It wasn’t until Dana White found Ronda Rousey that a new revolution began in MMA. A new set of fighters—women’s MMA, was finally introduced as part of the promotion. Leading them to success was ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey. After garnering six title victories in a row at UFC, Rousey became a household name for the promotion. She was the reason many fighting promotions opened their gates for women to compete in MMA. However, her undefeated 12-0 career win streak met an end in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when Holly Holm knocked her out with a head kick in the second round.
Following that loss, her UFC stint ended after a brutal first-round TKO loss to the now WMMA G.O.A.T., Amanda Nunes. The two losses put her career in a tough spot, and an abrupt retirement from the sport ended her MMA journey on a bitter note. For the success she has achieved over her career, White stands as a testament to her accolades. But on the other hand is ‘The Bad Guy’ Chael Sonnen, who has always found faults in Ronda’s success and White’s praise for her.
While talking about why White appreciates Rousey so much as he sat on his iconic couch, Sonnen said, “I’m just giving you an example when I bring in Ronda. That will be a perfect example where you will never see anybody complimenting her or her career—except for Dana. And if you’ve ever wondered why, I’m sharing the ‘why’ with you. Because when she was done, she did not give back. She took whatever she could and took that with her on her journey into the WWE. I’m sharing with you a ‘why’ and ‘when’ a resentment from our industry comes for her career.”
He further added, “She did not give back. She could’ve given back in a lot of ways. She could have used that rollback, she could have come back on shows. She could have shown up to events, done nothing more.”
Sonnen believes that Rousey’s tale could, in a lot of ways, be compared to Conor McGregor’s. Except that the Irishman’s story is still being written. And the fact that he’s managed to remain in the spotlight despite not fighting paints a very different trajectory from that of the former women’s bantamweight champion.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 01: UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey of the United States rushes forward against Bethe Correia of Brazil during the UFC 190 event inside HSBC Arena on August 1, 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
This isn’t the first time Chael Sonnen has targeted Ronda Rousey and Dana White regarding Rousey’s hype. He always claimed that she was part of one of the most abysmal pay-per-views in UFC history. Let’s take a look at that front.
Chael Sonnen exposes UFC 170 draw headlined by Ronda Rousey
According to Sonnen, UFC 170 stands as one of the worst PPV draws in the history of the promotion. Such was the card, that the UFC had to give away tickets for free to fill the arena with spectators. Rousey, in her signature first-round execution, finished Sara McMann in just over a minute to defend her bantamweight title for the second time.
Sonnen revealed, “She does have one of the lowest PPVs of all time. A world championship against Sara McMann that even had a supporting cast of Daniel Cormier, just for example. It was a good card [but] it was the lowest-attended Super Bowl weekend card in history. It had the lowest gate, which you can go and check that right now.”
He further added, “They papered the building, which means [they] gave tickets away, which they never do, and still, had under 8,000 people inside. I’m telling you—when Dana comes out and says all these things about Ronda, I don’t know why.”
Yet just like Chael Sonnen and Dana White, many MMA personalities have differing opinions on Ronda Rousey. However, her success and rise to fame cannot be denied. From the Octagon to movies and TV, and finally becoming a three-time WWE champion, she went out there and did it all. What are your thoughts on Ronda Rousey? Let us know in the comments below.
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