It appears that former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is again at odds with Cris Cyborg.
‘Rowdy’ is seemingly retired from fighting these days, but her impact on the sport is impossible to ignore. Ronda Rousey came to the UFC straight from Strikeforce, making history as the first woman to fight for Dana White. From 2013 to 2016, she remained one of the most popular members of the roster.
However, it wasn’t an easy climb. It’s easy to forget, but there was once a time when it seemed that women’s MMA was on the way out. With Gina Carano heading to the movie world and Dana White publically not having an interest in the sport, Ronda Rousey felt that it was up to her to save it. That’s exactly what the former UFC champion stated in a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet.
Also in the interview, Ronda Rousey took a bit of a shot at Bellator champion Cris Cyborg. ‘Rowdy’ stated that with Carano gone, and the Brazilian on steroids making the sport look bad, women’s MMA was struggling. That’s the reason why she put a lot of pressure on herself to succeed and to try and impress Dana White.
Ronda Rousey is asked if she thought about retiring while she was undefeated:
“Retiring undefeated would have been such a selfish goal to be able to accomplish because I would have taken all that equity with me and no one would have respected the rest of the women that I left… pic.twitter.com/9LcJC8An1B
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 20, 2024
😂 does @RondaRousey realize she only has 8 fights in the ufc and only won 75% of them?!
🤡 🌎
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) August 21, 2024
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion reignites feud with Cris Cyborg
“People forget how fragile that situation was and how last minute I was able to get us in.” Ronda Rousey stated in the interview with Chris Van Vliet. “Strikeforce was the only organization that was really showcasing women and that was because of Gina Carano, because her dad was involved with the Nevada Athletic Commission… When she was gone, Cris Cyborg’s pumped to the f*cking gills with steroids. No one wants to watch that cheating a*s b*tch, everything just tanked. The division was dying.”
Not long after Ronda Rousey’s comments, Cris Cyborg responded on social media. The Brazilian took aim at ‘Rowdy’ for having lost her final two fights in the UFC, mocking her overall record. For what it’s worth, this is far from the first time that the two stars have traded insults back and forth.
A fight between Ronda Rousey and Cris Cyborg was discussed for years. However, the UFC was unable to make a bout between the two. Now, with ‘Rowdy’ retired and the Brazilian now over in Bellator, the two will never face-off in the cage.
What do you make of this back-and-forth featuring the former UFC champions? Do you side with Ronda Rousey or Cris Cyborg?
