Ronda Rousey

By FCF Staff

Ronda Rousey hadn’t discussed in length what went down in her stunning KO loss to Holly Holm, but now she’s revealed she was badly hurt early on into the fight.

Rousey was punished by Holm in the opening round of their UFC 193 bout with punches, and then was finished by a high kick in round two. While speaking to ESPN Magazine, in her first interview since the loss, the former bantamweight champ reported she was quickly rocked by one of Holm’s punches.

“I got hit in that first round. … I cut my lip open and knocked a couple of my teeth loose. I was out on my feet from the very beginning.”

“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I had that huge cut in my mouth and I just spit [the blood] out at my feet. Then they brought the bucket over and I’m like, ‘Why didn’t I spit it in the bucket?’ I never spit on the ground.”

“It was like a dumbed-down dreamy version of yourself making decisions. … I was just trying to shake myself out of it. I kept saying to myself, ‘You’re OK, keep fighting. You’re OK, keep fighting.'”

“I just feel so embarrassed. How I fought after that is such an embarrassing representation of myself. I wasn’t even f—ing there.”

Due to the way the fight unfolded, and because Rousey was decisively beaten, there have been widespread calls for the star to find a new camp and coaches. Later on in the lengthy interview, however, “Rowdy” reported she will remain with Edmond Tarverdyan, her striking coach.