Ronda Explains Why She Didn’t Talk About Concussions Before: “It Felt Like a Weakness” | combat

Former UFC bantamweight champion (up to 61.2kg) Ronda Rousey revealed that a history of brain concussions was the reason she decided to retire from MMA. In her biography “Our Fight” (“Our Fight”, in the original version, in English), the Olympic bronze medalist in judo said she had suffered from the problem since her mat days. In an interview with the newspaper “The Guardian”, Ronda shared the fears of possible impacts of concussions on the development of some diseases present in their family.

“I worried about this because we already have Alzheimer’s and dementia in our family, and those family members haven’t been hit in the head a lot,” Ronda Rousey said.

At 37 years old, the American confessed to being worried about her condition when she went through uncomfortable situations during her routine.

– There are times when I’m singing a lullaby to my daughter and I get a word wrong. I’m like, “Oh my God, this is it (the onset of dementia).” On the way home this morning after dropping my daughter off for her first day of preschool, I was passing corners that I had already passed hundreds of times. and, for a moment, I thought: “Where am I?” he continued.

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In 2012, Rousey made history by becoming the first fighter to sign with the UFC. The following year, she starred in the first female UFC fight, at UFC 157, against Liz Carmouche. However, she saw the need to hide past complications.

– I have had many more concussions than anyone else in my 10 year judo career. So when I started practicing MMA, I didn’t want anyone to know. They already had enough reasons to try to prevent me from entering MMA and then the UFC. I didn’t want to say anything more about concussion and I was lucky to have the necessary skills to win most fights very quickly – he said.

Despite having had a successful professional career in mixed martial arts, with 12 consecutive victories and only two defeats, Ronda revealed that one of her fears was being labeled as a fragile person.

– People talk about your “chin” with a lot of reverence. It’s played as if it were a personality trait or a sign of your willpower to absorb blows. That’s another reason I never wanted to talk about concussion. It seemed like it was a personal weakness and not a neurological degeneration that I have been experiencing since I was a child.”