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Martial-arts star Ronda Rousey on the JOAN JETT song that defines her gritty attitude in the ring.
Ronda Rousey, 28, is the Ultimate Fighting Championship's mixed martial-arts bantamweight champion and the author, with her sister, Maria Burns Ortiz, of "My Fight/Your Fight," a memoir (Regan Arts). She spoke with Marc Myers.
Lots of professional fighters want their walkout song to sound like the "Rocky" theme-you know, regal and inspiring. I'm more on the theatrical side, so I needed something gritty, with a lot of attitude.
Many people are just beginning to understand the female fighter. For me, fighting is an act of overcoming. I've always been told I was destined for greatness, that I was meant to change the world. There are lots of ways to be great, but a fight is the only place where everything makes sense to me. It's almost calming.
My walkout theme used to be "Sex and Violence" by the Exploited, a Scottish punk band. It's loud and brash, and the title's words are pretty much it for the song's lyrics. Then in 2011, I was fighting with Strikeforce, a mixed martial arts organization, when Showtime wanted to air my bout on its late-night premium channel. That was a big break, but Showtime thought my song was inappropriate.
It was hard to choose a new one. I tried some Rage Against the Machine songs, but none of them felt right. Then my godfather's son suggested JOAN JETT's "Bad Reputation," from 1981. I had just heard the song on my car radio in the parking lot of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas: "An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation / Never said I wanted to improve my station / An' I'm only doin' good when I'm havin' fun / An' I don't have to please no one."
The song was perfect. If you're constantly stressing over trying to get everyone to like you, you're giving them the power to control your well being. For me it's better to embrace the role of the heel and chase after being disliked. It's an element of control and leaves room for error.
Joan's song and rebellious voice are closest to being the music equivalent of my attitude in the ring. I like being seen as an intimidating, indomitable force. I'm happier being a nasty piece of work.
Martial-arts star Ronda Rousey on the JOAN JETT song that defines her gritty attitude in the ring.