Ronda Rousey Quotes & Sayings

People call me a whole lot of things, but above anything else, I'm a fighter, and it's going to be hard to accept an identity without that. — Ronda Rousey

In MMA it's a lot less intimidating because it's not like you get one shot at a title every four years. You get a title shot every couple of months ... With the Olympics, you don't always have this, so there is so much more pressure involved. — Ronda Rousey

I like to be part of the change I want to see in the world. Not being afraid of criticism is actually a big advantage. — Ronda Rousey

It's not my responsibility to make everything I say idiot-proof. — Ronda Rousey

The confusing thing is we now live in a society where it's not illegal to be an asshole, but it's illegal to slap one. — Ronda Rousey

There are so many ridiculous arguments that MMA is somehow anti-woman. — Ronda Rousey

I never really liked weightlifting because there is no problem solving, whereas when I am fighting, I am trying to solve a problem, so I don't think about being tired. I box, wrestle, do jujitsu, run up sand dunes; every single day is something different so that I am mentally engaged. That's what makes me want to train longer. — Ronda Rousey

I kind of like to think of myself as the bad girl Olympian that would get kicked out of the Miss America pageant. — Ronda Rousey

Some girls sit around and watch 'Gossip Girl' together. Me and my girlfriends watch 'Raw' and 'SmackDown.' — Ronda Rousey

In the moments that you fall hardest - when you lose a job, or find out a boyfriend is cheating on you, or realize that you made a bad financial decision - you can channel your shame, your anger, your desire, your loss. You can learn, take chances, change course. You can choose to become so successful that no one can ever put you in a situation like that again. — Ronda Rousey

At 150 pounds, I feel like I'm at my healthiest and my strongest and my most beautiful. — Ronda Rousey

Acting with fear is called courage. — Ronda Rousey

To be a fighter, you have to be passionate. I have so much passion, it's hard to hold it all in. That passion escapes as tears from my eyes, sweat from my pores, blood from my veins. — Ronda Rousey

No one is easy until you actually beat them. — Ronda Rousey

They're going to say that because no one else has ever done something, that it can't be done. You have to be crazy enough to believe that you are the one person in the history of the world who can create that change or accomplish that dream. — Ronda Rousey

I'm a huge fan of wrestling, and I would like to see the position of women in the sport continue to improve, so if I can be a part of it, great. — Ronda Rousey

When women say that going on publications directed at men is somehow demeaning, I don't think that's true. I think that's one really effective way to change the societal standard women are held to. — Ronda Rousey

The way that I like to fight is I like to paint myself into a corner and so the only way is for me to win. — Ronda Rousey

My life is so active, and I'm fighting the whole day that I don't have any aggressiveness or any energy outside of fighting. I'm the most chill couch potato you could ever meet. — Ronda Rousey

A lot of my best clothes I buy at photo shoots because I don't have time to shop. — Ronda Rousey

There have always been people who have written me off. They're not going away. I use that to motivate me. I'm driven to show them just how wrong they are. — Ronda Rousey

I got a lot of body paint on me in a short period of time. I would definitely do it again because Joann [Gair] is so brilliant, but I would definitely need, like, a good long break for it. — Ronda Rousey

It's your purpose to leave the world better than how you found it. — Ronda Rousey

I'm the most dangerous unarmed women in the world, I've prepared my entire life to be that way. — Ronda Rousey

Once you give them the power to tell you you're great, you've also given them the power to tell you you're unworthy. Once you start caring about people's opinions of you, you give up control. — Ronda Rousey

Active patience is taking the time to set something up correctly. — Ronda Rousey

I did what sports were supposed to be like, and I was living in my car. So you know what, fine. I'm gonna talk a bunch of sh*t. I'm gonna pose in a couple of pictures. And I'm gonna break a couple of girl's arms, and I'm not gonna feel the least bit sorry about it because you know what? At least I can feed my dog. — Ronda Rousey

Boxing great Mike Tyson said "a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter." I think he's right. — Ronda Rousey

It was a very bold step for Sports Illustrated, and a lot of people are taking notice. I want it to be so normal that people don't even notice anymore. — Ronda Rousey

The thing that gets me up in the morning is that I'm really not ready to see someone that I know I can beat holding my belt. — Ronda Rousey

I wear sunglasses almost all the time outside - not because I think I'm really, really cool, but because of the rays. — Ronda Rousey

I wasn't allowed to throw big hooks and overhand rights until I'd been striking for three years. It's so you don't rely on those things from the very beginning. If your footwork sucks, and you can only stand in one place and throw your hands all crazy while the other person is running around, you're never going to be able to hit them. — Ronda Rousey

See, for some reason, I feel like it's a victory if I wake up one minute before the alarm. It's like I'm in a contest with myself, with my foot kicking around until it wakes up the rest of my body. It's the stupidest thing. But it makes me feel like I've already won something. — Ronda Rousey

SOMEONE HAS TO BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD. WHY NOT YOU? — Ronda Rousey

I was painfully shy for a long time. I mean, that's something I really had to work my way out of. And I really think it was because, after the 2008 Olympics, I spent a whole year bartending. It was the one thing that really forced me to be just not so scared to start conversations with strangers. — Ronda Rousey

Kids don't like what they don't understand, and judo was always my social outlet. I always felt really socially awkward, and I couldn't speak very well when I was younger. When I was doing judo, it was something that I could understand and someplace where I felt that I belonged and fit in. — Ronda Rousey

Judo was one of those sports where they give you guidelines but then try to tell you to develop your own style. — Ronda Rousey

I think that Floyd Mayweather is the best boxer that's ever lived; like actual technical boxer. — Ronda Rousey

Where is women's sports prominently displayed with the men? Tennis is the only thing I can think of. — Ronda Rousey

When I looked at the state of women's MMA, what I saw was that it was missing rivalries or anything theatrical about it. Everybody was trying to be Miss America, unwilling to go under any kind of criticism, and taking the safe answers. I thought I needed to do whatever I could to get attention. — Ronda Rousey

I want her to look at me. I want her to stare me in the eye. I want her to see that I have no fear. I want her to know she stands no chance. I want her to be scared. I want her to know she is going to lose. — Ronda Rousey

I go mainly by the Dolce diet. It is a little hard to describe: it's not really a diet but more of a lifestyle. I eat throughout the day; I have three meals and two snacks, and it changes according to what I need at the time. — Ronda Rousey

The whole 'bad girl' thing allows me to mess up sometimes. And I have freedom to say more of what I want to. — Ronda Rousey

Making a change in your life is as easy as making a decision and acting on it. That's it. — Ronda Rousey

My first injury ever was a broken toe, and my mother made me run laps around the mat for the rest of the night. She said she wanted me to know that even if I was hurt, I was still fine. — Ronda Rousey

I'm the champion for a reason. — Ronda Rousey

As an athlete you're taught to be selfish. When I'm training, it's usually all about me. — Ronda Rousey

The best way to take a punch is to look at it. Honestly. Someone could hit you with the hardest punch that they have, but as long as you see it, it's not going to knock you out. It's the punches that you don't see that knock you out. So you could get tapped with a small punch, but if you don't see it, you're out. — Ronda Rousey

It is one thing to fight other people, but fighting yourself is different. If you're fighting yourself, who wins? Who loses? — Ronda Rousey

I have a candle permanently on my Jacuzzi because I love me some candles. — Ronda Rousey

I think it's hilarious if people say that my body looks masculine. — Ronda Rousey

I don't shy away from any questions. I'm not scared of any question. I'll give you an answer. A lot of people are scared of having actual opinions out there. People are so scared of criticism ... I'm not scared of people disliking me. — Ronda Rousey

When it comes to fighting, physical strength really has very little to do with it. One of the tenets that judo is founded upon is "Maximum efficiency, minimum effort." That has really defined my career. It is the foundation of all the techniques and everything I do. It's one reason why I don't get tired. It's one reason why I am able to fight girls who are a head taller than me, or chicks who are on steroids. People who cheat or dope lack the one thing every true champion must have: belief. No drug or amount of money or favoritism can ever give you belief in yourself. — Ronda Rousey

It took a lot of time to develop a healthier relationship with food and with my weight. — Ronda Rousey

Everyone wants to win. But to truly succeed - whether it is at a sport or at your job or in life - you have to be willing to do the hard work, overcome the challenges, and make the sacrifices it takes to be the best at what you do. — Ronda Rousey

I fight with pizazz. It's a different sound from everyone else. It's the sound of pizazz. — Ronda Rousey

I'm living such a lucky and blessed life and I'm trying my best to deserve it. — Ronda Rousey

I had a lot of trouble speaking as a kid. I didn't really speak in coherent sentences until I was, like, 6 years old. There was a long time where everybody was very worried, because my sisters were so advanced for their age, and I would barely talk. — Ronda Rousey

I always say you have to be willing to get your heart broken. — Ronda Rousey

One of my mom's best lines is ... You're not training to be the best in the world, you're training to be the best in the world on your worst day. — Ronda Rousey

Easy lives make boring people. — Ronda Rousey

I'm going to be super successful one day, and I'm going to write a book. It's going to be a kickass autobiography. And this is how it always happens in the book. This is just that part of the book where the character is going through hard times. This is that sucky part of the story. Just get through a few more pages, and it's going to have an amazing ending. — Ronda Rousey

I don't lift weights at all. Every muscle on my body is for an actual task; there is no muscle that I train for show. If I want to be able to do a certain move or action, I train really hard until I can. And with all of that training comes muscle definition, so it's really an afterthought. — Ronda Rousey

There have been times in my adolescence where I gave up. I was like, 'I'm just never going to be pretty. I'm never going to be like one of those people on the front of magazines.' It always seemed really strange to me that the projection of how people are in advertisements looked nothing like the people who were actually buying them. You know what I mean? I never understood that mismatch, and now I really start to see that the people you see in the media are a lot more like people actually are. — Ronda Rousey

Even before I was a fighter, I was a daddy's girl. — Ronda Rousey

The reaction has been amazing because there is no woman that could look at these covers and not be like, 'That's what I could look like,' or, 'I pretty much already look like one of these chicks.' It really makes beauty seem so much more attainable to people. — Ronda Rousey

I try not to get caught up on how cool I am. That way nothing ever gets done. I'm always thinking about what I haven't done. — Ronda Rousey

I don't feel the need to be the hot chick every second of the day. I like to be able to surprise people when I turn it on. I want it to be like the movie 'She's All That' when they unveil her. — Ronda Rousey

I am not looking to escape the pressure. I am embracing it. Pressure is what builds up in the chamber behind a bullet before it explodes out of the gun. — Ronda Rousey

She taught me that it is not enough to just be better than everyone else. You have to be so much better that no one can deny your superiority. You have to realize that the judges are not always going to give the win to you. You have to win so clearly that they have no choice but to declare you the winner. You have to be able to win every match twice on your worst day. — Ronda Rousey

Reality TV is set up to make people entertaining. A good person with values and principles is not good television. — Ronda Rousey

If you work hard the fight's easy. If you don't work hard then the fight's hard. — Ronda Rousey

For girls, it raises your testosterone, so I try to have as much sex as possible before I fight. — Ronda Rousey

If you ever wanna be motivated, go try and be homeless for a day and that will just light a fire under your butt like none other. — Ronda Rousey

Do I ever get tired of being the first female everything? Not really, I just happened to be in a position where the job that I wanted was not really there for me. I had to create an opportunity instead of waiting for an opportunity. — Ronda Rousey

I wasn't always the most fashionable, and I would come to school with cauliflower ear and ringworm. I got made fun of a lot. People called me 'Miss Man' and 'Guns,' and people directed a lot of karate jokes at me. I wish that I was at school now that MMA and martial arts is cool, but back when I was in school, people associated it with nerdy stuff. — Ronda Rousey

I get asked that a lot and I always go back to my mom's, 'No one has the right to beat you.' I take that to every venue that I'm in. She would say, 'Someone has to be the best in the world, why not you?' I always try to keep that in mind. — Ronda Rousey

We were in the middle of a sandbar in the middle of the ocean with no one around, and still someone was following me from New York, and was hiding in some bushes like a mile away with a long lens, so he still got pictures. It was really an eye opener to how you really have to be careful about being followed everywhere. I was trying to go to the most remote place in the world, I was out on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean, and they still found me. It was definitely a very new experience. — Ronda Rousey

There was a long time I had no job security, no options and no education. — Ronda Rousey

If you're fighting with emotion instead of structure ... it's always going to be a mistake. — Ronda Rousey

Success is the result of hard work, busting your ass every day for years on end without cutting corners or taking shortcuts. — Ronda Rousey

Don't focus on what you can't do. Focus on what you can. — Ronda Rousey

To win, you have to be willing to die. — Ronda Rousey

Everything in the world is information. The information you choose to acknowledge and the information you choose to ignore is up to you. You can let outside factors beyond your control throw off your focus. You can let aching muscles hold you back. You can let silence make you feel uncomfortable. By choosing to focus only on the information that is necessary, you can tune out every distraction, and achieve far more. — Ronda Rousey

Fear of failure is always a driver but the thirst for more is a good one too ... So I think you need a little bit of both. — Ronda Rousey

A belt does nothing but hold your gi together. A belt has assigned significance, a belt is someone else saying you're good, you don't need other people saying that you're good in order to be good. — Ronda Rousey

I spent the whole first year of my career just on my legs. If you have good legs under you, then you can punch. Anybody can stand and throw their hands and look like an idiot. If you actually want to learn how to punch, you have to work on being balanced on your legs and feeling your legs under you. Feel the ground. — Ronda Rousey

The kind of hope I'm talking about is the belief that something good will come. That everything you're going through and everything you've gone through will be worth the struggles and frustrations. The kind of hope I'm talking about is a deep belief that the world can be changed, that the impossible is possible. — Ronda Rousey

I might not have had the tools at my disposal that my opponents had, but I created advantages of my own. — Ronda Rousey

That's why I love fighting, because I get to have a big battle every couple months to make up for the little battles I have to forfeit every day — Ronda Rousey

People love the idea of winning an Olympic medal or a world title. But what few people realize is that pretty much every second leading up to the actual win is uncomfortable, painful, and impossibly daunting - physically and mentally. Most people focus on the wrong thing: They focus on the result, not the process. The process is the sacrifice; it is all the hard parts - the sweat, the pain, the tears, the losses. You make the sacrifices anyway. You learn to enjoy them, or at least embrace them. — Ronda Rousey

What I'm really looking to do is retire undefeated; I'm not sure when the right time to retire will be, but I know that I'm not done yet. Something still feels unfinished, and that's why I'm going to keep going. — Ronda Rousey

I just like when a guy dresses for comfort, to be honest. If he takes longer to get ready than I do, that's a deal breaker. — Ronda Rousey

After I defended my title the first time when I beat Sarah Kaufman, I went back to my room, and my friend ordered all these trays of hot wings. They came into the room, and the little hotel sheet thing was draped over it, and I go to open it up, and it's breaded and boneless. I cried. — Ronda Rousey

Judo taught me that I am capable of anything ... I can mentally push past anything and be victorious. — Ronda Rousey

When people say, "Oh you're so cocky. You're so arrogant," I feel like they're telling me that I think too highly of myself. My question for them is: "Who are you to tell me that I need to think less of myself? — Ronda Rousey

One of the greatest days of my life was when I came to understand that other people's approval and my happiness were not related. — Ronda Rousey

Believe me, there's nothing I would like to do more than disappear for a while. — Ronda Rousey

I knew that I liked what I was doing, that it was what I wanted to do for a living, and that the profession didn't really exist so much. So I had to create it.? — Ronda Rousey

I go to bed every night thinking about all the possible ways that I can succeed. — Ronda Rousey