“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18 was Ronda Rousey’s first stint as a coach on the show, and after several headache-filled weeks, it will likely be her last.
The UFC women’s bantamweight champ spent six weeks coaching a group of men and women vying for a UFC contract. Back in April, Rousey said during an interview on FUEL TV that she wasn’t expecting the same reality TV-based drama viewers were typically exposed to in shows like Jersey Shore.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to avoid drama when you’re coaching opposite and competing against your longtime rival.
Miesha Tate served as the opposing coach for Rousey on TUF 18, replacing injured top contender Cat Zingano. While the UFC has done a great job of preventing spoilers, the official preview video for the show hints at overflowing emotions and several tense moments involving one of MMA’s biggest feuds.
With the show behind her, Rousey should now be able to rest easier and spend time preparing for her highly anticipated rematch with Tate in December at UFC 168. Sadly, she still spends most of her days worrying about how she’ll be portrayed on television, according to an interview with USA TODAY:
“How could people possibly know who you are from a couple of clips of a video that people are seeing out of context? That’s no way for people to get to know you, so I’m just preparing for people to get the worst idea of who I am.”
In speaking with USA TODAY, UFC President Dana White said that Rousey’s concerns were normal. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and say or do things you later regret.
Everything is fair game when a reality TV show is being pieced together in the editing booth, and those emotional outbursts may come back to bite you.
Rousey doesn’t plan on putting herself through this kind of stress ever again. She claims she wouldn’t take another coaching gig on TUF even if the UFC offered her $10 million: “I think it was very good for the women’s division, and I think it definitely needed to happen, but you couldn’t pay me $10 million to do it again.”
The season premiere of TUF 18 is expected to air tonight at 10pm ET on Fox Sports 1, following UFC Fight Night 28.
Could Tate rise as an unlikely heroine in this ongoing rivalry, or is Rousey overreacting to a potential fallout from the show?
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