Jimmy Smith unloads on Ronda Rousey over claims about MMA media
https://twitter.com/MMAonSiriusXM/status/1785078762784117074
During a recent episode of Unlocking the Cage on SiriusXM, Smith unleashed on Rousey and revealed how some staff viewed her.
“I’ve never been a religious person. One thing’s always said about God, he gets all the credit, none of the blame. That’s what Ronda Rousey wants,” Smith began on Rousey. “She never gives credit to the people who actually beat her. The idea that ‘I left MMA and went to the WWE because I had concussion problems’ makes no sense. Let me let you in on something. Ronda, if you’re listening: the people behind the scenes; camera people, audio people, the people you can push around, and the people you can bully, talk down to. Can’t stand your f***** a**…
“Everybody behind the scenes that had to put a mic on Ronda Rousey couldn’t stand her. I said why? They said ‘She was a b**** to us from the moment she sat down, to the moment she got up’. Like it’s our fault that she has to do this interview…and she’s miserable, mean, and ‘we can’t stand her’. They were cheering when she got knocked out, that’s what I was told,” Smith continued. “Those are the people you can be mean to and rude to, and they can’t fight back. Those people couldn’t stand Ronda Rousey, so don’t sit here and tell me that you’re the victim. The poor guy sitting behind the camera is doing his job, gets s*** on by you or you’re mean to the person asking you questions when we’re hyping your fight, don’t give me this victim s***. Don’t, don’t waste my time with that.”
Smith joined the UFC’s broadcast team in Jan. 2018 but parted ways with the promotion the following year. He’s spent stints in Bellator, Invicta FC, and WWE during his broadcasting career.
Rousey retired from MMA after a loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Before that, she was seen as an indomitable force ahead of a knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.
Rousey is one of the greatest female UFC fighters of all time and is viewed as a pioneer of women’s MMA. Her UFC bantamweight title reign between 2013 and 2015 was one of the most dominant in MMA history.
Smith’s claims, if true, point to a fractured relationship between Rousey and many behind-the-scenes UFC staffers. While a deserved UFC Hall of Famer, Rousey didn’t have many allies during the height of her career.
