Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ronda Rousey's mother issues statement following UFC 207 loss

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:38 p.m. ET

Fansided, David Rouben/Fansided

Ronda Rousey’s mother, renowned judoka AnnMaria de Mars, issued a statement defending her daughter in the wake of her UFC 207 loss.

For as accomplished as Ronda Rousey is, her mother is the one person she can credit for most of her success. It was because of her that she decided to take up judo, which is where she won multiple competitions as well as an Olympic bronze medal. From there, she transitioned to MMA and took the UFC by storm when she became the first women’s champion ever.

As was the case with every fight, Ronda’s mother was right there with her at UFC 207. And while everyone is still waiting for Rousey to break her silence, AnnMaria de Mars decided to take the first step. She issued a blog post in the wake of her daughter’s loss, and prefaced it by saying “Like every mother and daughter on the face of the earth, Ronda and I don’t always see eye to eye.”

From there, she goes on to praise Ronda’s attribute about caring deeply. She then lists everything she’s accomplished before the age of 30, which include first American woman in a decade to win a world cup in judo, Olympic Bronze Medalist, first UFC world champion, first woman to make a million dollars in martial arts, co-authored sports book of the year, and acting in three movies.

Anyone who thinks she’s just saying this because she has to doesn’t know AnnMaria de Mars. She’s been openly critical of her daughter, especially her coach, and she calls all of her boyfriends “Bob.” Anyone who’s read My Fight/Your Fight also knows they’ve gotten into several fights before. So to see her express pride in her daughter like this is a very heartwarming thing to see.

The one thing that Ronda must do following this loss is surround herself with the right people. She went completely off the grid after losing to Holly Holm, while she still hasn’t talked to the MMA media in over 13 months. Seeing someone who was once so utterly dominant like this is hard to watch, and she needs to regain her confidence back. If she decides to retire, she should hold her head up high knowing that she’s left an indelible mark on the UFC, especially for women.