LOS ANGELES – Ronda Rousey’s legacy in mixed martial arts is already secure.
She was the fighter who pushed the UFC to break the gender barrier, the first women’s headliner in the company and the first UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
But while Rousey has blazed an impressive trail in putting together an undefeated record, with all wins via finish, she won’t be fully satisfied with her career unless she gets to fight the woman who got her interested in fighting in the first place.
“The first women’s MMA fight I ever saw was Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie,” Rousey told reporters Friday, when asked which was the one fight she has to have before she retires. “Not only did I admire what [Carano] was doing, but also I was blown away by the reaction all the guys were giving them, and, I just remember sitting there and thinking, ‘I could totally beat both of these chicks.'”
Of course, the bout might never come off, as it was recently reported that Carano, who last fought in 2009, has come to a stalemate in her contract talks with the UFC.
But that won’t stop Rousey from wishing for the fight between the pioneers of women’s MMA.
“Whether she ever wants to fight again or not is entirely up to her,” Rousey said. “But, ever since that day when I had that first taste of women’s MMA she’s the fight I wanted.”