Ronda Rousey, the trailblazer who brought women’s MMA into the mainstream spotlight, has never been one to hold back her opinions. In a recent conversation on the Bertcast podcast, the former UFC champion delivered a pointed critique of today’s female stars, suggesting they’re playing it too safe in an era she fought tooth and nail to create.
“I think one of the problems that a lot of the women in MMA have now is they’re trying to be as inoffensive as possible and to not say anything outrageous,” Rousey stated bluntly. “That’s how we almost lost women’s MMA, you know, people trying to quietly not offend anyone and, you know, quietly ask for permission to be there. It’s like, no, man, you have to make your space, not ask for space.”
The comments reflect Rousey’s frustration with what she perceives as a shift in mentality among current female stars. While she built her career on unapologetic confidence and controversial statements, modern athletes seem more concerned with managing their public image than making bold declarations. Rousey argues this timidity threatens the very foundation she helped establish.
Her criticism extends beyond just promotional tactics. Rousey believes the sport’s culture has fundamentally changed, particularly in how fans and media treat fighters. “MMA fans and media are the most what have you done for us lately crowd of any sport,” she explained, contrasting it with WWE’s reverence for legends. “At MMA it’s like the second that you’re not on top, you’re not s**t and you never were s**t.”
This unforgiving environment, Rousey suggests, makes modern stars even more reluctant to take risks or speak their minds.
When asked about her own controversial statement that she’s “the greatest ever,” Rousey doubled down: “I define the greatest ever as the person who was the most dominant and the farthest ahead of their time. And no one can say that I haven’t been the most dominant or most ahead of my time. and I will die on that hill.”
Rousey’s journey to UFC dominance wasn’t handed to her. She had less than a year from her professional debut to winning the Strikeforce championship, racing against time before the organization folded and UFC absorbed its fighters. Dana White had publicly stated women would never fight in the UFC, making Rousey’s window of opportunity critically narrow. Her aggressive self-promotion and undeniable talent forced the issue.
The philosophy that guided Rousey’s career came directly from her mother, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, a world judo champion and PhD in developmental psychology. “My mom would say that all the time. Oh, you fight above yourself under pressure,” Rousey recalled.
When anxiety struck before competitions, young Ronda would ask her mother to list reasons why she’d win, and her mom would go on for hours, eventually making jokes when she ran out of legitimate reasons.
That confidence-building approach created a fighter who viewed herself as “f**king Neo” from The Matrix—destined for greatness. It’s a mindset Rousey believes is missing in today’s generation of female stars, who seem more interested in not making waves than in creating the kind of cultural impact that ensures women’s MMA remains viable long-term.
Rousey worries that people “forget how recently it was so different and they feel so secure in the way that things are now and they’re not they’re not fighting for their space anymore. They’re just occupying it.” For someone who battled to create opportunities that didn’t exist, watching others take those opportunities for granted while playing it safe clearly rankles.
