Ronda Rousey stepped back into the gym with former rival Cat Zingano, hitting mitts and rolling on the mats in a video posted to Instagram on March 12, 2025. Months after her second child with UFC vet Travis Browne, the ex-bantamweight champ flexed her skills anew. Her caption dug into her postpartum shift, vowing openness over secrecy this time. No octagon return looms. Concussions sealed that fate. But her love for training burns bright, shared to lift others up.
A Throwback Team-Up
Zingano, last beaten by Cris Cyborg in 2023, brought a full-circle moment. On February 28, 2015, at UFC 184, Rousey snagged a 14-second armbar win over her, a career highlight. Now, they swap moves as allies, not enemies. The Instagram clip catches Rousey’s jabs cutting air and her grappling trading pace with Zingano, her judo base still fluid. She praised Zingano for reviving the thrill, a spark from their storied past.
From Hiding to Healing
Rousey’s words hit harder than her punches.
“Crazy to think now that I never shared these pics cause I was afraid of people comparing my post-baby-bod to my fight-camp-form in a cruel way,” she wrote on Instagram. “Now it’s obvious the one unfairly comparing was me, holy shit what an idiot I was, I’d be so proud to get back to that point now.”
After her first kid, she dodged the camera, stung by her own critique. This round, she’s shedding that weight.
“So this time I’m going to try and be a little more brave and not go through this journey in secret but share it in hopes it helps anyone out there going through something similar,” she added.
Her training footage proves the point, power persists, even postpartum.
Technique That Sticks
Ronda is 38 now, but she’s still really good. Her friend Cynthia made a video showing Ronda hitting pads super fast and rolling around on the mat with Cat Zingano. You can tell she learned a lot from judo, which she did so well she won a shiny medal at the Olympics. She’s not getting ready to fight again. Two tough ladies, Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, beat her in 2015 and 2016, ending her record at 12 wins and 2 losses. This time, it’s just for her, not for a job.
Ronda has a big award from fighting, like a trophy for being awesome, but she’s thinking about new stuff now. Practicing with Cat Zingano reminds her of what she loves, and her words tell a new story. She wants to feel strong, not sad, about herself. The big boss, Dana White, isn’t asking her to fight again, and she doesn’t want to either. She’s looking ahead, not back.
