13 Powerful Quotes from Ronda Rousey’s Autobiography My Fight / Your Fight

Before she became a global icon and trailblazer in MMA, Ronda Rousey was a judo prodigy, Olympic medalist, and relentless competitor shaped by disciplin and ambition. Her 2015 autobiography, My Fight / Your Fight, co-written with Maria Burns Ortiz, offers a raw, unfiltered look into the mindset of a fighter who refused to settle for anything less than greatness.

Book Review: My Fight / Your Fight by UFC Champion Ronda Rousey

Below are 13 powerful quotes—hand-picked by Combatpit editors—that capture her grit, her drive, and the mental toughness that took her from the tatami mat to the UFC octagon. The quotes appear in the order they are found in the book, offering a chronological glimpse into Ronda's evolving mindset and fighting philosophy.

1. On Fighting with Heart and Vulnerability

So many people assume that I'm cold and callous, but the truth is you need a big heart to fight. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I have had it broken too. I can compete with broken toes or stitches in my foot. I can take a hit without batting an eyelash but I will burst into tears if a sad song comes on the radio. I'm vulnerable; that's why I fight.

2. On Life as a Constant Fight

Life is a fight from the minute you take your first breath to the moment you exhale your last. You have to fight the people who say it can never be done. You have to fight the institutions that put up the glass ceilings that must be shattered. You have to fight your body when it tells you it's tired. You have to fight your mind when doubt begins to creep in. You have to fight systems that are put in place to disrupt you and obstacles that are put in place to discourage you. You have to fight because you can't count on anyone else fighting for you. And you have to fight for people who can't fight for themselves. To get anything for real value, you fight for it.

3. On Embracing Pressure

I'm not looking to escape the pressure. I'm embracing it. Pressure is what builds up in the chamber behind the bullet before it explodes out of the gun.

4. On Pain and Mental Control

I have an ability to ignore all of the information coming from my body, even pain in general. I dissociate from pain, because I am not the pain that I'm feeling. That's not me. That's not who I am. I refuse to allow pain to dictate my decision making. Pain is just one piece of information that I'm receiving. My nerves are communicating to my brain that there is something going on physically that I should be aware of. I can choose to acknowledge that information or I can choose to ignore it.

5. On Growth and Leaving Comfort Behind

If you are unwilling to leave someplace you've outgrown, you will never reach your full potential. To be the best, you have to constantly be challenging yourself, raising the bar, pushing the limits of what you can do. Don't stand still, leap forward.

6. On What It Really Takes to Win

Everyone wants to win. But to truly succeed—whether it is at a sport or at your job or in your life—you have to be willing to do the hard work, overcome the challenges, and make the sacrifices it takes to be the best at what you do.

7. On Facing the Best

You don't look at the matchups and hope to have a good draw, making it easier for you to win. It doesn't matter who you have to fight and what order you have to fight them because to be the best in the world, you have to beat them all anyway.

8. On Taking Action

Making a change in your life is as easy as making a decision and acting on it. That's it.

9. On Difficult Moments

There were times when I knew that I was in a terrible situation, but I also knew that it wouldn't last forever. Those are the moments when you have to remind yourself that this experience is a defining moment in your life, but you are not defined by it.

10. On Fear and Courage

I have been asked if I have no fear. The truth is I fear a lot of things. I just don't let fear control me. I use it to motivate me. I confront things that scare me head-on, because fear is nothing more than a feeling. The girls I'm facing in the cage, they can hurt me. Fear can't actually hurt me. Acting without fear is called recklessness. Acting with fear is called courage.

11. On Respecting Your Opponent

Never hope for mistakes from your opponents. Assume they are perfectly prepared. Assume they make weight. Assume they never get tired. Assume all their reactions will be the correct ones. Expect that they will have their eyes open, ready to take advantage of any mistakes that you make.

12. On Finding Joy in the Fight

I used to think I had to be miserable to earn success. But I've lost that need and realized that it's very old-fashioned. Boxing great Mike Tyson said "a very happy fighter is a dangerous fighter". I think he's right. I'm happier—and more dangerous—now than I've ever been.

13. On Legacy and Letting Go

Fighting takes a tall. Physically, you can only take so much. Mentally, you can only take so much. I look forward to the day where I can give up my belt, and let two other girls fight for it. Even though I will know that I could beat those girls and take that belt back, I will accept that it's their turn to carry the belt and the title and everything it represents. When that day comes, it will no longer be only my responsibility anymore. When that happens, women's MMA will be self-sustaining. When that happens, I want to be like Royce Gracie, watching the next generation of Fighters with a sense of satisfaction. I want to be that dude, front row, introducing my kids to everyone.