Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has never been one to mince words. Known as a straight shooter, and possibly blunt at times, “Rowdy” didn’t hold back in a recent interview when asked about the difference between UFC fans and WWE fans.
Rousey gained prominence in Judo, winning international competitions at the age 14. She won the Bronze Medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics becoming the first American female to win an Olympic Medal in Judo. In 2010, she transitioned to mixed martial arts and became a household name. She rose to superstardom in the UFC and later became the female face of WWE.
Having done professional wrestling in WWE and fought in the UFC, Rousey was part of two of the biggest pay-per-view promotions. But she experienced very different fan cultures from the two companies.
“MMA fans and the media are the most what have you done for us lately crowd of any sport. Like, you look at WWE and they have such a reverence for their legends. And in MMA, the second you’re not on top, you’re not sh*t and you never were sh*t,” Rousey said on Bertcast.
“You brought up Chuck Liddell, Chuck Liddell, when he’s on top, ‘Oh my God, he’s the best.’ The second that he loses, ‘Oh Chuck Liddell ain’t sh*t. He never was sh*t.’ You know, then Rampage Jackson, ‘Oh God, he’s the next Mike Tyson He’s so great.’ The second he loses, ‘Oh Rampage ain’t sh*t. He never was sh*t.’ GSP (Georges St-Pierre), he loses, ‘he’s not sh*t. He never was sh*t.’ Anderson Silva, ‘Oh my God.’ He was like a mythical creature for a while, like this ninja and he would hypnotize everyone in front of him. The second he loses, ‘Oh, Anderson ain’t sh*t, never was sh*t,'” continued Rousey.
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“Fedor Emelianenko, one of the greatest ever, the second he loses, ‘Oh Fedor ain’t sh*t. He never was sh*t. I think the only reason why MMA fans have their lips so firmly planted at the base of Khabib’s [Nurmagomedov] c*ck is because he retired before he reached his limit. And if he kept fighting until he reached his limit, everybody would be ‘Khabib ain’t sh*t. He never was sh*t. And they’re like that with everybody.”
Rousey was the inaugural UFC women’s bantamweight champion and the first female champion in the fight promotion’s history. During her championship reign, she successfully defended the title six times. She holds the record for the longest title fight finish streak in UFC history with six, including the second fastest finish in UFC title fight history. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
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