Kobe Bryant left a lasting impact on Ronda Rousey ahead of her return to mixed martial arts later this month. Netflix recently released footage showing Most Valuable Promotions CEO and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian sharing a message Bryant recorded for Rousey following her loss to Holly Holm in 2015.
The footage appears as part of the buildup to Rousey’s scheduled fight against Gina Carano on May 16. In the video, Rousey becomes emotional as Bryant’s words are played back to her years after they were first delivered.
“No way. You cannot be a legend without getting knocked down. People can’t relate to perfection. They relate to a beautiful struggle,” Bryant said.
The Lakers legend had added, “She will be loved more than she could ever have imagined. All she needs to do is get up and try again with her head held high. What is a story without tragedy? No tragedy equals no hero. Show her this message. I’m in her corner 1,000%.”
Bryant recorded the message after Rousey suffered the first loss of her professional MMA career at UFC 193 in November 2015. Holm defeated Rousey by knockout to capture the UFC women’s bantamweight title in Melbourne.
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Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 at the age of 41, but his message to Rousey continues to resonate years later. The UFC legend is scheduled to headline a Most Valuable Promotions event against Carano at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The card will stream live on Netflix on May 16.
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Ronda Rousey’s upcoming bout against Gina Carano will mark her first MMA appearance since December 2016, when she lost to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.
Before losing to Holm, Rousey built one of the most dominant runs in women’s MMA history. She entered the Holm fight undefeated and defended her UFC bantamweight championship six times between 2013 and 2015. Most of those victories ended in the first round by submission or knockout.
After her second consecutive defeat against Nunes, Rousey stepped away from MMA and later transitioned to professional wrestling with WWE. She became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
Carano also played a major role in the growth of women’s MMA before retiring from the sport in 2009. She later moved into acting and appeared in film franchises, including Deadpool and The Mandalorian universe.
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The May 16 event at the Intuit Dome is scheduled to feature 11 fights and will be the first MMA card streamed live on Netflix.
