Opinion: Ronda Rousey’s Fragile Ego
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.
Like her or not, you have to be concerned about Ronda Rousey.
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“In the medical room, I was down in the corner, I was sitting in the corner and I was like ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this?’” she said. “And I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself in that exact second -- I’m nothing. Like what do I do anymore? And no one gives a [expletive] about me anymore without this.”
What’s somewhat startling about this is the fact that Rousey has
put an inexplicably dangerous amount of pressure on herself to win,
especially in a sport where finishing your career undefeated
remains highly unlikely. It’s a trait she revealed in great detail
in her book “My Fight/Your Fight.” She has always struggled with
losing, ever since she started competing in judo tournaments. Once
she became the apple of the MMA world’s eye, losing simply wasn’t
an option for the 29-year-old. Not only did she expect to win every
fight, but everyone else expected her to do so, too. That’s a
tremendous amount of pressure for one person to handle.
However, losses happen, even when you’re the favorite, and they aren’t the end of the world. Ask Georges St. Pierre, who was infamously upset by Matt Serra and then regrouped to become the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Rousey should be applauded for being so honest about her mental state, even though it does raise red flags. It takes a great deal of bravery to open up to millions of people that suicide was on her mind shortly after losing.
The fragile nature of her mentality is what draws the biggest concern. What was most surprising about her revelation was the reason she was able to shake the thoughts of taking her own life. It wasn’t the fact that her father committed suicide when Rousey was 8 years old that made her decide against it. No, it was the sight of her boyfriend, fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Travis Browne, who made her reconsider her thoughts.
“I looked up at him and I was just like, ‘I need to have his babies. I need to stay alive,’” Rousey said to an applauding crowd. While it does sound great that Rousey wants to start a family, the fact of the matter is she has become too emotionally invested in Browne and winning fights. She’s not giving enough thought to herself.
Nobody knows the intricacies of her relationship with Browne, but there has to be concern that she’s putting a lot of stock in a man who’s not yet her husband. Hopefully, everything works out for Rousey and she can have Browne’s babies someday. However, relationships in the celebrity world are fickle and often fall apart. It would be scary to see how Rousey reacts if she and Browne decided to part ways. At least at that moment, Browne was there to pull her out of her misery.
Is Rousey really ready to return to the Octagon? The targeted date is late this year, perhaps in November, and that may not be enough time for her to get herself together. It’s not just a mental thing. It’s also physical, as Rousey recalled just how discombobulated she was after taking one big shot from Holm.
How does she shore up her striking game against a world-class boxer in such a short time? Not to say it’s impossible, but it’s certainly unlikely that Rousey will be able to make the necessary leaps and bounds in striking to compete with Holm in the standup game. Everything Rousey will have to rely on comes from her judoka background.
Meanwhile, the pressure for her to rebound may be even more insurmountable than the pressure to go undefeated. Rousey realizes that a second loss will certainly damage her mainstream appeal beyond recognition; and if she’s in a dark place now, how much darker will that cave be in the event that she falls to Holm again in their rematch?
Rousey’s determination is admirable, but it can also become her undoing if she comes back too soon without properly tempering her expectations. Perhaps it would be wise for her to take an interim fight to boost her confidence before stepping into the Octagon with Holm. Whatever it is, it just seems like Rousey might not be quite ready for a return to the UFC just yet. She has quite a few things to work through before she’s thrust back into the limelight and subjected to the possibility of defeat once again.
It’s not the loss to Holm but what Rousey claims she needed to pull herself out of those suicidal thoughts that might be most unnerving.
Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.
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