Ronda Rousey stays one of the vital acknowledged and completed fighters in UFC historical past, however she hasn’t precisely endeared herself to the plenty since her remaining struggle again in 2016.
Most lately, the previous UFC ladies’s bantamweight champion lashed out at followers and media for allegedly abandoning fighters and turning on them after shedding. Rousey’s criticism was that MMA followers aren’t trip or die with their favourite athletes and as a substitute solely provide criticism after a loss, which she boiled right down to the opinion that “you ain’t shit, you by no means had been shit.”
Whereas these reactions actually occur, UFC legend Matt Brown disagrees that the legends of the game aren’t revered by followers and maybe that’s Rousey simply talking from her personal rocky reception after she retired from the game.
“I let you know what, Ronda, she has the mentality of a champion,” Brown stated on the most recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Author. “She places the chip on her shoulder herself. She has a lot pent up anger, she doesn’t have a tough time going to that darkish place. That’s why she’s such a competitor, and it’s nice for the competitiveness, however she’s not competing anymore.
“Sooner or later, we’d wish to see her go meditate or go do a DMT journey or do a yoga retreat or one thing. Simply loosen up. Individuals don’t hate you. I’ve stated this earlier than, we wish to love her so unhealthy. I believe the entire followers, I’m sort of detached. I believe most MMA individuals, media and stuff are detached, however the followers, they wish to love her. She is one of the best particular person at capturing herself within the foot ever.”
At her peak, Rousey was one of many two largest superstars within the UFC alongside Conor McGregor and her recognition was virtually immeasurable when it got here to mainstream publicity.
However that degree of consideration additionally backfired after Rousey suffered a brutal knockout loss to Holly Holm in 2015 and she or he by no means addressed the struggle whereas successfully disappearing for the following yr. When she lastly got here again in 2016, Rousey bought knocked out once more when she confronted Amanda Nunes and that was her final look within the octagon.
Brown can’t assist however marvel if Rousey by no means truly processed these setbacks, and practically a decade later, she’s nonetheless coping with the interior battle that got here together with the best way her profession ended.
“It looks like psychologically, she’s nonetheless caught up in that second when she was combating,” Brown defined. “She’s like ‘it’s f*cking bullshit, I ought to have gained.’ I can sympathize with that feeling as a result of I can return to a few of my very own fights I misplaced and I’m like I did the stupidest f*cking factor or I do know I shouldn’t have taken that struggle. I used to be sick or I had a damaged rib in a struggle one time. Like what the f*ck was I even considering? You get hate after the struggle. Individuals say you suck. That’s a truth.
“However a number of years later or months actually, that’s the previous what can I do now to maneuver onwards and upwards? How can I preserve getting higher and onto the following factor? It’s like she’s nonetheless caught in that second. That extremely emotional second of shedding and it’s a devastating, traumatic factor, don’t get me improper. It takes a powerful thoughts to get by way of it.”
That stated, Brown appears like Rousey’s lack of ability to just accept her previous losses has coloured the best way individuals keep in mind her and she or he’s solely digging a deeper gap with these newest feedback.
“It’s projecting,” Brown stated. “It’s a tragedy. I hope she finds peace. That’s the one factor we are able to say, I hope she finds peace in her life and accepts the best way issues are.
“Go do some nice issues and encourage some new individuals. You’re going to die identical to me at some point and persons are going to recollect one thing about you. Proper now, the best way that your highway goes, Ronda, what persons are going to recollect is that you just’re a f*cking sore loser.”
Throughout that very same interview with comic Bert Kreischer, Rousey additionally determined to take intention at veteran UFC coloration commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan when she stated “he’s not an professional, he’s a fan with an viewers.”
Rousey’s tirade principally centered round the truth that Rogan by no means fought and so there’s solely a lot perception he may provide in relation to combating.
For his half, Brown doesn’t completely disagree with Rousey’s evaluation however he additionally is aware of it’s extremely short-sighted commentary when discussing someone like Rogan, who has spent many years calling the game to not point out coaching quite a few martial arts disciplines over time.
“I truly get the place she’s coming from with Rogan — he’s not a fighter. Neither is Jon Anik,” Brown stated. “I truly sort of get that half. I don’t why she’s hating on Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan is extraordinarily educated. The truth that he by no means stepped foot within the cage, that doesn’t make him unknowledgeable. Now I do imagine it’s much less educated than somebody who has [fought] nevertheless it’s so unusual to me. That’s not the man to name out.”
Brown argues that Rogan could not have combating expertise however that doesn’t negate what he says when speaking in regards to the sport.
“He solely has an opinion,” Brown stated about Rogan. “Till you’ve carried out one thing, your entire beliefs are opinions till you’ve truly carried out it. You possibly can’t say it’s a truth till you’ve truly carried out it. So I get the purpose the place she’s coming from however once more for one, you’re attacking Joe Rogan, which is the final dude that you really want as your enemy. He doesn’t give a f*ck I’m positive however you don’t wish to flip his crowd away, the most important crowd in America. To disrespect him, it simply doesn’t make sense both.
“He’s been immersed sufficient on this sport and all aspects of the game with all aspects of fighters to have a f*cking very educated opinion.”
Greater than something, Brown simply needs that Rousey put extra thought into a few of the issues she says as a result of proper now it simply appears like there’s lots of leftover bitter emotions for the way her profession ended and it’s not a great look.
“We wish to love her. She simply shoots herself time and again within the foot,” Brown stated. “This isn’t f*cking rocket science. Nobody f*cking hates you. Nobody dislikes you. Nobody deserted you.
“She may very well be twice the star as she was now. I assure she may very well be in films. She went to WWE. She may very well be in films. She may have the f*cking largest podcast round. She’s effectively spoken. She simply says the f*cking most ridiculous shit ever.”
