was the first time a women’s bantamweight champion defended her title since Rousey lost it.
