UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey has reignited controversy in the combat sports world, lashing out at MMA fans for turning their backs on champions the moment they experience defeat.
The former champion and pioneer of women’s MMA believes the sport has a big problem with the way fighters are respected once their career takes a downturn.
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“MMA fans and media are the most what have you done lately for us crowd of any sport,” Rousey told Bert Kreischer on his podcast.
“You look at WWE and they have such a reverence for their legends. In MMA, it’s like the second that you’re not on top, you’re not s**t and you never were s**t.”
Rousey’s own relationship with the fanbase has been strained since her devastating back-to-back losses to Holly Holm in 2015 and Amanda Nunes in 2016.
“Chuck Liddell, when he’s on top, ‘He’s the best, he’s the best.’ The second that he loses, ‘Oh Chuck Liddell ain’t s**t, he never was s**t,’” Rousey said.
“‘Rampage’ Jackson, oh my god he’s the next Mike Tyson, he’s so great!’ The second he loses, ‘Rampage’ ain’t s**t, he never was s**t.
“[Georges St-Pierre], ‘Oh he loses, he’s not s**t, he never was s**t.’
“Anderson Silva, oh my God he was almost like a mythical creature for a while. He was like this ninja, and he would hypnotize everyone in front of him. The second he loses, ‘Anderson ain’t s**t, he never was s**t.’
UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey didn’t hold back.Source: Getty Images
“Fedor Emelianenko, one of the greatest ever. The second he loses, ‘Fedor ain’t shit, he never was shit.’”
Rousey said that the only reason former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is still revered is because he retired undefeated.
“If he kept fighting until he reached his limit, everybody would be ‘Khabib ain’t shit, he never was shit’,’ Rousey said.
The conversation took a sharp turn when Kreischer brought up UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
“I was just talking to Joe on the way over,” Kreischer said.
“[I said], ‘How long would it take for me to beat Ronda?’ [Even though] that’ll never happen.”
Rousey replied: “He wouldn’t know. He’s not an expert, he’s a fan with an audience.”
Kreischer laughed in response.
Rousey made her feelings known about Joe Rogan.Source: Getty Images
“Is that how you feel about Joe?” he said.
“He’s never fought,” Rousey said before Kreischer mentioned Rogan’s background in taekwondo.
“He’s never fought – that’s not fighting,” Rousey scoffed.
It’s not the first time Rousey has criticised Rogan, either.
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Last year ‘Rowdy’ mentioned the popular podcaster when explaining how the media “turned” on her after her fall from grace in the UFC.
“It was really disappointing to see how happily everybody turned on me and how people like Joe Rogan, who were crying in the ring about the honour of being able to call my fights, people I considered friends in the media, so quickly turned on me,” Rousey told the Chris Cuomo Project.