Ronda Rousey: You think Holly Holm ever looks at a boxing ring and cries?

MELBOURNE, Australia – UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey said she was recently moved to tears – by a training mat.

“I was looking at the tatami and (thinking about) all the nights I slept on the tatami as a kid and I was tired and I was imprinting the little pattern on my face, and I just started crying.

“My coach asked me, ‘What’s wrong?’ and I’m like, ‘I love these mats.'”

It’s moments like that that make Rousey who she is, and it’s why she expects to remain the UFC champion after meeting Holly Holm (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at Sunday’s UFC 193, Rousey (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) told reporters after a full open workout in the event’s host city in Melbourne, Australia.

“You think Holly Holm ever looks at a boxing ring and cries because she loves it so much? No,” Rousey declared.

A former boxing world champion, Holm is a heavy underdog to unseat the champ, who’s attempting her seventh title defense in the division she’s dominated for two years.

UFC 193 takes place at the 70,000-seat Etihad Stadium. The event’s main card airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Check out the above interview to get Rousey’s thoughts on fighting for the first time in Australia, her thoughts on the sport’s acceptance Down Under, and the matchup with Holm, among other topics.

For more on UFC 193, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.