Ronda Rousey Opens Up on MMA Career, Talks Conor McGregor in Lengthy Interview

Ronda Rousey has been one of the hottest topics in combat sports over the last few days—but not for her upcoming match at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.

No, the fighter-turned-wrestler has been making headlines for her standoffish exchanges with ESPN anchors, particularly Max Kellerman, when the topic of her MMA career comes up.

Wednesday saw things thaw a bit in that regard as Rousey sat down with ESPN's Brett Okamoto for a lengthy interview on how she wound up in WWE:

"There were times when the process was fun, and then there were times when only the results were fun, and then there were times when things just run their course," she said of training in MMA.

"You fall in love, you fall out of love and you find a new love...there was a while where I was just looking for an honorable way out because I felt satisfied with my MMA career, but I didn't feel like anybody else felt that way and I wasn't sure if the women's division could survive without me. I felt obligated to do more than I really wanted."

One of the biggest criticisms of Rousey's MMA career is how it ultimately ended. After achieving an unparalleled level of success and celebrity through her dominant run in the Octagon, she was dethroned in 2015 by Holly Holm.

Her reaction to the loss, which included no-showing the post-fight press conference, the infamous airport scene and a disappearance from social media, raised the eyebrows of fans and pundits alike. The before, during and after of her return bout opposite Amanda Nunes did little to silence these doubts, either, as she did no media before the bout, lost via first-round TKO and once again disappeared without a trace.

To this day, questions still swirl about some of the decisions she made surrounding those two fights—sticking with her established coaching staff, what role her fledgling acting career played in her in-cage decline and her departure from her judo base—and while this interview doesn't get to the bottom of those, some inferences can be made about what happened even though the wounds may not be closed.

Few can understand the position Rousey was in from 2014 to 2016. One of the few people who can is Conor McGregor, and the former UFC women's bantamweight champion had nothing but nice things to say about him.

"I love Conor...he has my utmost respect as an athlete, as a man, and I appreciate him always being so respectful back to me," she said. "I wish nothing but the best for him. He took so much weight off my shoulders and I owe a lot to Conor. Anything he wants to do in life, I hope that everything works out for him."

While Rousey still seems to be keeping the door open for a return to MMA, she's currently focused entirely on her work with the WWE.

She has been flexing on potential opponents in recent weeks on Monday Night Raw and has a big test lined up April 8 when she competes in a mixed tag match at WrestleMania, where she will face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon alongside fellow Olympic medalist and former WWE champion Kurt Angle.