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Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has called out the perception some have about her fighting talents.
Rousey moved toward legend status on mixed martial arts' biggest stage across her stint between 2013 and 2015. After title success under the Strikeforce banner, "Rowdy" was promoted to UFC champ upon the Zuffa's purchase of the Scott Coker-led promotion.
In the space of two and a half years, Rousey defended her place on the bantamweight throne six consecutive times, finishing Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate, Sara McMann, Alexis Davis, Cat Zingano, and Bethe Correia.
But her dominance and aura of invincibility came to a crashing halt at the hands of Holly Holm at UFC 193, where "The Preacher's Daughter" flattened Rousey with a head kick to record one of the all-time great upsets seen inside the Octagon.
The 2008 Olympic medalist made one subsequent appearance under the UFC banner, falling to a TKO defeat against Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds at UFC 207 in 2016.
With those two losses marking the end of her career in the cage, the perception some had of Rousey began to alter. Having been seen as among the best ever at one stage, many have now looked to dismiss Rousey's credentials based on factors such as the level of competition she faced.
For Rousey, that is nonsense.
Rousey Cites 'Bad Mouthguard' As One Reason Behind KO Loss To Holm
During a recent appearance on Valeria Lipovetsky's podcast, Rousey looked back on her UFC career and the negative sentiments that have since derived from her two-fight losing skid.
Rousey recently opened up about her history of concussions resulting from her career in judo, explaining how the concerning issue brought her MMA tenure to a premature end.
And she cited a pre-fight concussion, as well as a difficult weight cut and apparent "bad mouthguard," as the issues that paved the way for her shocking defeat to Holm back in 2015.
"The first time I got touched, I was out on my feet. Its as so hard because I'd never been faster, never been stronger, never had a better grasp of the game. I'd never been so much better than everybody else," Rousey said. "But your brain doesn't heal back stronger... It's an inevitable decline. I just couldn't keep fighting at that level anymore.
"When it got to the point that I couldn't take it (punishment) anymore, I was like, vilified of like, 'She was all hype, she was just lucky,' and people making all these judgments about me in a fight where I was literally — my first loss, my mouthguard was bad, I literally came into that fight concussed from slipping down some stairs already... and then I had an absolutely terrible weight cut, which means you have less fluid in your brain to protect it," Rousey continued. "I was out on my feet for the entire fight... Just from that one fight, everybody felt like, 'Oh, she's a fraud.' I know I'm the greatest fight that has ever lived."
Rousey went on to cross over into the world of professional wrestling under the prominent WWE banner. Holm, meanwhile, lost the belt in her first defense against Tate but remains in pursuit of a second reign.
"The Preacher's Daughter" is set to return next weekend at UFC 300, where she's tasked with welcoming another former judoka to the Octagon in the form of two-time PFL champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison.
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