Dear Ronda,
First and foremost, I want to say I’m a huge fan. You have singlehandedly put women on the sports map for MMA. However, from recent articles it seems you are in need of a pep talk from a female friend. Let me be that friend.
There was an article published online where you told your mother your new mantra was “FTA”. (For frequent readers of this blog who might be under 18, we will just say that stands for “Forget Them All”). I agree with your mom. You don’t need to use this mantra.
Look, I know you are dealing with a lot on your shoulders with your upcoming fight against, “what’s-her-face”. You are angry from your loss in November of 2015. You are angry because people tried to put you down or tried to steal your shine. Let me put things in perspective for you for what it’s worth.
Nobody will really know the name of the person you fought 15 years from now. Heck, I don’t even remember her name now and would have to google it. Look at what happened after that loss; you fulfilled one of my long time dreams of being on Saturday Night Live. Note who they asked…YOU. Not the other gal. You.
You performed a skit in which you stood against bullies. You know what it is like to be bullied, and I don’t see anyone else performing that skit better than you. That skit was so funny, I showed it to the kids I help teach.
After your loss you admitted to depression and facing a lot of dark areas. You opened up a lot of minds with that statement. You could have kept it secret, but instead you let it out there into a world where there is still a stigma attached to it. You helped others to see it is okay to be dealing with stuff in a dark way, which is completely normal even though society tells us it isn’t.
You say your new mantra is for your nieces, family and fans who haven’t given up on you. Ronda, I haven’t given up on you. I will say this though; if you hadn’t had the backlash from “haters”, would you have had the anger to fuel you for this next bout? By saying, “FTA” to te opposition, you are only proving them right. You are proving hate is a way of life. You are feeding into what the other teams want; which is you getting angry enough that you sabotage yourself. They are betting on the false hope that your anger will open up any weaknesses they can exploit. Don’t let them do this.
In a strange way, anger can get you through some tough times (trust me, I’ve had some). Be thankful for the anger, but don’t let that anger dull anything that makes you happy. Don’t let the anger get in the way of your passion for the sport. Ultimately this is why you are still in. Not just any woman would voluntarily train as hard as you do to get a few licks to the face. You obviously are putting yourself at risk because there is something you love about the sport.
Prove the others wrong. You aren’t fueled just by anger. You are also fueled by love. Love for the sport, love for your family, love for your friends and your loyal fans. Never give up, never give in.
Merry Christmas and Sincerely yours,
Quirky Girl
Diary of a quirky girl 
Duuuuuuuuuuuuude haters were coming out of every closet when she lost. I mean some other girl that she wasn’t even fighting kept trash talking after the loss, and the girl she actually fought was a pretty gracious winner. It’s true I don’t remember her name but I do remember how she behaved afterward and it was good sportsmanship. I’m glad she was able to bounce back and that she used the anger and frustration from all the haters to fuel her and get her to the next level. I’m pulling for her and hope all goes well, because win or lose haters are still gonna hate on her.
Nice letter Quirky. As in my own life, anger can help you set goals and progress toward them.