We all know the story of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
About how the daughter of a World Champion hooked up with the famed ‘Judo’ Gene LeBell to train alongside future UFC stars before competing at two Olympic games, taking a bronze medal in the latter.
One Rousey coach we don’t hear too much about is former Olympic silver medalist Jason Morris. In 2005, Rousey spent about eight months training under Morris in New York state, sleeping on a futon in his living room.
Morris has largely been left out of the narrative of Rousey’s Judo career, but she found some space to profile him in her newly released autobiography.
According to Rousey, it wasn’t the best of times.
“I was training under a coach I couldn’t stand and who was taking my money,” Rousey wrote in ‘My Fight/ Your Fight.’ “I was starving. I was not improving. ‘What the (expletive) am I doing here?’ I asked myself out loud.”
Well, Morris hasn’t read the book, but tells the Times Union ‘he’ll take the free advertising for his school, good or bad.’
“I was happy to be mentioned,” Morris said. “(Rousey) acknowledges that we were part of her rise, and anybody with a brain can say, ‘These people must have something going for them.'”
Morris also served as Rousey’s national team coach for the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
“I’m a judo coach,” said Morris. “I do the best I can, and (Rousey) came to me. I didn’t seek her out. She wanted expert training, and I did the best I could at that time.”
When Rousey arrived at his academy, Morris says ‘There was nothing remarkable about her,’ calling her ‘an average teenage kid, kind of sloppy.’
“She was already an exceptional competitor, which she still is today,” said Morris. “But she was raw, and there was a lot of room for technical advances. And that’s basically where I filled in a lot of things that she does today, among other coaches. I’m just a small blip in her existence.”
While Rousey credits her success to constant self improvement through tireless hard work, Morris says it wouldn’t have been possible if not for her coaches.
“The reality is she owes her entire existence to our sport,” Morris said. “Not to me or any one person. … The judo community raised her, and this is why she’s so successful.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Re. Match. Bellator breaks ratings record by 27 percent with Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock.
‘I wish.’ Gilbert Melendez says getting to Mexico City weeks early ‘didn’t make sense’ financially.
No easy fight. Joanna Jedrzejczyk broke her thumb badly against Jessica Penne and could need surgery.
‘I don’t even think it’s worth doing.’ Dan Henderson is not interested in fights against Michael Bisping or Tim Kennedy.
Thank you. Tito Ortiz talks facing Liam McGeary for the Bellator light heavyweight title and why he turned down a rematch with Frank Shamrock.
Watch The MMA Hour with Dan Henderson, Gilbert Melendez, Makwan Amirkhani, Rafael Cordeiro, Michael Chandler, Joe Schilling and John Pollock.
MEDIA STEW
Free Fight: Yoel Romero vs Clifford Starks.
Chael Sonnen breaks down Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero.
Jonas Bilharinho talks imitating Conor McGregor for Jose Aldo and responds to Joe Rogan’s compliments.
Robin Black talking about the Kimbo-Shamrock conspiracy talk.
More Jose Aldo promos.
Purple belt MMA journo rolling with blue belt Johny Hendricks.
Long watches.
Knuckle Up #360: Bellator 138, the magnitude of suck
…
UFC Octagonside Fight Night Berlin Reaction
TWEETS
Dang.
@ShamrockKen i can teach you how to do a RNC. pic.twitter.com/U4r5uD3EiK
— Makwan Amirkhani (@MakwanAmirkhani) June 22, 2015
Hang in there.
There’s only one other places I’d rather be right now And it has @brucebuffer standing right between me pic.twitter.com/26cBcBBJ4v
— Cowboy Cerrone (@Cowboycerrone) June 23, 2015
OK.
Enjoying hard work. pic.twitter.com/PNdnUyFNHx
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 22, 2015
o.0
@TheNotoriousMMA I’m rooting for you in this fight, I want you to do what every fighter dreams of, get to the @ufc and dominate in fashion
— Rick (@Rick_Story) June 22, 2015
@TheNotoriousMMA what you’re doing right now is inspiring for me as a fighter to better myself, hard work pays off. #ufc189 get that belt!
— Rick (@Rick_Story) June 22, 2015
Options.
It’s good to be the king.. Shout to @B3Sports for the edit pic.twitter.com/nelnvk8bDr
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) June 22, 2015
Looking good.
The new @JacksonWinkMMA is ready. I guarantee champions will be made in this gym. pic.twitter.com/CWN2FUfaYt
— Brandon Gibson (@SixGunGibson) June 23, 2015
Now that’s #jujitsu #Bjj fucking dope #movement http://t.co/pdJEvTtpWQ mendes Bros pic.twitter.com/ccxlxilnXH
— JohnDoomsdayHoward (@JohnDoomsday) June 22, 2015
Get well soon.
Like it! I’m very HAPPY! #good #day #happy #goodlife #champion @ufc #UFCchamp #UFC #JJ #… http://t.co/vCWIejOL78 pic.twitter.com/fRXTzK9slo
— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) June 22, 2015
I will be undergoing surgery as a result of a shoulder injury from my last fight. I will be out6-8months. http://t.co/1gtL5dS6y4
— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) June 23, 2015
We made it.
Also here is the greatest notification you can ever get on your phone. pic.twitter.com/BHDPvOYUSF
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocicufc) June 22, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (June 22 2015)
Rustam Khabilov out, Danny Castillo vs. Jim Miller at UFC on FOX 16
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via zerkitty.
JJ & Ronda alike? WMMA talent base says yes.
Big for the division, Finishers, Charismatic, very experienced internationally at the highest levels in their base arts. It is often forgotten that both are not just successful in their base arts and WMMA because of technique. They are superior physical and mental athletes that could be good at most any sport they chose to do.
If the UFC added 125lbs and either 105lbs (more likely) or 145lbs (hope not) and had 4 weight classes instead of two, we would see little in added talent except maybe at 105lb, instead we’d get a split of the current talent within the weight classes. JJ just beat a former 105, Waterson is coming for the money not the weight class. Let’s not kid ourselves about JJ or Ronda being big. 145lbs is so shallow you can watch it evaporate. It’s a real shame that the 125lb class hasn’t been added yet, allowing the women to settle into their proper weight classes.
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