Major Update On Ronda Rousey Leaving WWE For A UFC Return

With rumblings of Ronda Rousey departing WWE once her rivalry with Shayna Baszler is done, there's been plentiful speculation this week that the Rowdy One could make a return to the UFC once this latest WWE run is done.

For those hopeful of seeing Rousey back in the Octagon, it seems best not to get your hopes up.

As per esteemed combat sports journalist - and Tony Khan's favourite interviewer - Ariel Helwani, there's no truth to these rumours of Ronda heading back to the UFC.

Ronda Rousey is not considering a UFC comeback, I’m told.

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No truth to the rumors started yesterday.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 13, 2023

During her time with the UFC, Ronda Rousey made herself one of the biggest sports stars on the planet.

Having impressed in Strikeforce, Rousey became the first woman in history to sign for the UFC back in 2012. As the reigning Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion at the time of the UFC assimilating that promotion, Ronda was made the inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion as part of her arrival in the company.

Rousey's fight career saw her become famous for her first round victories and her armbar submissions. Of her first 12 professional fights, only one would go past the first round; a third round armbar submission victory over Miesha Tate at UFC 168.

UFC 193 would see Ronda's dominance finally brought to a crushing halt by Holly Holm, with Holm securing a second round win after a head kick was followed by punches to the floored Rousey. Ronda would be back in action at UFC 207, where she'd be finished in the first round against then-UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes.

That was in December 2016, and was followed by an extended absence from the Octagon for Ronda, before she signed with WWE in 2017 and formally debuted for the promotion at the 2018 Royal Rumble. She would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame that July.

Could Ronda Rousey somehow make a shock return to the world of MMA? Stranger things have happened. For now, though, it appears unlikely.

As for her current WWE run, the three-time Women's Champion is said to have a "hard out" once her present WWE deal expires. While it's not known exactly when that expiry date is, the belief is that it'll be once the ongoing rivalry with Shayna Baszler is done. Once that happens, it remains to be seen when - or if - Ronda will return to WWE at some point down the line.