'Rock Bottom' Ronda Rousey hints at UFC return

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- On the night of the Oscars, a UFC fighter so famous she once elevated to the silver screen, had to announce that she was not retiring.

But that's only if you can read between the lines of a subliminal Instagram post.

Rousey, who has lost her last two fights after starting her career with a 12-0 record, is obviously in a free fall. The No. 2 ranked Bantamweight fighter lasted 48 seconds on Dec. 30 against Amanda Nunes. Her stunning first loss came on Nov. 14, 2015 against Holly Holm.

The 29-year-old has been known to seek extreme privacy following her latest losses and has admitted to depression and contemplated suicide.

UFC president Dana White said his once prized fighter was "probably done" in an interview last month on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

But Rousey isn't completely ready to depart the Octagon. On Sunday, she posted a photo of a ship sailing into the moonlight. The photo had the caption: "A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are for."

Before her knockout from Nunes, Rousey posted several pictures of her training and improved fighting physique. After the loss, she posted a J.K. Rowling quote that read: "And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

Former two-time UFC champion Dominick Cruz had a unique insight to offer regarding what Rousey is dealing with.

"She's using the fighting as her identity," Cruz said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. "With that championship belt, she is Ronda Rousey, the Ronda Rousey. Without the championship belt, we don't know who she is. She won't come out. So, who are you unless you're winning? We don't know. Do you know?"

"You're counting on that belt to know who you are now," Cruz said. "And that was my biggest point. That was a hurdle I ran into when I lost my belt. I didn't know who I was anymore. And that's how I knew this. That's how I figured out what my issues were."

Cruz and Rousey were both defeated in UFC 207. Cody Garbrandt's victory for the bantamweight title was Cruz's first loss in ten years.