Former UFC champ Ronda Rousey has opened up about that career-defining match between her and Amanda Nunes in 2016 in which she suffered a huge loss after Nunes knocked her out after only 48 seconds.
The shock defeat was made all the more difficult as it came off the back of another blow in her career when Holly Holm ended her winning streak of 12 straight matches in November 2015.
Rousey has kept her distance from the UFC limelight since that loss and resisted speaking at length about what really happened.
As the former UFC star prepares for her first official appearance as a WWE fighter via Wrestlemania 34 this April 8, she has finally opened up about how she was really feeling after that unforgettable 48-second match.
"I remember my last fight, walking away thinking God hates me," Rousey said. "I had nothing left in me."
In 2016, Rousey also confessed to Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime talk show that the thought of suicide crossed her mind as doctors were checking and treating her after her fight with Holm. The loss made her feel like life was over.
Rousey said that she leans on her husband, Travis Browne, for support and strength whenever she feels hopeless and that Browne motivated her by telling her that she's "more than just a fighter."
The new WWE star said she needed to acknowledge her misery following her UFC losses to be able to find happiness today. She had to learn to face life outside of this particular sport, which was a struggle as the UFC had been her sole focus for so many years.
"[The loss] all led to this and I didn't even realize that I've always been on this path," Rousey said, referring to the Wrestlemania stage.
Meanwhile, the ex-MMA athlete confessed that not all WWE fans might welcome her as one of its newest wrestlers and getting booed on the stage would be a possibility. So far, however, since sporadically appearing at various WWE functions since January, Rousey said she has mostly had positive reactions from the fans.
