Ronda Rousey has heard innumerable voices throughout her career—critics, doubters, promoters, and fans who once saw her as an unstoppable force. But, as she prepares for her long-awaited return against Gina Carano next week, one voice from the past cut through everything and left the former UFC champion visibly emotional.

And it belonged to none other than the late Kobe Bryant. During a recent phone conversation with Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, ‘Rowdy’ was shown a message Bryant delivered following her devastating 2015 knockout loss to Holly Holm—a defeat that shattered her aura of invincibility and changed the course of her life.

Kobe Bryant’s words were powerful, but more importantly, deeply human.

“No way. You cannot be a legend without getting knocked on your a–,” he wrote. “People can’t relate to perfection. They relate to a beautiful struggle. 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 the f— is a story without tragedy? No tragedy equals no hero. Show her this message. I’m in her corner a thousand percent.”

When Nakisa Bidarian revealed who had sent the letter, Ronda Rousey’s expression softened, her tears welled up, and the fierce fighter looked like someone revisiting an old wound through a new lens. And perhaps that is why her comeback feels different this time.

For years, the former bantamweight champion’s story was defined by domination, then heartbreak, and finally silence. But Bryant knew something bigger: greatness is often built not in moments of triumph but in the aftermath of humiliation, loss, and doubt.

In fact, Kobe Bryant, ahead of his 2016 final All-Star game, noted at practice that he attempted to reach out to ‘Rowdy’ after the loss multiple times, according to USA Today.

“I told her, ‘It’s a beautiful thing,’” he said. “That’s what I told her. I said, ‘To be a true champion sometimes you have to get knocked down.’

“It happens to the best of us. It happened with my Achilles (when I tore it); (Muhammad Ali) got put down several times—it happens to the best of us.”

To make things more poignant, ‘The Black Mamba’ further admitted that she couldn’t wait to see her comeback.

“I think the true mark of a champion is how you get up from that,” Bryant continued. “If she goes through her entire career undefeated, she becomes this mythical figure that nobody can relate to.

“She got beat. We all get beat at some point or another in our lives. Now it’s a matter of how she bounces back from that. I think that’s what makes her a true champion.”

Now, nearly a decade after her last MMA appearance, Ronda Rousey returns to combat with more than just hype and legacy. She carries perspective, scars, and the words of a legend who felt her tale should never end with a fall but with how she chose to rise afterward. And that’s why even ‘Rowdy’ claims that right now, she’s the best she’s ever been.

Ronda Rousey claims fight fans will get to witness the very best version on May 16

That message from Kobe Bryant may have helped Ronda Rousey reconcile with her past, but what stands out now is how strongly she believes her best chapter is yet ahead. That’s a bold claim, yet she says it without hesitation.

During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, ‘Rowdy’ insisted that the version of herself that will face Gina Carano on May 16 is the most complete martial artist she has ever been.

“This is the absolute peak of me mentally as a martial artist and the absolute peak of my body,” she said. “Being able to keep up with the speed of my mind, and this is what you worked for your entire life as a martial artist to reach this pinnacle, and I’m finally hitting it.

“This is definitely the most dangerous I’ve ever been because what always set me apart as a martial artist is my technique, my IQ, and my wittiness in the cage. I’ve never been better as a martial artist.”

According to Ronda Rousey, her mind and body are finally in sync, allowing her to fight with the clarity she never had during her initial run at the top. Now that changes how this comeback should be perceived. ‘Rowdy’ is not trying to recreate her 2015 self.

Instead, she is trying to prove who she has become in 2026: a more seasoned, mentally stronger, and technically honed version of the former bantamwight champ who once changed the face of women’s MMA forever. If she’s right, people won’t be seeing a legend return for nostalgia. They may be watching a legend reveal a version of herself that never existed before.

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