The manufactured feud between Floyd Mayweather and Ronda Rousey continues.
On Thursday night, Mayweather, the most popular boxer in the world, took a verbal swipe at Rousey on ESPN’s SportsCenter. This follows Rousey’s putdown of Mayweather at the ESPYS last month.
“I’ve yet to see any MMA fighter, or other boxer, make over $300 million in 36 minutes,” Mayweather said. “When she can do that, then call me.”
Mayweather wasn’t all snarky, though.
“A while back I didn’t know who Ronda Rousey was, so I’m pretty sure she got upset. I want to say congratulations to Ronda Rousey and the UFC. You guys have done a tremendous job and I’ve won probably six or seven ESPYS for Fighter of the Year. And I truly believe she deserves it. Congratulations to Ronda Rousey.”
At the ESPYS in July, Rousey brought up Mayweather’s past history of domestic violence after defeating him in the Fighter of the Year category.
“I wonder how Floyd feels being beaten by a woman for once,” Rousey said.
Rousey said she waited a whole year before slamming Mayweather, because she felt like he disrespected her in 2014 by saying he didn’t know who she was.
“I know for damn sure that he knew who I was, because he was running against me for Best Fighter that year and he has signed MMA fighters,” Rousey said in July at a Los Angeles media day. “So his feigned ignorance was meant to be a snarky remark to me.”
Mayweather and Rousey are arguably the two most dominant athletes in their respective sports. Mayweather is an undefeated 48-0 after beating Manny Pacquiao in the biggest pay-per-view event ever back in May. Rousey is 12-0 in MMA with every finish but one coming in the first round. Rousey, coming off a 34-second knockout win over Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Aug. 1 in Brazil, has ended her last three fights combined in just 94 seconds.
Mayweather meets Andre Berto on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas.