Ronda Rousey is still one of Dana White's "all-time favourite" fighters.
The UFC chief recently sat down with Shaquille O'Neal on the NBA legend's The Big Podcast with Shaq where he discussed Rowdy's meteoric rise and ultimate demise.
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During one segment, the Los Angeles Lakers icon asked White to name his favorite UFC fighters of all time.
Without hesitation, the MMA mogul named former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and inaugural UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Rousey - revealing that the latter "was the greatest athlete I've ever worked with by a hundred miles."
White said the former judoka and Olympic bronze medalist was a dream to work with because of her "belief in herself that she could do anything."
However, while acknowledging Rousey's self-confidence was a major part of her success, the Power Slap CEO admitted it was also 'what ended up being her downfall'.
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"She ended up becoming so big and so popular that she took on so many different things at the same time," White said.
"Ronda took everything on her back and carried it and she would never say no to anything.
"Meanwhile, all the other women in the division were just training to beat Ronda - you break Ronda down and just figure out how to beat her."
White thinks Rousey's rise and fall is a lot like Conor McGregor's career arc - who he admitted was his other favorite fighter to work with.
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"The Conor thing is much like Ronda," White went on.
"So many opportunities fell on Ronda because of who she was and her personality and looks. Everything she had as a package, ended up being her downfall, [with] the money and everything else.
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"Ronda went from living in her car to being so extremely wealthy that she didn't have to work or do anything. She's got a great life, got three or four houses in great places.
"And Conor McGregor is ten times that.
"When that kind of money becomes involved in the fight business, it's tough, man."
McGregor became a global superstar in the mid 2010s, taking the fight game by storm with his unique combination of irrepressible confidence, flashy personal style, and devastating in-Octagon finishes - many of which he predicted.
The PPV phenomenon became one of the world's highest-paid athletes and even boxed Floyd Mayweather, but away from the sport increasingly lived up to his Notorious moniker with a string of highly-publicized controversies.
The 36-year-old Irishman hasn't fought in MMA since breaking his leg during his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He was scheduled to return to the Octagon last month against Michael Chandler but a broken toe in sparring has left the fight -- and McGregor's fighting future -- in serious doubts.
McGregor is a movie star and multi-millionaire whose commitment to the sport has been constantly questioned over recent years. White's latest comments about Rousey seem to suggest he thinks money had a similarly detrimental effect on her career.
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However, according to the woman herself, it was injuries, not the bells and whistles of fame and fortune, that cut her career short.
Rousey is an MMA pioneer and arguably the biggest female star the sport has ever produced, but a lifetime of blows -- including an extensive history of concussions as an Olympic judoka -- ended her UFC reign.
The 37-year-old revealed to talkSPORT that she hid several medical issues from the UFC during her time with the company as she feared she would be forced to retire. Things got so bad for the former 125lb champ that she got concussion symptoms almost every time she took a punch.
The mixed martial arts queen admitted she went into every fight with some kind of injury - something White may be referring to when he says she never said no to anything.
While highly commendable, Rousey's dogged determination in spite of injuries cost her. She was on the receiving end of a vicious head-kick knockout by Holly Holm in 2015 which she never truly recovered from.
Rousey was dismantled by champion Amanda Nunes in her next bout at at UFC 207 in 2016.
The first round TKO was the last time Ronda fought in MMA before switching over to WWE on a permanent basis.
The former 'Baddest Woman on the Planet’ stayed with the wrestling organisation until 2023, with her final WWE match coming at SummerSlam in August. She eventually walked away because of the same concussions that abruptly ended her run in the UFC.
Ronda hasn't been to a UFC event since retiring. She hasn't watched much MMA in general since hanging up her gloves.
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But whatever happens next, Rowdy is a MMA and UFC legend who had a profound impact on the trajectory of an entire sport, something White is forever grateful for.
"She's the one that opened my eyes to women fighting," he said.