It’s no secret that Ronda Rousey isn’t afraid to speak her mind. While those following the mixed martial arts career of the Olympic judoka since it began are well aware of her sometimes unfiltered candor, it is only now beginning to surface on a more mainstream level as Rousey prepares to square off with Liz Carmouche in the UFC 157 headliner on Saturday.
“I think if they expect the sport to be universally accepted, it has to be universally accepted for everyone to do it. If they don’t want that stigma, that, like, you know ‘oh, it’s so dangerous, and it’s so barbaric, and dah dah dah,’ if they don’t want that attached to it, then it’s going to have to be acceptable for women and kids to do it,” Rousey told Time. “Really. I’m not saying have 8-year-olds do MMA matches. But I mean, if you want it to be a household recognized sport, it needs to be acceptable for everyone to do it. It needs to be celebrated for everyone to do it. Look how popular tennis is. Everyone can do tennis. The chicks do it, the guys do it, kids do it,, heeeeeey…”
You can read Gregory’s interview with Rousey on the Time Magazine website here.