Rousey admitted recently that she thought of suicide after her loss to Holly Holm. Having been undefeated, she became the darling of UFC fighting. Everywhere you turned, her name would pop up. She wasn't necessarily the people's champ, but she had such a horrific upbringing of first losing her pop to suicide then growing up with a speech impediment.
There are pressures to professional competitors I don't think we'd ever understand. Even on a small scale, I remember getting pissed off whenever we'd lose in little league baseball. I can't imagine what a bazillion people watch us lose, how I'd react.
There's been a lot put upon her, and for the most part...I think it's self-inflicted. I don't watch girls punching each other. Seems...unnatural. It's cool that others dig it, but it's not for me. I think if you're identity is to be this bad ass chick puncher and a badder asser chick takes the throne, it's hard to brush it off. But, in perspective, and if you learn about Holly Holm, it's not like she lost to a jabroni. Holm seems like such a down to Earth person. Quiet and respectful to the sport she chose. From what I've heard anyway. A preacher's daughter who fought her way out of the southwest. She took the craft seriously. I don't recall her being in movies, t.v. or commercials prior to this fight. Never even heard of her name. She would be the Rocky to Rousey's Apollo Creed. But even they became friends. And a legacy was born.
It's an emotional thing to lose. I mean, it REALLY sucks. You live with it over and over. You replay where you went wrong until you want to throw up. That is the risk you have when you enter sports. Most people don't compete for this reason. They don't want to be haunted.
The flip side is that it is a humbling experience in life to own up to failure. Failure isn't a life time curse, it's a moment. And I hope she can shake off the feeling that she some how ruined her life over one moment.
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