Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey says she’s rediscovered her love for training, but insists she has no plans to fight again.

Ronda Rousey has revealed she is back training regularly for the first time in years, sparking renewed discussion about whether one of mixed martial arts’ most influential figures could ever return to competition. The 37-year-old former UFC bantamweight champion retired from MMA in 2016 after back-to-back losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes ended her reign at the top of the sport.

Rousey, who became the UFC’s first female champion in 2012 and successfully defended her title six times, told The Breakfast Club that her recent time back on the mats came from a desire to feel healthy again, not to make a comeback. “They’re like, ‘you look so good!’ Because I’m the greatest ever,” said Rousey. “Of course this is what happens when I train. I look great. Sorry. I don’t have to have a plan for world domination in mind.”

The former Olympian explained that her decision to start training again was prompted by helping a friend with judo, which led to her rediscovering her enjoyment of the sport. “It’s what my body really wants. I just feel healthier and better and I want to train again,” she said. “It got to a point where it kind of got hijacked from me, and I was fighting and training for reasons other than my own.”

Rousey also dismissed online rumours that she could be appearing on the upcoming UFC card at the White House. “I am not fighting at the White House. I got better stuff to do,” she said. “My kid needs pasta.”

Since leaving the UFC, Rousey has stayed in the spotlight through her successful spell in professional wrestling with WWE, where she became the first woman to headline WrestleMania. She stepped away from wrestling in 2023 to focus on family life and other projects, including her autobiography, Our Fight, released earlier this year.

The women’s bantamweight division Rousey once dominated has changed significantly in her absence. Amanda Nunes, who defeated Rousey in her final fight, retired in 2023 as a two-division champion. With a new generation of contenders such as Mayra Bueno Silva, Ketlen Vieira, and Irene Aldana in the mix, Rousey would face a very different landscape were she ever to consider a return.

For now, though, Rousey appears content outside of competition, describing her renewed training as a personal journey rather than the start of another fight campaign.