Ronda Rousey, despite her tumultuous exit from the UFC due to severe concussions, is celebrated for her groundbreaking impact on women’s MMA, inspiring future athletes like Kayla Harrison and shattering barriers that once kept women out of the UFC.
At her peak, Ronda Rousey was the only person on the UFC roster who could rival Conor McGregor in sheer popularity and attention. Her rapid fall from grace almost matched her meteoric rise to superstardom.
In less than four years, Rousey helped usher women into the UFC. She became a six-time defending champion but then suffered a brutal knockout loss to Holly Holm.
She only made one more appearance, getting blitzed by Amanda Nunes in 48 seconds before leaving the sport forever. While inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, Rousey rarely addressed her losses or her exit until recently.
She revealed that a severe history of concussions left her no choice but to stop fighting. Her complicated legacy left Rousey believing she’d face a hostile audience at a UFC event today.
Kayla Harrison, who counted Rousey as a roommate and teammate in judo for the United States, understands mixed feelings about Rousey. But her impact on the sport is undeniable.
“I think for me, no matter who Ronda is as a person… you cannot deny she shattered a ceiling for women,” Harrison told MMA Fighting. “Dana White went on record multiple times saying he would never have women in the UFC. She f*cking blasted right through that.”
“To me, that’s her legacy. No matter what she says or does… she paved the way when there was no way. That I am eternally grateful [for].”
Long before conquering the PFL and becoming a high-profile free agency addition to the UFC roster, Harrison looked up to Rousey as the gold standard for Olympic dreams.
While she didn’t win gold, Rousey was the first American woman to win a medal in judo with bronze at the 2008 games in Beijing. Four years later, Harrison surpassed her by winning gold and did it again at the 2016 Olympics.
Much like their shared history in judo, Harrison followed in Rousey’s footsteps in MMA too. “At one point, she was my role model and I lived with her, trained with her,” Harrison said.
“Anything she did, I wanted to do better. I didn’t know what I was going to do after the Olympics or where I was going to go. She showed me this path and made it really wide.”
Harrison can’t say for certain what would’ve happened in her post-Olympics career if Rousey hadn’t stormed into the UFC and became a massive draw. While women’s MMA existed long before Rousey arrived, her impact changed the game.
Especially where the UFC was involved. That’s why Harrison still holds Rousey in such high regard regardless of how she retired or handled herself on the way out.
“[Women’s MMA] went from like oh maybe you could make a little bit of money… to young girls all over training MMA and being asskickers,” Harrison said. “Ronda is a part of that. That’s history.”
“That just goes to show it doesn’t matter who you are, you can do great things. No matter how she deals with it or what she says about it… she made a way when there wasn’t a way. That’s her legacy.”