The highly-anticipated World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Royal Rumble event is coming this weekend with a lot of interesting match-ups that ensure quite a spectacle for fans of the sport. Despite previous speculations, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holder Ronda Rousey disproves rumors that she would be making a surprise appearance at Royal Rumble 2018 -- which would have marked as her official WWE debut. 

As reported by TMZ, Rousey stated that she will be heading out of the United States, and will not be coming back until sometime in February. This statement from the former bantamweight champion of the women's division in the UFC effectively shuts down all speculations and rumors of her making a surprise appearance at Royal Rumble. TMZ even complimented Rousey, stating that she is more than capable of going up against the other competitors in WWE.

Furthermore, Rousey also stated that she has not signed any deal or agreement with the WWE. If this is true, then it is safe to assume that nothing has been set in stone, and that it is possible for her to move on and decide to pick up other projects that she may be offered. In fact, despite her absence in the fight game, Rousey is still being called out by competitors from the UFC. 

Rousey is off to shoot a film that she is currently a part of, titled "Mile 22," which is a Colombia Pictures project starring Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich. Rousey may not be a part of the upcoming Royal Rumble event, but it has been previously speculated by sports analysts that she is highly favored to garner recognition in WrestleMania, a WWE event that is scheduled to take place on April 8 later this year. 

WWE Royal Rumble is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.