UFC women's bantamweight world champion Ronda Rousey. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
THE AFTERMATH OF winning an Olympic medal should be a memorable time for an athlete for all the right reasons, but that doesn’t appear to have been the case for Ronda Rousey.
In an interview with Larry King to promote her new book, Rousey explained how she went through one of the lowest points in her life when she returned from the 2008 Olympic Games.
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Rousey, who has since turned to mixed martial arts, won a judo bronze medal for the USA in Beijing, before going on to become the most dominant fighter in MMA today.
When she spoke to Larry King this week, the undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion hit out at the US Olympic Committee.
“The Olympians in our sport are really neglected. There’s millions and millions of dollars made off these athletes, but I came home with just a handshake and a boot out the door.
“My family probably spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to get me to win an Olympic medal, and they sent me home with 10 grand and then taxed me on that 10 grand. It paid for half of a 2005 Honda Accord.
“There’s no job placement for Olympians, there’s no scholarships. It’s just, thank you for devoting your life, maybe you can drive a cab,” Rousey said.
Ronda Rousey: 'The Olympians in our sport are really neglected'
THE AFTERMATH OF winning an Olympic medal should be a memorable time for an athlete for all the right reasons, but that doesn’t appear to have been the case for Ronda Rousey.
In an interview with Larry King to promote her new book, Rousey explained how she went through one of the lowest points in her life when she returned from the 2008 Olympic Games.
Rousey, who has since turned to mixed martial arts, won a judo bronze medal for the USA in Beijing, before going on to become the most dominant fighter in MMA today.
When she spoke to Larry King this week, the undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion hit out at the US Olympic Committee.
“My family probably spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to get me to win an Olympic medal, and they sent me home with 10 grand and then taxed me on that 10 grand. It paid for half of a 2005 Honda Accord.
“There’s no job placement for Olympians, there’s no scholarships. It’s just, thank you for devoting your life, maybe you can drive a cab,” Rousey said.
In her book — entitled My Fight/Your Fight — Rousey detailed how she developed a habit for alcohol, marijuana and painkillers following her Olympic success.
Rousey is due to defend her UFC title against Bethe Correia in Brazil on 1 August.
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