Ronda Rousey: 'I don't need anyone else's approval to be proud of myself'

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Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s exit from MMA didn’t exactly come on her own terms.

Now, she’s trying to turn that around by embarking on a professional wrestling career – and doing it her way.

Rousey, 31, made headlines earlier this week for a pair of prickly interviews during an ESPN “carwash” of media interviews. She got visibly defensive when asked about her MMA career and shut down questions about a potential return.

In a one-on-one with ESPN.com reporter Brett Okamoto, Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) relaxed and spoke openly about her struggles while she was a UFC champ and the reason she left MMA to start a career in pro wrestling.

Although she’d defended the UFC title six times and left an indelible mark on the sport of women’s MMA, the pressure to maintain the schedule of a UFC champion and breakout mainstream star left Rousey thinking about her next move.

“There was a while when I was just looking for an honorable way out,” she told ESPN.com. “I felt satisfied, like I proved everything I needed to prove, but I didn’t feel like anybody else felt that way, and I wasn’t sure that the women’s division could survive without me. So I felt obligated to do more than what I actually wanted to, I feel.

“But I also think that everything happens for a reason and I have no regrets, and I’m still happy that I fulfilled those obligations. I really do feel like the women’s division can hold its own now and I’m proud of all the work I did there. I don’t need anyone else’s approval to be proud of myself.”

When Rousey decided to sign a contract with the WWE, she wasn’t necessarily looking forward to the media obligations that accompanied a high-profile move. But the former champ says the joy she finds in her new career was enough to get her to finally break her silence – at least for now.

“I could very happily be in some house in the mountains somewhere and never see anybody again, and just hang out with my goats and chickens and be happy,” she said. “It would only have to be something as great as the WWE, it makes me this happy, to actually pull me away from that.

“Otherwise, probably no one would hear from me. I would live in the woods and be happy. It’s all I really want.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.