UFC Fighter Ronda Rousey Gets Candid in Her New Book

— -- Ronda Rousey has taken the UFC by storm. And now, the 28-year-old UFC fighter is trying on the title of author.

“It’s not really a memoir and it’s not really a self-help book,” Rousey said on “Good Morning America” of her book “My Fight/Your Fight,” out today. “It’s a little bit more a mature themed book. It’s a life story and life isn't PG rated.”

Rousey would know. Born with her umbilical cord around her neck, she didn’t talk until she was 4.

“We lost my dad, and that was a hard time,” she said. “And my mom had all of us to take care of by herself, which was really hard for her.”

Then, her father took his own life when she was eight. As a young girl, she discovered that her mom had been a judo champion, so that became her path.

“My mom if you're sick is like the most nurturing, sweet, beautiful person. And it’s funny with the injury she’s like ‘Walk it off!’” Rousey joked. “But if you cough she’s like, ‘Oh, my baby, are you okay?’ So the second I get sick, I’m like, ‘Call mom, it’s nurture time!’”

Rousey remembers long cars rides for hours where her mom would pump her up, trying to build confidence.

“‘You’re faster than them and you’re stronger than them and you have great left uchimada. And your genetics are great.’ And then she would just keep pulling for stuff like, ‘Your hair is so shiny that it will reflect the light into their eyes and could distract them and then you could pounce on them in that moment,’” Rousey remembered of her mom’s encouragement.

The words worked – she won a bronze medal at the Olympics. It didn’t take long, though, for the dark days to return. After her Olympic success, Rousey was homeless and living in her car.

“Easy lives make boring people and things have definitely not been easy,” she admitted.

Addressing rumors that she’s portrayed as a villain, Rousey said laughing, “Well the thing is the antagonist is the person that drives the story. The protagonist just reacts. If it wasn't for Lex Luthor, Superman would have sat around all day.”

Moving forward, Rousey is focusing on her book – and maybe finding love.

“I don’t think I need to be with a fighter,” she mused. “But I need to be with the kind of person if they hold my hand, I feel like I’m stronger.”