Recalling a message from the late great "Black Mamba" was probably the best way for Ronda Rousey to kickstart her MMA return.

During a recent phone conversation with Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian, he showed Ronda Rousey a message from Kobe Bryant following her infamous 2015 loss to Holly Holm.

“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.” Bryant added.

Rousey was visibly tearing up the moment Bidarian told her who the message was from. After more than a decade, she will be stepping on that platform again with the Lakers legend's words in mind.

Bryant's words carried so much weight for Rousey because the former bantamweight champion spent years dominating opponents before she entered a period of professional silence following the consecutive losses.

Bryant's words held great importance because he knew the experience of losing everything. Rousey maintained an undefeated record in MMA until her defeat against Holly Holm, which ended her six-match winning streak in the UFC.

The loss cost her the title, but it also transformed all aspects of her life. The moment became more significant after the events that occurred afterward. Rousey competed in her final UFC match against Amanda Nunes, which she lost in December 2016.

Inspired by Bryant's words, Rousey is preparing for her most difficult challenge to date.

Ronda Rousey is in High Spirits Ahead of Her Return to MMA

'Rowdy' is set to face Gina Carano on May 16. During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, she claimed the MMA world will see the most dangerous version of her yet.

“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," Rousey said.

Rousey insists she is in the best physical and mental form of her career rather than a replica of her past self.

“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.” She added.

The event will be streamed for free to subscribers globally by Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions, which was co-founded by Jake Paul.

She teamed up with MVP directly to make her comeback after initially pitching the "superfight" with Carano to the UFC, which passed on the offer.

Do you think Ronda Rousey is about to pull off something special in her first MMA fight in almost a decade?

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Utsav Gupta