Honestly, what was Ronda Rousey expecting?
Looking back now, Conor McGregor losing to Nate Diaz came at a really unfortunate time for Ronda Rousey. Just four months after Holly Holm’s seismic head kick shattered the myth of her invincibility, the Stockton native beat the UFC’s biggest superstar to the ground and submitted him.
After losing her belt, Rousey disappeared off the face of the Earth. When she returned to the Octagon a year later, she didn’t take part in any of the media obligations. The fans never got to hear her response to the painful loss. Then when Amanda Nunes starched her in the first round, she abruptly exited the sport without giving a proper goodbye. There was zero closure.
McGregor, on the other hand, showed up to the UFC 196 press conference. He was praised for facing the cameras after being comprehensively bested. He went through what he thought went wrong in the fight, credited the victor on his performance and went back to training. While many were anticipating the hype train being derailed, his stock only seemed to rise following the defeat.
Answering the inevitable
In a recent WWE promo, Rousey brought up her last loss to Nunes. The line everyone ran with was that she remembered, ‘walking away thinking god hates me’.
The defeat was used as a promotional tool. Yet, when Rousey went on a promotional tour for her WWE career, she refused to answer questions about it.
During an interview on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo, she was asked about turning her back on MMA. Rousey refuted the claim, but when the interviewer tried to flesh it out, she misunderstood the question. Awkwardly, she made it out as if he was trying to ask her if she was able to travel through time.
An incredibly cringey silence ensued as everyone present was left confused.
Well this is painfully awkward. Ronda Rousey misunderstands question, gets annoyed. pic.twitter.com/Pt7XwVRazh
— Cork Gaines, Ph.D. (@CorkGaines) March 27, 2018
It gets worse.
Haha you think that was weird pic.twitter.com/CCQxeqKqZR
— Drew (@NiceanFlowyMMA) March 27, 2018
Rousey took the question on ESPN’s First Take as the interviewer masking his own views behind a question. Her response was truly remarkable in how confrontational it was.
“I experience a lot of people who quote (makes air quotes gesture) ‘some people’ who are really just afraid to state their own opinion.”
When the interviewer asked her if she thought that was his opinion, she shrugged in silence. He went onto explain that wasn’t his opinion at all and had some very praiseworthy things to say about her career.
Again, Rousey answered with a tone.
“Well, thank you for defending me. I appreciate that.”
Check your blood pressure folks, because the salt levels are through the roof.
