UFC must take overworked Ronda Rousey’s suicide discussion seriously

Ciaran O'Flynn believes Ronda Rousey’s frank admission about her state of mind after defeat should serve as a wake-up call to UFC.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has admitted she contemplated suicide after her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 last November. Rousey opened up while appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres show on Tuesday evening.

"Honestly, my thought in the medical room, I was sitting in the corner and was like, 'What am I anymore if I'm not this?'" Rousey said. "Literally sitting there thinking about killing myself. In that exact second, I'm like, 'I'm nothing. What do I do anymore? No one gives a s--- about me anymore without this.'"

I was as shocked as anyone when I first heard this revelation. Whenever you hear the name Ronda Rousey you automatically think of the fearless, terrifying athlete who has been beating up women for fun since she made her MMA debut back in 2010. However if you take a closer look at Rousey's career for the past 18-24 months, her workload has been nothing short of insanity. Between April 2014 and November 2015 Rousey defended her UFC bantamweight title four times as well as starring in three blockbuster movies.

Rousey is without a doubt the biggest star in the UFC, with Conor McGregor a close second. Rousey deals with a phenomenal amount of media attention day in day out and it only increases in the lead up to a fight. Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw recently said Rousey and McGregor are the highest paid fighters and rightly so due to the media demand they deal with.

Let's go back to the night of November 15, 2015 at UFC 193. Ronda Rousey was widely expected to sweep aside former boxing sensation Holly Holm with ease. Instead we saw one of the biggest upsets in fighting history with a master class from Holm. At no stage of the fight did Rousey look comfortable. The result took me by surprise but nothing surprised me more than the instant abuse that appeared online immediately afterwards towards Rousey. Away from the octagon and the bright lights of Hollywood, Rousey is just a person who feels emotion just like anyone else.

In the lead-up to a fight every fighter goes through every possible emotion with the most prominent emotion of all being fear. What if I lose? Did I train hard enough? The term 'the worm of doubt' has been used by former MMA fighter Mark Coleman. Imagine having all of these emotions but with pressure of millions of people wanting you to lose on top of it. The vast majority of people would crumble.

The main question on my mind is how many other UFC fighters have contemplated suicide?

After all the pressure of being in the spotlight, the devastation of defeat, back to back injuries etc. Many fighters have talked about how fighting is the loneliest sport in the world. In football, hurling, basketball etc you train and play with your teammates. If you have an off day your teammates can pick up the slack. As a fighter you’re out there on your own. You have an off night and you are getting seriously hurt.

So what needs to happen? In my opinion the UFC needs to stand up. A strict programme needs to be set in place. For 6-8 weeks after a fight every fighter must have mandatory meetings with a sports psychologist. Yes, the UFC make fighters get checked out medically after a fight but can a doctor's scan tell if you’re depressed, no it can't. The sport must held fighters get over the devastation of a loss, clear their head after a strenuous training camp but most of all show fighters that their mental welfare is cared for.

So what next for Ronda Rousey? I would like to see Rousey retire but I can't honestly see that happening. I think Rousey should take a long break from the game. Take a year out, focus on training and just start enjoying it again. The most positive thing above all from Rousey's admission is that people feeling down and depressed may feel the will to speak out.

Twitter: @ciaranoflynn2