Maybe Bethe Correia was an exception. But Ronda Rousey said Wednesday that she does not necessarily desire to hurt her opponents.
The UFC women's bantamweight champion said on ESPN's First Take that it's not necessarily about inflicting pain, just about winning in such devastating fashion that no one has any interest in a rematch.
"One of my favorite books ever is Ender's Game," Rousey said. "I was reading it when I was in the seventh grade. I read it like every year for several years. One of my favorite things in the book was, he wasn't a vicious person or anything like that, but in an effort to protect himself, every fight that he got into he had to win it in such an overwhelming way that he would win all of the future fights. That person would never come back. That's kind of what I'm trying to do."
Miesha Tate is the only person that Rousey has had to beat twice. And Tate is a potential opponent in the future, too. In fact, many thought she would get the title shot nod over Holly Holm next. Rousey defends her belt against Holm in the main event of UFC 193 on Nov. 15 in Melbourne, Australia.
Rousey, 28, explains that the ideal is for her to win and for that foe to never be a title challenger again.
"I'm trying to win in such a big way that that person, all of their hope of ever trying to come back ever again is just crushed," Rousey said. "It's better for both of us. That one fight, it keeps it from going on and on and on. I'm just trying to make it definite and put a stamp on it and be like, 'OK, this chapter in your life is over and I'm moving on.'"
Speaking of rematches, "Rowdy" is unsure about one between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Rousey was actually supposed to attend the fight, but could not make it due to pneumonia. She attempted to watch it anyway from her Los Angeles home, but it was a struggle.
"I was trying my best to watch it and I fell asleep like five times," Rousey said. "I had to keep getting woken up again and I would pass back out."
She probably is not the only one who had that problem.
Get the latest gear
