Ronda Rousey details fracture in relationship after Joe Rogan allegedly turned on her - "It wasn’t real love"
Ronda Rousey recently opened up about her tumultuous relationship with Joe Rogan and MMA media. The former UFC star accused them of showing her "fake" love and turning on her when her professional circumstances changed.
Rousey is widely considered to be an MMA pioneer and is credited with being one of the first female superstars of the sport. She also headlined the promotion's first all-female event at UFC 157 in February 2013, where she beat Liz Carmouche via first-round submission to retain the UFC bantamweight title.
Rousey went on to beat high-profile opponents like Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano, and Alexis Davis. After an impressive five-fight win streak, Holly Holm handed Rousey her first career loss via second-round KO at UFC 193. After taking a year off, Rousey faced Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Nunes beat Rousey via first-round TKO, and 'Rowdy' retired from the sport soon after.
During a recent conversation with Chris Cuomo, she opened up about her experience dealing with MMA media after her losses. She name-dropped Rogan as one of those who flipped their opinions about her fighting skills. She said:
"It was disappointing to see how happily everyone turned on me. People like Joe Rogan who were crying in the ring out of the honor to call my fights, people I considered friends in the media, so quickly turned on me... I was pandering to everybody and doing things that other people would think was cool... It wasn’t real love, it was fake... MMA media hates me, but it’s fine."
Catch Ronda Rousey's comments below (30:30):
When Joe Rogan slammed Ronda Rousey for having one-dimensional fighting skills
As mentioned above, Ronda Rousey is among the greatest female fighters in mixed martial arts. Given her impressive resume as Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight champion, there's no doubt that she made her mark in the hearts of MMA fans across the globe.
After her retirement, many wondered if she'd ever consider making a return to the octagon. During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (JRE) with Eddie Bravo and Brendan Schaub, Rogan discussed Rousey's career and opined that 'Rowdy' had one-dimensional fight skills.
Dismissing the possibility of Rousey coming back to competing in MMA, the UFC commentator said:
"No. I don’t think she wants to. I think Ronda is a strong woman. She decides she’s done, she’s done. She’s going to move on. I don’t think she wanted to keep doing it... She had a very singular attack. Armbar. It was all armbars."
Catch Joe Rogan's comments below (0:30):
Watch the full episode below: