
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Ronda Rousey is set to return to fighting on May 16 against Gina Carano after nearly a decade away from the cage. She has responded to critics questioning her age and long absence, emphasizing that her age should not be a concern.
Los Angeles, CA - March 30: Ronda Rousey, UFC Hall of Famer, MMA Champion, and three-time WWE Women's Champion, speaks during a press confernce at All City Boxing Club in Llos Angeles, to announce new legislation (AB 2130) that creates a dedicated funding stream for retirement protections for professional fighters. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/The Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Ronda Rousey doesnât want to hear another word about how old she is as she prepares to fight for the first time in nearly a decade.
When fight fans last saw Rousey in the cage it was at UFC 207 in December 2016, when she suffered a 48-second knockout loss to Amanda Nunes. Since then, Rousey has flirted with retirement without officially hanging up the gloves, starred as a headlining professional wrestling act for WWE, and acted in a few major Hollywood movies.
She returns to action on May 16 against fellow womenâs MMA pioneer Gina Caranoâherself, coming off of a near 17-year breakâlive on Netflix, and while the legends matchup has garnered plenty of attention, itâs also earned its fair share of criticism especially considering Rousey and Caranoâs lengthy layoffs.
Rousey wonders why her combat readiness is being questioned.
âI never hear Jon Jonesâ age being brought up as a disqualifying factor,â Rousey told CBS Mornings. âItâs not like my ovaries are fighting. You know what I mean? Why are we even talking about this?â
In her prime, Rousey was one of the most dominant fighters in all of MMA. She successfully defended the UFC bantamweight title six consecutive times, often needing less than a minute to finish her opponents. While becoming one of the UFCâs biggest draws, Rousey also became a mainstream celebrity.
However, with her last two fights ending in memorable knockout losses, Rousey has always felt that something was missing in regards to her saying farewell to fighting.
âThere was kind of like a cascade of things that led to it, but largely I wanted to rewrite my own ending in MMA,â Rousey said of her reasons for coming back. âIt was just unfinished. I never formally retired. Dana said I retired and I hadnât fought in, like, 10 years, so I think I needed everyone to kind of give up on me coming back before I knew I was coming back just for me.â
For now, it appears Rouseyâs return is planned to be a one-off, with the fighter wanting to go out on her own terms. As for what she hopes to accomplish, Rousey believes enough time has passed for her to find her love for the game again and exit on a positive note.
âI think I want to be able to change all my prior negative associations that I had in MMA,â Rousey said. âI think everything just kind of got convoluted and it became about so many other things I had I feel like the world on my shoulders and Iâd lost sight of what Iâd really loved about martial arts. I think that getting back to it and making joy in the process the priority has been the best decision Iâve ever made besides marrying my husband.â
Ronda Rousey's comeback fight against Gina Carano is scheduled for May 16.
Ronda Rousey is criticized about her age due to her lengthy absence from fighting, as she hasn't competed since December 2016.
Ronda Rousey's last fight was at UFC 207 in December 2016, where she lost to Amanda Nunes in 48 seconds.
During her break from fighting, Ronda Rousey has starred in WWE as a headlining act and acted in several major Hollywood movies.

Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
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