Ronda Rousey's Comeback: 15 Things You Need To Know

To some it may seem like it was years ago, but the reality is that it was just last November when Ronda Rousey stepped in the ring with Holly Holm in front of a record crowd of over 56,000 fans. Rousey, of course, was heavily favored. It honestly seemed like nobody could beat her; not since Mike Tyson in boxing had someone seemed so invincible in the ring. Rousey did not just beat her opponents, she destroyed them. We all know what happened next though and it definitely wasn't part of the storyline.

Just like what happened with Tyson, when he lost to the unheralded Buster Douglas, Rousey, who seemed invincible, totally got her butt kicked by Holm. She went from the very top of her profession to laying on her back in the ring taking a nap after Holm knocked her out. Rousey then went into a deep depression, and actually considered ending her life after what she considered to be a humiliating defeat.

Now, almost a year later, the word on the street is that Rousey may be back in the ring soon, maybe even before the end of 2016. We break down when she might be fighting, who she might fight, and also give you some facts about Ronda that you may not have known. Because it isn't too late to learn some things about the woman who might be the best fighter in the world once more, and very, very soon. Ronda Rousey is on her way back, and here are 15 things that you need to know.

15. She Might Fight Cris Cyborg

Cris "Cyborg" Justino may be a bit new to the UFC, but she is thought of as extremely dangerous and a possible future high-profile matchup for Rousey. Justino seems to agree. "I want Ronda to come back," Justino said. "I think she should show people even when you lose, it's not the end of the world. You cannot give up. Come back for your fans and let's make the fight for all the fans, for women's MMA. I think everybody wants this fight and it would be amazing." It remains to be seen if Rousey wants any part of Justino; that might be a fight that goes down later on. There have been rumors of her fighting another fighter in the UFC later in 2016. Read on to see who that may be.

14. She Hasn't Always Had It Easy

It may be a bit hard to imagine at this point as Rousey is obviously quite rich nowadays. Back in the day, Rousey had to work a variety of jobs that did not pay very well in order to get by. For example, she once worked as a bartender at a pirate-themed bar in L.A. Well shiver me timbers, I would walk the plank any day to have her make me a drink. I know one thing: if I owned a bar I would hire Ronda any time. Not only is she hot, which would bring in the customers, but you also could lay off all of your bouncers. With Ronda behind the bar there probably would not be too many people that would not behave.

13. She Has Made A Ton In Endorsements

Ronda Rousey makes a lot of money fighting. Well, she did anyway and will again when she starts back up, but that is not the only way that she makes cash. According to this Forbes article that came out in 2015: "Her total earnings of $6.5 million come from $3 million in salary/earnings and $3.5 million in endorsements from Reebok, Metro PCS, Monster headphones, and Carl’s Jr. and other ventures outside the ring including a best-selling book, three movies and various magazine covers." $3.5 million in endorsements in one year is a lot of money. We are sure that Ronda wants to get back into the ring because of her competitive nature and her pride, but I am sure all the money she makes does not hurt much either.

12. She Will Fight You For Starbucks

Ronda Rousey really likes Starbucks. No, you don't get what I am saying, I mean she really likes it. She once said in an interview: “I loved Frappuccinos. Me and my friend Jackie, would walk over to Starbucks, and she would be like, ‘I bet my girl right here could beat you up for $10.’ And then some guy would be like, ‘Ehh, whatever. I’ll take that bet.’ It would start and I would throw him to the ground, either give him a choke or an arm bar. We would get him to say he gave up, then take his money and go buy Frappuccinos. Those were my first pro fights.” Ummm, okay Ronda, you used to beat up men so you could get money to buy Frappuccinos? No wonder you got into the business of fighting for a living.

11. She Could Not Speak Until She Was 4

This is something that a lot of people don't know about Ronda. One wonders whether this type of thing contributed to her being so tough, even though it happened at such an early age. When she was born something very scary happened that threatened her life. At birth the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Because of this Rousey was not able to get any oxygen. An offshoot of all of this was that she was mute until she was four-years-old. She had to take years of speech therapy to finally get past all of her speech issues. If you think about it, maybe all of this being mute and having speech issues maybe put a bit of a chip on her shoulder? Either way, it shows how strong she is.

10. She Could Be A Competitive Eater

So we all know that Ronda is kind of hot. But did you know that, if her fighting career did not work out, she would have a good shot at being a competitive eater? She once did an "Ask me Anything" event on Reddit and said that she really loved Buffalo Wings. How many of those could she eat? Her response: "At least 60 in one sitting. But there were no bets on the table. I think I could've done more if it really came down to it." Now here is a tough question, does that make her more hot or less hot? A gorgeous woman who could beat you up and down 60 Buffalo wings without even breaking a sweat? I vote for more hot, but I reserve the right to change my mind. It really is a kind of a tough one to make a call on.

9. She Is Pals With Sylvester Stallone

I am sure a lot of Rousey's opponents have felt like they were doing battle with Rambo, or maybe even Rocky, when the stepped into the ring with her. Maybe that is because she and Rambo and Rocky star Sylvester Stallone are so tight. The two met a few years ago, back in 2013, on the set of the action movie, The Expendables 3. Rousey was not nearly as famous back then but Stallone saw something in her and cast her for the role. They remain close friends. I mean that is all cool and all that, but I don't know if I would want to hang out with Rousey and Sly Stallone when they go out on the town. What do they do I wonder? Beat people up so they can get money for Starbucks? I am not sure if I even want to know.

8. She Hasn't Had The Best Taste In Men

Ronda wrote a best selling book which is called My Fight/Your Fight. She talks about a lot of things in it, and one of them is how most, if not all of her past boyfriends, are total losers. The first guy she was serious with she calls 'Dick Itty Bitty' in the book. Really? Wow. Anyway this guy cheated on her. The next boyfriend she hooked up with was a drug addict who ended up stealing her car. Then she went out with a guy that she calls 'Snappers McCreepy,' who would take naked pictures of Rousey when she was sound asleep. Well, at least she has a nice guy now, right? Well, maybe and maybe not, you will have to read on to see. One thing for sure is that she has not had an easy ride with men.

7. She Was Once Bulimic

A lot of people do not know about Ronda's eating issues when she was younger. She was only 11 when she started practicing martial arts. She obviously was good at it; if she was not you wouldn't be reading this right now. She was ranked #1 in the country by the time she turned 16. But with that came a lot of pressure on someone that was so young. She started to feel a lot of stress about making her weight for her matches and thought that her body was too muscular and thick. She became bulimic. She worked very hard on being more positive about who she is and now is much more accepting of her body, although it did take her a while to accept taking a nap at the hands of Holly Holm.

6. Her Current Boyfriend May Be Bad News

Many of you may know that Ronda has been hanging with UFC heavyweight fighter Travis Browne for a while now. What you may not know is that Browne used to be married to fitness model Jenna Webb. They were married for three years, but then Webb left Browne, and says that it was because of domestic violence. For proof, Webb put up a bunch of photos on Instagram, which showed a bunch of cuts and bruises that she says are from Browne- who happens to be 6'7", and weighs around 240 pounds. Browne says that her account is not true. We do have to wonder though, since Ronda does not have the best record of picking guys, whether or not she has picked another dud. For her sake we hope not.

5. Her Background Is In Judo

Rousey did not come around this whole fighting thing by accident. She was a world class athlete who excelled in Judo. How good was she? Well, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she became the first American woman to win a medal in Judo. Even then there was some buzz about her becoming a MMA fighter but she said that it was something that did not interest her a whole lot. It is not a surprise that she changed her mind. When one is as competitive as she is and when there is as much money as there is to be made with UFC fighting it just makes sense that she would give it a shot. I am sure that she, and her fans are happy that she did. As good as she was at Judo, it is nothing in comparison to what she has accomplished in MMA.

4. Her Father Took His Own Life

At this point you have probably figured out that Rousey has had more than her share of difficult situations in her life. When she was very young her father Ron broke his back. He did so in an accident when he crashed into a snowbank. While he had surgery done on his spine, he was still in enormous pain, and was told by doctors that he was to be completely paralyzed and would have to breathe through a ventilator. He chose to take his own life. Rousey uses this tragedy to motivate her in her everyday life. When one thinks about it, just on this one list Ronda has dealt with more things than most of us do in a lifetime. It is truly amazing that she has had, and continues to have, the strength to have conquered so much.

3. She Considered Suicide

While it is true that Ronda is extremely strong, and we have pointed that out over and over in this piece, after her loss to Holm she briefly considered ending it all. She said in an interview: "Honestly, my thought in the medical room, I was sitting in the corner and was like, 'What am I anymore if I'm not this?'" Rousey said. "Literally sitting there thinking about killing myself. In that exact second, I'm like, 'I'm nothing. What do I do anymore? No one gives a s--- about me anymore without this.'" Thankfully, she got out of that mindset fairly quickly, and recognized that she needed to pull it back together. Whether or not she is champion of the world or a bartender at a pirate themed bar, she is a worthwhile person.

2. She Has Been Training Hard To Come Back

That is right, the word is that Rousey has been doing some training over the past month and is looking good. Recent reports suggest that although Ronda Rousey has taken considerable time off since her defeat to Holly Holm last year, the UFC fighter is training and is planning on fighting soon. This is good news for all fans of UFC. Whether you are a big fan of hers or not, you have to admit that she has been good for the sport. Her coming back will be enormous. A true champion doesn't quit after a loss, and I am sure Rousey feels that she is a true champion.

1. A Fight Against Amanda Nunes May Happen This Year

And when might she come back, and against who? Well it turns out the lucky, or unlucky woman may be Amanda Nunes. According to ESPN: "a fight with reigning UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been discussed for Dec. 30 in Las Vegas, but that no decision has been made yet as she works her way back into form following a minor knee surgery this summer." This may not be the fight that everyone wants to see, but it is a good match up, no doubt about it. If the match goes off and Rousey is not in peak form than Nunes is going to take her out, and if Rousey is in fighting shape, then Nunes is in big trouble. Either way, a return to the ring by Rousey is a good thing, no doubt about it.

Sources: washingtonpost

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmq6GTnXqttdKtZqunnpmubr7OrqqesaNisLC5xJuYnKNdZoJuwMeipaCrXa68tnnNnpydZaSkeqy6zrBm