Ronda Rousey is
reportedly trying to trademark another phrase, or several variants thereof. And
while it shares a trait in common with the previous phrase on which she
recently filed for a trademark — a distinct element of profanity — this one
reflects the former UFC champion’s new mindset since suffering her first
defeat. Yes, the “F” in “FTA” stands for the word that letter so often does in
initialisms (as an aside, I was amazed when I first learned that neither of the
F’s in BFF — “best friend forever” — was that particular swear word). The
trademark filing follows one that Rousey reportedly sought in August for “DNB”:
“Do nothing b—-.” At that time, Rousey was coming off of yet another dominating
win, in this case a 34-second dispatching of Bethe Correia at UFC 190. Before
that fight, which ran Rousey’s record to 12-0-0 and kept her grip on the UFC
bantamweight crown, she had this to say:
“I have this one term
for the kind of woman my mother raised me to not be, and I call it a do-nothing
[expletive]. Or I call it a ‘DNB’ a lot of the time,” Rousey said, defining a
DNB as “the kind of chick that just tries to be pretty and be taken care of by
somebody else.” “I think it’s femininely badass as [expletive] because there’s
not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose because I’m not a
do-nothing b—-,” she added. That was the
undefeated, seemingly indestructible Rousey talking (and trademarking). Then
she got battered in a stunning knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in
November, and things changed. Following
that fight, Rousey told Ellen DeGeneres Tuesday on the latter’s talk show, the
MMA star considered suicide. “Honestly, I was in the medical room … and I was
sitting in the corner like, ‘What am I any more if I’m not this?’ ” Rousey
tearfully said on “Ellen.” That frame of mind was corroborated by Rousey’s
sister, who, in a December essay for Vice, said that piece of the fighter
“died” at the hands of Holm. “I saw someone I cared about have her soul
crushed,” Maria Burns-Ortiz wrote.
Eventually, Rousey began
getting back on her feet, both literally and figuratively. In January, she
posted a phrase to her Instagram account that seemed to reflect a
comeback-minded attitude. Shortly after that, Rousey posted another note to
Instagram, with an even more defiant message (albeit one that required some
censorship by this media company). The fact that Rousey is seeking to trademark
the phrase “FTA” indicates that, even if she is not in the most positive
mindset possible, she certainly does not lack for motivation. A much-publicized
appearance, wearing nothing but body paint, in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit
issue, likely also helped restore some of Rousey’s confidence. It still remains
unclear when she will get back into the Octagon, but the UFC fighter insists it
will happen later this year, and ideally against the woman who dealt her such a
blow in 2015. “Of course I want to fight Holly,” Rousey told DeGeneres Tuesday.
“I’m going to beat her and make everything right again.”
