Ronda Rousey finally got Kim Kardashian‘s attention, but it wasn’t the response she was expecting.
The Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion made headlines for her anti-Kardashian rant on the red carpet at the wrap party for ESPN The Magazine’s “The Body Issue” on Wednesday night.
When asked what celebrity she disliked most, Rousey immediately went after Kardashian and the legitimacy of her celebrity status.
“You know what? I would beat the crap out of Kim Kardashian actually. Any girl who is famous and idolized because she made a sex video with some guy and that’s all that you’re known for, ‘Oh, I got my fame for [expletive],’ I think it’s pretty stupid, sorry, but it’s true.”
The red carpet interview was only the tip of the iceberg.
Rousey continued to blast Kardashian during an interview with TMZ on Thursday. She believes Kardashian is an unfit role model for teenage girls, especially her younger sister Julia.
“I think, one of the reasons why [Kim Kardashian] bothers me so much is because there’s plenty of pornstars out there that do the same thing for a living, but she’s like a glorified pornstar that’s been taken and somehow pushed to be some sort of role model. She’s selling Skechers to little kids in ads all over the place, and what kind of example does that set?
Why my little sister is watching this stuff, and thinking, ‘Wow, if I perform,’ sorry, I was a little too blatant on the red carpet when I talked. ‘If perform felacio on a C-list celebrity, I suddenly have fame and stuff.’ I mean, I don’t know. It’s wrong in every way, and if I had a chance, if I had to pick anyone, yeah of course, I would beat her up.
…This girl should be selling lube or something like that instead. Why is she selling shoes?”
In the middle of Rousey’s interview, Mike, a TMZ crew member, announced that Kardashian had responded to Rousey’s statements. According to him, Kardashian wasn’t upset at all by the comments. In fact, she thinks Rousey is “really pretty,” and she doesn’t want to say anything mean about her.
Rousey believes Kardashian made a wise choice to avoid any further confrontation.
“That’s what she said? Okay. I like her reaction. It’s alright, but I mean, what is she going to say? What could she say? I think the best move for her is to not piss me off more.”
Rousey is expected to defend her Strikeforce title for the first time against Sarah Kaufman on August 18. It’s interesting that she has spent more time talking about a non-athletic celebrity than her upcoming opponent.
Kaufman is a former Strikeforce champion, and she should provide a dangerous test for Rousey.
With that said, Rousey’s beef with Kardashian is great publicity for the growing market of women’s MMA. Kaufman is a relatively quiet personality, and everything will fall on Rousey’s shoulders to hype the fight.
Whether people tune in to see her win or lose, people want to see Rousey fought.
MMA may have finally found its female version of Chael Sonnen.
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