Ronda Rousey on title contenders: “I don’t think they truly want it”

Undefeated UFC champion Ronda Rousey says that her bantamweight contenders don’t want the responsibility of holding the title belt.

Smashing PPV buys, building a prosperous acting career in Hollywood and even dabbling with the WWE, there is simply no questioning Rousey’s dominance and superiority across the UFC, let alone her weight division.

Earlier this year, ‘Rowdy’ also won the ‘Best Female Athlete’ and ‘Best Fighter’ awards at the ESPYS, beating the likes of Serena Williams. According to the former Olympian, she believes that the responsibility of being champion is too much for her 135 lbs. contenders.

When chatting with UFC commentator Joe Rogan on his popular podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience”, Rousey questioned the desire of her UFC competitors.

“I notice a lot of these girls, they would like to win a UFC belt and have that respect, but they’re not about that life,” Rousey said. “They don’t want that life. They don’t want that attention and scrutiny and pressure and constant work and all those things. They don’t want it. They want one thing but not the other, but it all comes together.”

Rousey’s athletic prowess and dedication to training is just one side of the story. The duties and obligations of the media that accompany the championship lifestyle can be exhausting and exposing, and Ronda doesn’t think the rest of the contenders are truly cut out for it.

“That’s one thing that’s kind of working against them is when they actually come in to fight me, they get a taste, a small taste, of what that life is going to be like when they’re a contender,” Rousey said. “It is way more attention, way more this, way more that and that. Once you win the belt it’s just doubled every single time. It’s more and more and more and more. I don’t think any of them would actually be happy with that lifestyle. I don’t think they really, truly want it.”

Ronda Rousey will defend her UFC bantamweight title for the 7th time against Holly Holm at UFC 193 on November 15th at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.