(Somehow, she’s still scary in this photo)
So, remember when the UFC announced that Cat Zingano had to pull out of coaching The Ultimate Fighter opposite bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey as well as out of her title match with “Rowdy” and would be replaced by Meisha Tate. Everyone, except for Meisha Tatewas probably pretty bummed about Zingano’s injury but no one really seemed to care about how or when the UFC let the world, and Rousey know.
Well, according to Ronda’s mother Dr. Ana Maria Rousey DeMars, a former international Judo competitor, the UFC pulled a Urijah/Cruz/Barao-type announcement with Ronda being Faber in this instance, Meisha being Barao and finding out before Rousey that she would replace Zingano (the “Cruz” in this scenario) as coach and opponent. Alright, that messy analogy aside, Dr. Rousey DeMars used her blog to take issue with her daughter getting surprised and finding out later than Meisha that the two would fight one another again for the sake of providing a dramatic television moment for The Ultimate Fighter.
“When I heard about the last-minute switch in coaches for the show Ronda is on, my first thought was, ‘That’s a pretty dick move,’ Ana Maria wrote.
“Not so much replacing Cat, who was injured (ouch!) but keeping it from Ronda until the last minute. If you’re going to have an athletic competition, then it should be fair. Among other things, that means you don’t give one competitor information that the other doesn’t have. You don’t let one player know something weeks in advance of the other player.”
Dr. Whoop Your Ass believes that real competition is taking a backseat to entertainment with The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC. She’s not the first person to express this type of concern about the UFC or fight promotions, generally. Rousey-DeMars is, however, exceptional in the timing and directness of her criticism, as well as her obvious close connection to an active UFC champ.
“So, it is pretty clear that whoever is making the decisions here has decided this is not an athletic competition, it’s a reality show. That’s what a lot of people have been saying all along, it’s just going to be a side show and not a serious athletic event,” she went on.
Rousey-DeMars then gave her daughter some unsolicited professional and personal advice, along with a pretty bad ass lil story from her competition days.”Here is my advice to Ronda, not that she asked me either, but that has never stopped me before,” Rowdy Sr. wrote.
“You know who gets to decide if this is an athletic competition or a reality show? You.”
Theatrics should be put aside and the task of fighting and beating another human being need to be Rousey’s focus. Rousey-DeMars recounted how an old coach of hers would react to opposing coaches’ tactics.
“…Other coaches who before the match would be giving lengthy instructions to my competitor – get your right cross grip, then go for the uchi mata, then switch…
“Every now and then, though, he would get annoyed by all of the posturing. That’s when he would pull me close and whisper in my ear his coaching advice.
‘Fuck. Her. Up.’”
It would appear that Ronda’s mom has already taught her that lesson well enough over her life, judging by her game face and the ferocity with which she fights. Mama Rousey left her daughter with some off-the-mat advice as well.
“I’d also make damn sure I found out who pulled that dick move on me and never trust him/them again.”
Watch out, Fox television producers and Uncle Dana. Mama Rousey don’t play that shiznit and she’s got a good memory.
–Elias Cepeda