Our Fight: A Memoir
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 62 ratings
Price: 17.05
Last update: 05-22-2024
About this item
From New York Times bestselling author and trailblazing athlete Ronda Rousey, an unfiltered chronicle of loss, resilience and finding meaning in life’s journey.
From the moment she burst onto the MMA scene, Ronda Rousey was unbeatable. She repeatedly strung together back-to-back flawless victories, racking up a collection of records and forever changing the face of sports as the UFC’s first female champion. A superstar in her sport, she transcended athletics, appearing in blockbuster films and becoming a role model for women everywhere. Then, on November 15, 2015, it all came crashing down.
In OUR FIGHT, Rousey explores the greatest challenge of her life and, ultimately, how she rebuilt her life into something better in the aftermath. She recounts how she replaced her pursuit of perfection with the pursuit of happiness and found an opportunity in disguise amongst the wreckage. Following Rousey’s relatable journey, OUR FIGHT is a courageous narrative of career changes, marriage, motherhood, and facing your fears.
Top reviews from the United States
Danny Delaria5.0 out of 5 stars
I have enjoyed her book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2024
I have enjoyed her book. I read My Fight,Your Fight years ago.
Jerry R. Hays5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book.
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
Great book
Elizabeth Hoffmann4.0 out of 5 stars
If you enjoy sports memoirs, you'll get a kick out of this one
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2024
I read Rousey’s first book and I enjoyed it a lot. When I saw she’d written a second book I jumped at the chance to read it. As a sports fanatic and one that followed Rousey’s career it was intriguing to see her pen a very humorous yet candid view of her career on the UFC and her time in the WWE.
It’s was wild to see that from an early age she opted to “tough it out” with her concussions rather than be seen as weak or potentially not be allowed to fight. The most intriguing part of her thoughts on the aftermath of her first loss in the UFC and then behind the scenes of her time in the WWE.
The part that was off-putting was how her relationship with her now husband started. Maybe it’s was the way that entire situation was written. It didn’t come across the right way. While it’s nice to see the behind the scenes a lot of these scenarios were her “exposing” those that have done wrong by her and it gives off the victim mentality over and over. Considering everything that’s come out about Vince McMahon, wish she kept on writing. Maybe we will get another book.
It’s was wild to see that from an early age she opted to “tough it out” with her concussions rather than be seen as weak or potentially not be allowed to fight. The most intriguing part of her thoughts on the aftermath of her first loss in the UFC and then behind the scenes of her time in the WWE.
The part that was off-putting was how her relationship with her now husband started. Maybe it’s was the way that entire situation was written. It didn’t come across the right way. While it’s nice to see the behind the scenes a lot of these scenarios were her “exposing” those that have done wrong by her and it gives off the victim mentality over and over. Considering everything that’s come out about Vince McMahon, wish she kept on writing. Maybe we will get another book.
zainette quinones5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read.
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
Ronda always speaks the truth! Love her for that. She stands up for women every where! We are worthy and more than enough! Definitely recommend, great read!
Russ3.0 out of 5 stars
"My Fight Your Fight" is a much better read than this book
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
You know how there are people who know everything there is to know about baseball? I am that person, just for a different sport – Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Ronda Rousey is one of my top-3 favorite MMA fighters, and this statement is coming from an MMA fan who has followed the “sport” since Mirco Crocop fought the Axe Murderer Silva in Pride over in Japan in early/mid 2000. From how I see her, Ronda Rousey is a (0) former UFC Champion who has (1) previously won an Olympic medal, (2) appeared in two major blockbuster movies (e.g., Expendables, Fast and Furious), (3) been invited to shine at major talk shows (e.g., Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel the jerk, Conan O'Brien, etc.), (4) landed in WWE after retirement, and (5) whenever I watch videos of her friends talk about her, they would often say ‘she has a heart of gold’ or ‘she is extremely loyal’. These accomplishments and accolades reveal that she is not only excellent - a word that is reserved for the best - but also has the “it” factor that makes her inspirational.
Now, let me move on to her new, 2024 book, “Our Fight: A Memoir” by Ronda Rousey. I hate to say this, but this book is just underwhelming. It is composed of subpar writing, having a daily-diary like tone that often goes 'I went through this and felt that', and leaves me with almost no takeaways.
Let me compare this book with Ronda’s old book.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her first book, entitled “My Fight Your Fight.” Every chapter of this book contained a life lesson that can be applied to my life. For example, one of my favorite quotes from Ronda's first memior is “anything of value has to be earned.” When I was in a period of my life during which I was devoting my time and energy to my work/occupation, this quote really motivated me to be able to tell myself, "I have earned the success" or "I have worked hard enough to believe I deserve the success". Another quote that I like notes, “training was the focus of my every waking moment”, as Ronda reflects on her training for the Olympics as a teenager. As I resonated with this statement, it provided me with solace as I made sacrifices along my personal daily work/grind/journey. The thing is, someone who is working to keep the lights in their homes can resonate with this quote someway-somehow... For example, I can easily imagine a mother saying, 'my children were the focus of my every waking moment' just as easy as I could also imagine an IVY League university student saying 'performing well in my classes was the focus of my daily grind.' On top of this, Ronda's first book also had gems in that it opened my eyes into the life of an aspiring Olympian, a woman working through ‘being broke’ but remaining independent, someone loving her dog, and how she felt about dating odd guys/characters.
In comparison, “Our Fight: A Memoir” contains none of these. Ronda is portrayed as helpless in this book. She is portrayed as a girl who is stuck in her own logic and as a complainer. She seems to say: I wanted to be perfect (by holding a perfect UFC record.) To hold a perfect UFC record, I could not afford even a jab to land (because my damaged chin). My self-image was destroyed after my loss (and it felt so bad I did not want to live anymore). So what is the deal? Basically, if she gets a hard jab, then her mental-state is set up for her to want to end everything? I really do not get it… and I cannot relate to it. This is coming from a fan who really likes Ronda, and still does.
As I have said earlier, the book did not contain too many takeaways for me. For example, somewhere in the middle, the book notes: “a lot of people run from their limits. If you’re the champion, you are supposed to be chasing your limits with a vengeance!” Reading this, I asked myself, “WHAT? WHY?” You should be chasing to “overcome” your limits, not be chasing your limits – this is what I mean when I say this book is poorly written. There are a tone of these. Further, why shouldn’t someone who is trying to beat the champion hold more zeal/vengeance than the champion? I mean, the average reader is not a champion, so this statement does not apply to me in the first place, and if I am a contender, then I would want to overcome my limits as well!?
If you are interested in her WWE career after her UFC loss, then perhaps you can pick up her new book. However, if you are looking for (what I deem to be) a more interesting read, then I would first recommend that you watch to “Q with Tom Power – UFC Champ Ronda Rousey” on www.youtube.com, then see if you’d be interested in buying her first book, “My Fight Your Fight.” Ronda has definitely given herself to the sport. After Ronda lost, people like Chael and Helwani did turn on her. Chael said, ‘Ronda knew aggression, but she was never a fighter.’ Ariel Helwani basically criticized Ronda, complaining on why Ronda could not be more like Dominick Cruz after her loss, as if Ronda owes everyone a gracious attitude after defeat and everyone should be processing losses in the same way. In this book, you are able to hear things from Ronda Rousey, herself (or of course her ghost writer), in a very honest and revealing manner. My problem is, it is just not as good as her first book.
As I end, I haven’t written a book review like this in a while, but I hope this review is useful to some people.
Ronda Rousey is one of my top-3 favorite MMA fighters, and this statement is coming from an MMA fan who has followed the “sport” since Mirco Crocop fought the Axe Murderer Silva in Pride over in Japan in early/mid 2000. From how I see her, Ronda Rousey is a (0) former UFC Champion who has (1) previously won an Olympic medal, (2) appeared in two major blockbuster movies (e.g., Expendables, Fast and Furious), (3) been invited to shine at major talk shows (e.g., Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel the jerk, Conan O'Brien, etc.), (4) landed in WWE after retirement, and (5) whenever I watch videos of her friends talk about her, they would often say ‘she has a heart of gold’ or ‘she is extremely loyal’. These accomplishments and accolades reveal that she is not only excellent - a word that is reserved for the best - but also has the “it” factor that makes her inspirational.
Now, let me move on to her new, 2024 book, “Our Fight: A Memoir” by Ronda Rousey. I hate to say this, but this book is just underwhelming. It is composed of subpar writing, having a daily-diary like tone that often goes 'I went through this and felt that', and leaves me with almost no takeaways.
Let me compare this book with Ronda’s old book.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her first book, entitled “My Fight Your Fight.” Every chapter of this book contained a life lesson that can be applied to my life. For example, one of my favorite quotes from Ronda's first memior is “anything of value has to be earned.” When I was in a period of my life during which I was devoting my time and energy to my work/occupation, this quote really motivated me to be able to tell myself, "I have earned the success" or "I have worked hard enough to believe I deserve the success". Another quote that I like notes, “training was the focus of my every waking moment”, as Ronda reflects on her training for the Olympics as a teenager. As I resonated with this statement, it provided me with solace as I made sacrifices along my personal daily work/grind/journey. The thing is, someone who is working to keep the lights in their homes can resonate with this quote someway-somehow... For example, I can easily imagine a mother saying, 'my children were the focus of my every waking moment' just as easy as I could also imagine an IVY League university student saying 'performing well in my classes was the focus of my daily grind.' On top of this, Ronda's first book also had gems in that it opened my eyes into the life of an aspiring Olympian, a woman working through ‘being broke’ but remaining independent, someone loving her dog, and how she felt about dating odd guys/characters.
In comparison, “Our Fight: A Memoir” contains none of these. Ronda is portrayed as helpless in this book. She is portrayed as a girl who is stuck in her own logic and as a complainer. She seems to say: I wanted to be perfect (by holding a perfect UFC record.) To hold a perfect UFC record, I could not afford even a jab to land (because my damaged chin). My self-image was destroyed after my loss (and it felt so bad I did not want to live anymore). So what is the deal? Basically, if she gets a hard jab, then her mental-state is set up for her to want to end everything? I really do not get it… and I cannot relate to it. This is coming from a fan who really likes Ronda, and still does.
As I have said earlier, the book did not contain too many takeaways for me. For example, somewhere in the middle, the book notes: “a lot of people run from their limits. If you’re the champion, you are supposed to be chasing your limits with a vengeance!” Reading this, I asked myself, “WHAT? WHY?” You should be chasing to “overcome” your limits, not be chasing your limits – this is what I mean when I say this book is poorly written. There are a tone of these. Further, why shouldn’t someone who is trying to beat the champion hold more zeal/vengeance than the champion? I mean, the average reader is not a champion, so this statement does not apply to me in the first place, and if I am a contender, then I would want to overcome my limits as well!?
If you are interested in her WWE career after her UFC loss, then perhaps you can pick up her new book. However, if you are looking for (what I deem to be) a more interesting read, then I would first recommend that you watch to “Q with Tom Power – UFC Champ Ronda Rousey” on www.youtube.com, then see if you’d be interested in buying her first book, “My Fight Your Fight.” Ronda has definitely given herself to the sport. After Ronda lost, people like Chael and Helwani did turn on her. Chael said, ‘Ronda knew aggression, but she was never a fighter.’ Ariel Helwani basically criticized Ronda, complaining on why Ronda could not be more like Dominick Cruz after her loss, as if Ronda owes everyone a gracious attitude after defeat and everyone should be processing losses in the same way. In this book, you are able to hear things from Ronda Rousey, herself (or of course her ghost writer), in a very honest and revealing manner. My problem is, it is just not as good as her first book.
As I end, I haven’t written a book review like this in a while, but I hope this review is useful to some people.
Jennifer5.0 out of 5 stars
Vulnerable, funny, and insightful
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
Recommended: definitely
For a memoir with lots of growth and emotion and honesty, for a lot of unexpected laughs too, for a career-focused trail of a woman who led the way for and with others, for MMA and wrestling entertainment industry insights
Thoughts:
Ronda has had a pretty busy life so far. Like, exhaustingly so, as far as I can tell. Kudos to her for being able to doggedly pursue whatever she puts her mind too, and kudos to her for learning how to recognize when doing that was worse for her health than it was worth for the success it brought in other areas. This is undeniably a narrative of growth in a lot of different ways, and that's always nice to see in a memoir that covers a span of years in someone's life.
For timeline, this covers Ronda's entry into MMA and touches lightly on some of her life growing up, with more of a focus on her professional career(s). It moves chronologically which made it very easy to follow and roughly track where we were in relation to current times. I knew some of what to expect since I follow wrestling including WWE, but didn't really know how she ended up there. It was a much more nuanced and painful and compelling path than I expected, and I found myself cheering for her a lot more in this book than I ever did for her matches. ????
For anyone new to the realms of MMA or wrestling that are discussed at length in this, common terms and situations are defined and given context so you can follow the importance of moments even if you've never encountered it before. I was totally new to MMA things and learned a lot without it feeling forced, and when it got to the wrestling bits I'm more familiar with, it didn't overexplain or get tedious for someone familiar with it. Typically it was just a short note like "he was a great heel, a villainous character" or something similar.
Being a public figure seems pretty terrible, and she seems to agree, so it was interesting to see her perspective on that as someone counting it as a necessary evil for the success of other goals she had. She used fame as a tool, not as the targeted end result. Overall, this whole narrative was very honest and blunt about her emotions, experiences, opinions, actions, decisions... basically everything. In short, I trust her. I don't get the feeling that this is an overly edited or censored account, or anything designed to make her look good or make excuses for anything that's happened in her life. There's so much pain in this, but all throughout it she addressed that this was her looking back and being able to see the path forward or the positives that came from the worst days.
Also, Ronda is FUNNY AS HELL, y'all. I --loved-- her voice in this, and it worked really well with the story being told. Right from the start (and yes, read the forward please!!) she comes out with some straight up silliness, but also has a very blunt and abrupt humor of hitting you when you don't expect it with something so incisive that it startles a laugh out of you at how unexpectedly accurate it is. I love me some laughter, and this was mixed with the pain, hope, and growth that shines from a great memoir. Add this one to the list for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.
For a memoir with lots of growth and emotion and honesty, for a lot of unexpected laughs too, for a career-focused trail of a woman who led the way for and with others, for MMA and wrestling entertainment industry insights
Thoughts:
Ronda has had a pretty busy life so far. Like, exhaustingly so, as far as I can tell. Kudos to her for being able to doggedly pursue whatever she puts her mind too, and kudos to her for learning how to recognize when doing that was worse for her health than it was worth for the success it brought in other areas. This is undeniably a narrative of growth in a lot of different ways, and that's always nice to see in a memoir that covers a span of years in someone's life.
For timeline, this covers Ronda's entry into MMA and touches lightly on some of her life growing up, with more of a focus on her professional career(s). It moves chronologically which made it very easy to follow and roughly track where we were in relation to current times. I knew some of what to expect since I follow wrestling including WWE, but didn't really know how she ended up there. It was a much more nuanced and painful and compelling path than I expected, and I found myself cheering for her a lot more in this book than I ever did for her matches. ????
For anyone new to the realms of MMA or wrestling that are discussed at length in this, common terms and situations are defined and given context so you can follow the importance of moments even if you've never encountered it before. I was totally new to MMA things and learned a lot without it feeling forced, and when it got to the wrestling bits I'm more familiar with, it didn't overexplain or get tedious for someone familiar with it. Typically it was just a short note like "he was a great heel, a villainous character" or something similar.
Being a public figure seems pretty terrible, and she seems to agree, so it was interesting to see her perspective on that as someone counting it as a necessary evil for the success of other goals she had. She used fame as a tool, not as the targeted end result. Overall, this whole narrative was very honest and blunt about her emotions, experiences, opinions, actions, decisions... basically everything. In short, I trust her. I don't get the feeling that this is an overly edited or censored account, or anything designed to make her look good or make excuses for anything that's happened in her life. There's so much pain in this, but all throughout it she addressed that this was her looking back and being able to see the path forward or the positives that came from the worst days.
Also, Ronda is FUNNY AS HELL, y'all. I --loved-- her voice in this, and it worked really well with the story being told. Right from the start (and yes, read the forward please!!) she comes out with some straight up silliness, but also has a very blunt and abrupt humor of hitting you when you don't expect it with something so incisive that it startles a laugh out of you at how unexpectedly accurate it is. I love me some laughter, and this was mixed with the pain, hope, and growth that shines from a great memoir. Add this one to the list for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.