In a recent dialogue with “SHAK MMA”, the distinguished ex-WWE superstar and past UFC Champion, Ronda Rousey, shed light on the persistent neurological injuries faced by MMA fighters and other combat athletes.
Rousey admitted that she chose not to discuss this critical issue when moving from UFC to WWE. You can glean some insights from her podcast below:
Ronda Rousey’s take on the peril of consistent brain injury among combat athletes: “The topic of incessant neurological injury is generally sidelined in MMA. It’s a problem that everyone grapples with, each at their pace. My encounter with it began when I was six years old when I started getting concussions. Getting concussions became a recurring event, happening multiple times a year. Yet, I wasn’t permitted to voice my experiences publicly. As a fighter, it’s unwritten that we exhibit no signs of weakness or discuss issues of such nature.”
On keeping mum about issues related to brain damage owing to her shift from UFC to WWE, she said, “I was drawn to another arena which had plenty of mismanagement around the issue of concussions and neurological damage. But because I aspired to explore something new, it restrained me from speaking out about it unless I was finished with that journey. … I wish more people would disclose their experiences with head trauma, as it directly impacts our fighters’ career longevity.”
Rousey was last seen in WWE where she faced a defeat against Shayna Baszler at WWE SummerSlam the past year.