It’s hardly a secret that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate doesn’t like former champion Ronda Rousey, but it was an unknown that ‘Rowdy’ had a problem with rising 11-pound talent Paige VanZant.
And apparently VanZant didn’t know that she did, either, as Tate revealed on today’s episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast that Rousey supposedly cornered ’12 Gauge’ at a recent Reebok event when she only wanted to take a picture with the popular but downtrodden former champ. With a rematch with Rousey potentially on the horizon, Tate recalled the story that VanZant told her:
“We were at a Reebok deal recently, we were at a shoot and I was trying to find her [Ronda] so I could get a picture, and the Reebok people said don’t ask Ronda for a picture. Stay away from Ronda don’t ask her for a picture.”
It may seem a strange request, as Rousey is obviously quite used to be the center of attention in many photographs thanks to her booming movie career and countless magazine photo shoots. But apparently her disdain towards VanZant centers on the young fighter’s reaction to her shocking loss to Holly Holm at last November’s UFC 193, an event that sent Rousey into a sort of self-imposed media seclusion.
You’d think that Rousey and VanZant share a common bond in that they’re the most recognized fighters in their respective divisions in terms of corssover appeal, with Rousey a movie star in several films and VanZant currently leading the ucrrent season of ‘Dancing With The Stars.’
Yet that seems to be very far from the case.
According to Tate, Rousey sought VanZant out and lashed out at her for congratulating Holm on beating ‘Rowdy’ for the belt:
“Ronda found her later that day and cussed her out. I guess Ronda said to her, ‘Fuck you your fair weather bitch. How dare you cross me? You congratulated Holly Holm for beating me, so fuck you, you fucking fair weather 115-pound fighter.’ Paige came to me and told me, and I was like well, welcome to my world.”
Indeed Tate does know what it’s like to be in that world, as she first made her archrival champion when she lost to Rousey back in Strikeforce in 2012 before engaging in a heated back-and-forth war of words when the two served as opposing coaches at 2013’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 before facing off for a second time at UFC 168 that year.
Rousey notched her second straight armbar finish of Tate at that event, but it’s largely thought that version of ‘Rowdy’ is gone, at least for now, while Tate continues her ascension of improvement with five straight wins capped off by her emphatic fifth-round submission of the woman who beat Rousey at UFC 196.
That means they could meet for a third time in the near future if Rousey does decide to return. And when she does, it appears she’s going to have more female fighters on her ‘naughty list’ than just Tate.
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