Since her knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, we've seen very little from Ronda Rousey. She did make a brief appearance at E3 a little earlier this year and showed up on an episode of Ellen but the future in the octagon and big screen which once looked so bright is now in doubt as Rousey takes some time to reassess what's next for her.
Now, UFC President Dana White has weighed in on the rumours that Rousey is going to retire from UFC by telling ESPN: "I think people realize she’s probably going to retire."
That seems pretty definite but there's still talk of Rousey making a return, especially as those two knockout losses ultimately didn't hurt her legacy too much. She's still in the UFC's anti-doping test pool too, but White has warned fans not to read too much into that. "That’s not because she had to, that’s the way Ronda Rousey is built. Ronda Rousey is super competitive and doesn’t like to lose. I know she’s been criticized for that by a lot of people, but that’s just who she is and the way she is."
"I’ve never been one of those promoters that looks at, ‘Oh, imagine how much money I can make if Ronda Rousey comes back’ or the Chuck Liddells, all those guys," he adds. "I’m actually the guy who, when somebody even hints at retiring, says, ‘I think you should retire.’ No matter how big of a star you are, once you’ve retired, you should probably stay retired and move on, build that next chapter of your life."
Regardless of whether Rousey steps out of the spotlight or goes on to do something else (there's been talk of a possible WWE debut for a while now), she made her mark in UFC and set the stage for those currently competing to be viewed as being on the same level as the company's male competitors. We'll just have to wait and see what comes next.