Ariel Helwani defends Ronda Rousey against Dana White's latest comments on her UFC tenure: "She lost to a better fighter"
Ronda Rousey's meteoric rise and fall in MMA remain a topic of discussion. UFC CEO Dana White recently attributed her decline to the pressures of fame, sparking a response from MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.
Rousey, the UFC's first female champion, dominated her early career with a lightning-fast armbar and undeniable charisma. However, her two devastating knockout losses in 2015 and 2016 marked a turning point.
White, on The Club Shay Shay podcast, stated that Rousey's celebrity status, including Hollywood appearances, hindered her fighting development.
"What happened with Ronda was — She put it on the world stage at a level that nobody else could have done it. While [Ronda Rousey] was doing what she was doing, building the sport and the UFC and women, all these other women were training to beat her... She had taken so much on her shoulders at the time, it was literally impossible for her to keep growing as a fighter during that period."
Check out Dana White's interview below (1:21:10):
However, Helwani disagrees with White. He took to social media to clarify the situation:
“By this logic no superstar athlete could be successful for more than 3 years. The revisionist history on Ronda’s MMA departure is getting a little wacky. It’s not that complicated. She was incredible. A megastar. She helped opened the door to a whole new generation of fighters. And then she lost to a better fighter. And then another. And then retired. It happens.”
Check out Ariel Helwani's post below:
Rousey, now retired from both MMA and professional wrestling, has distanced herself from the sport, citing media scrutiny and fan expectations.
Ronda Rousey reveals how Holly Holm thwarted her strategy in upset loss at UFC 193
Ronda Rousey's devastating knockout loss to Holly Holm remains a monumental upset in MMA history. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, promoting her autobiography, Rousey shed light on how Holm disrupted her dominant grappling style.
Rousey explained her usual strategy of relentless pressure, keeping her opponent constantly reacting. However, Rousey admitted that Holm threw a wrench into her plan from the very first exchange.
Speaking in the interview, Rousey said:
“I’m constantly trying to keep the person reacting to what I’m doing. There’s no step back and reset and start again. I was constantly always trying to keep pressure on the person and keep them reacting to me at all times. That’s why you never saw me, ‘Let’s back up and do this again,’ or 'we’re going to back up again and come back.' It was one long exchange. That was basically speed decision-making, this is what was happening.”
She added:
“The Holm fight, I didn’t really get to start my process because I literally just got hit right away, and it knocked loose all my bottom teeth and I was out on my feet from the very beginning.” [H/T MMA Fighting]
Check out Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm below: