Ronda Rousey faces a stiff test on Saturday, July 5, at UFC 175 in Alexis Davis, but the UFC women's bantamweight champion is already planning her next fight.
"I'd like to fight again on New Year's and take a little break in between," Rousey said during a UFC 175 pre-fight media conference call. "But the UFC, they know that if there's an emergency or if they need me, I'll step up."
So far in her UFC career, which began in February 2013, Rousey has fought three times, defeating Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate and, most recently, Sara McMann.
While the turnaround between her UFC 168 matchup with Tate and her UFC 170 bout with McMann was less than two months, Rousey previously faced a 10-month layoff between her UFC debut against Carmouche and her sophomore appearance in December 2013.
"Rowdy" did not enjoy the effect this layoff had on her body and her performance.
"I got offered a way later fight date (for this fight), but after fighting Miesha and seeing how ring rust did affect me, I know that I will be a better fighter at the end of the year if I fight in the summer," Rousey said.
To help combat this problem further, Rousey said she's always in the gym working, even right after fights. It's something she can't resist, and it's a routine that she feels she needs in order to stay sharp and polished as a mixed martial artist.
"I don't really do that well with down time, so I'm always in the gym regardless," Rousey said. "A lot of fighters like to have their fight and then they go and chillax, but I get in trouble for being back in the gym like two days after a fight...That high after a win is what I enjoy the most, not sitting around and resting."
Now, Rousey faces Davis, a challenger who the champ called the "most well-rounded fighter" she's faced during the conference call. Holding black belts in both Japanese and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Davis is known for her prowess on the ground, but she's developing the rest of her game at a rapid pace, and Rousey has taken notice.
"The greatest challenge is that whatever tools that she (Davis) does have, I know that she will use them in the most intelligent way possible," Rousey said. "And with her being so well-rounded, there are a lot of tools to be aware of."
