It has been nearly a month since Ronda Rousey was shocked and brutally knocked out by Holly Holm.

Breaking her silence for the first time since the stunning defeat, the UFC's former bantamweight champion told ESPN The Magazine that she's still feeling the heavy mental and physical effects from the loss, but at least was comforted by the support of tennis great Serena Williams.

"It might be three to six months before I can eat an apple, let alone take an impact," Rousey says in the December 8 issue. "I'm just really f**king sad."

Since the loss, Rousey has turned her phone off and has been relegated to conversations with her dog, she revealed.

But she did receive love and support via a text message from Williams, who was upset at the U.S. Open and could relate to Rousey's experience.

"I f**king love her," Rousey said, adding that the two had went out for sushi one night earlier in the fall. "Everybody else is like, 'Oh, I'm small and proper and tennis-y' and she's just like, f**king muscles, curvaceousness, awesomeness. She doesn't back down from anyone."

While Serena showed her support, it only marked a moment of solace for Rousey in the aftermath of her crushing loss, as she has been replaying the fight over and over in her mind, especially how she got caught repeatedly by Holm's left-hand punches before being knocked out with a kick.

"I got hit in that first round...I cut my lip open and knocked a couple of my teeth loose. I was out on my feet from the very beginning," she said. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I had that huge cut in my mouth and I just spit [the blood] out at my feet. Then they brought the bucket over and I'm like, 'Why didn't I spit it in the bucket?' I never spit on the ground.

"I just feel so embarrassed," she added. "How I fought after that is such an embarrassing representation of myself. I wasn't even f**king there."

That being said, Rousey vows to return to the Octagon and defeat Holm in what's already being anticipated as one of the biggest rematches in UFC history.

"I need to come back. I need to beat this chick," she said. "Who knows if I'm going to pop my teeth out or break my jaw or rip my lip open. I have to f**king do it."

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 (Photos from left: Harry How/Getty Images)Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company)