Advertisement

Ronda Rousey is back in training, but isn’t talking much

Ronda Rousey signs an autograph at the Buffalo David Bitton booth in Las Vegas during a recent promotion for the clothing company.
(David Becker / Getty Images)
Share

Ronda Rousey has deserved time to herself, UFC President Dana White has said over and over of the former women’s bantamweight champion.

Rousey, 29, has taken full advantage of that, limiting herself to rare sightings out in public and no interviews.

The Venice fighter, who was as dominant in the octagon as Mike Tyson once was in the ring, last fought in November 2015 when Rousey was surprisingly knocked out by Holly Holm in Australia.

Advertisement

Since then, it’s been a revolving door of women’s bantamweight champions as Holm was beaten by Miesha Tate, who then lost to Amanda Nunes. Meanwhile, the guessing game continues as to when Rousey will fight again.

So on Tuesday a Times reporter stopped by Rousey’s Glendale gym to see if she was there, to say hello and see if she wanted to chat.

Rousey could be seen inside the gym waving goodbye to someone.

Soon after, the female driver of an upscale SUV nodded hello. It was Rousey. She stopped and rolled her window down.

“Hi, how have you been?” The Times reporter asked.

“Hello. Good,” she answered.

“Will you be back [fighting] soon?”

“I’m not talking to anyone right now,” Rousey said.

And with that, her facial expression changed, she rolled up the window and she drove off in a hurry.

What could be deduced from the rare sighting, however, is that Rousey is working out again after undergoing minor knee surgery this summer to relieve some nagging pain.

One person close to Rousey said the former champ is training despite the discomfort of a swollen foot and plans to continue through the remainder of August to determine when she can fight again.

Advertisement

UFC officials have said that Rousey will not return for the first UFC card in New York on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden. A more realistic comeback is the Dec. 30 UFC 206 card in Las Vegas.

White has said whenever Rousey returns – she filmed a movie, a remake of Patrick Swayze’s “Road House,” during her fighting absence – that she will have the opportunity to fight for the belt.

When that decision is made, Rousey is expected to speak again for a longer period about what she’s been doing, where she’s been and what she thinks of the hot-potato treatment with her old belt.

Tuesday, however, was not that day.

Advertisement