Ronda Rousey still believes she could beat Holly Holm if they ran it back, but she also made the part that matters clear. She is not chasing that rematch.
The answer came after Rousey’s latest fight at MVP MMA 1, where she submitted Gina Carano by armbar in 17 seconds.
During an appearance on Up & Adams, Kay Adams asked Rousey about Holm apparently saying she doubted Rousey would want a rematch. Rousey opened with the retirement answer first.
“I said I’m retired.”
Then she explained why she believes the fight would look different now.
“A, and B, I think that I am a completely different fighter now, and I would clean her clock.”
Up & Adams captioned the clip with Rousey saying she has the ability and opportunity to “f*cking clean her clock.” Watch the clip below.
"I definitely have the ability and opportunity to be able to f*cking clean her clock."
Ronda Rousey on a Holly Holm rematch 👀@RondaRousey | @HollyHolm | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/t6LmFyl4YV
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 27, 2026
Rousey Says Her Health And Priorities Changed
Rousey tied some of that confidence to a medical issue she says affected the end of her first MMA run.
“And definitely now that I got that new medication, I took it before. So I was diagnosed with cortical spreading depression, which was what was happening in my last fights and why. I basically was like, I need to stop because I thought that my concussions were catching up to me.”
She said her recent fight gave her a live test of whether the issue would return.
“And this was the first fight where I was able to take it. And when I spiked my head into the mat, that’s exactly the kind of thing that would have set me off before and I would have lost big chunks of my vision. And it didn’t come back at all. It was like it ended up working perfectly in a live situation.”
The Holm loss remains one of the biggest shocks in UFC history. Holm knocked out Rousey with a second-round head kick at UFC 193 in Melbourne in November 2015, taking the UFC women’s bantamweight title and handing Rousey her first MMA loss. Rousey later lost to Amanda Nunes in 2016 before stepping away from MMA for years.
Rousey’s MMA record is 13-2, with 10 submission wins and 3 knockouts. Holm’s MMA record is 15-7 with 1 no contest. Holm also owns a professional boxing record of 34-3-3.
Rousey said the old version of herself would have wanted the Holm rematch badly.
“I feel like how many years ago, 10 years ago, or where the hell it would be, this would be exactly what I would have wanted more than anything and be a chance at coming back and redemption and beating her.”
She said that path could have led to bigger fights and bigger money.
“And I could feasibly have like Amanda Serrano or something after that and have bigger and bigger money fights and all of this fame and all of this money.”
Rousey said the opportunity feels different now because she has changed.
“And right now, it’s completely within my grasp. I’m better than I’ve ever been. I have better coaching than I’ve ever had. I finally don’t have these neurological issues I had before. But now that I have it all set in front of me, I’ve changed and the things that I want have changed.”
That shift, she said, is about her children.
“And what’s more important to me is suddenly these aren’t the most important things in the world to me anymore. It’s these kids and spending time with them.”
Rousey still believes the rematch is winnable.
“And so yeah, I think I definitely have the ability and the opportunity to be able to clean her clock and rewrite all of that.”
But she said the loss no longer drives her.
“But it’s no longer important to me anymore. It doesn’t haunt me. It doesn’t, you know what I mean? It’s not the most important thing in my life.”
Rousey closed by saying she cares more about being present for her kids than changing public perception.
“And these people’s perceptions and people knowing how great I am and all this stuff, like I know how good I am. And my kids need me in their life. And I want to be there for them. And this isn’t the most important thing anymore.”
Then she shut down the idea of chasing the past.
“And of course, the time that I get where I now can go back and do that, I don’t want to go back. I only want to go forward.”
