“I Had a Speech Disorder”- Former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey Opens Up on How Fighting Helped Her Express Herself

Ronda Rousey is one of the most popular women athletes in the world. She is an icon in the world of combat sports and has accomplished a great deal. Rousey was the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo at the 2008 summer Olympics. 

The fighter made her mixed martial arts debut back in 2011 at King of the Cage: Turning Point. Rousey was the first-ever UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion in the promotion’s history. Many consider Rousey to be one of the best female fighters in the world. Her professional mixed martial arts record stands at 12 wins and two losses as of November 2021. 

Rousey retired from the UFC after her loss at UFC 207 against Amanda Nunes. She lost the fight in the first round via knock-out. After she left the MMA scene, Ronda joined pro-wrestling and had a very successful career at the WWE.

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The roots of her entire fighting career came from the exposure she had to Judo while she grew up. Recently in a video with a comedian and actor Kevin Hart, Ronda Rousey spoke about how she got into fighting.

She said, “I started (getting into fighting) in swimming… Yeah, but I hated swimming, it was boring. When I was six to ten and then my mom. We moved from North Dakota back to LA where she trained back in the 80s, Judo. So my mom went to go visit all of her old teammates and they had all, like, opened up judo clubs of their own. So I went to go try it out. “

 “I had a lot of trouble speaking as a kid. I had a speech disorder called apraxia. So, I learned to like communicate physically, and I was really shy with other kids. So judo made me like interact with another kid. And to be able to express myself when I couldn’t, you know, with words.”

“I think that’s what I hated about swimming, is your mind would wander and at that age, you know my dad just died and stuff like that. So I didn’t want my mind to be wandering too much,” she added.

What’s next for Ronda Rousey?

Ronda Rousey hasn’t competed in the WWE ever since her loss at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019. Ever since her retirement, she has been away from the spotlight and has been spending her time with her family. Recently she and her husband Travis Browne welcomed a child into their family.

It doesn’t look like fans will get to see Ronda Rousey back in UFC or WWE action for a while now, as she is happily following her responsibilities as a mother. Although fans will still be eagerly waiting for her return.

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