As much as it pains many a sophisticate to admit, perhaps fighting does solve things after all.
As per Bryan Alvarez and David Meltzer (www.wrestlingobserver.com) via Wrestling Observer Radio, since Ronda Rousey defeated Miesha Tate in their rematch at UFC 168, it seems Rousey regrets not accepting the olive branch offered by Tate.
The bad blood between Rousey and Tate was brought to a boil thanks to their roles as opposing coaches on last season of The Ultimate Fighter. Both women were passionate in their roles as coaches, but their rivalry seemed to overshadow the show.
While Rousey was busy dealing with the fury that comes to losing to a rival as a coach, Tate basically got the role of white hat by default. Rousey was so brazen and transparent in her anger and competitive nature that Tate could not help by look good by comparison.
All she had to do is avoid cursing, keep on smiling and offer at least some kind of mature countenance, and Rousey did the rest for her. In truth, Rousey is the best PR agent Tate could have ever hoped for.
And the coup de grace, which Rousey administered to herself after defeating Tate, was refusing to shake Tate’s hand or bump fists or whatever Tate was offering as a reconciliatory measure.
But now that some days have passed, it is possible Rousey has cooled down just a little bit on the topic of Tate. According to the broadcast (near the 55th minute of the show), Rousey voiced regret for not at least giving Tate a fist bump after their fight. It was mentioned that Rousey felt this way because if she had been more cordial after the fight, perhaps she wouldn’t have been booed like she was.
It was also said that Rousey did actually want to congratulate Tate on a good fight. Of course, as we have not heard this directly from Rousey and given the secondhand nature of what was being said on the broadcast, this may be nothing more than hearsay.
But should she honestly regret her actions?
No one could doubt the friction between Rousey and Tate was genuine, and in truth, for a sport “as real as it gets,” unless there were honest feelings or respectful appreciation for Tate’s efforts, Rousey should not pretend. It would look as if Rousey was faking it in order to disarm a bomb that already went off, week after week, on The Ultimate Fighter.
Obviously, I am not saying that I don’t believe fighters should be respectful to each other after a bout, no matter how much bad blood was invested beforehand. But I do not think it’s something that can (or should) be faked; imagine how cheap and petty it would have looked had Don Frye and Ken Shamrock felt forced into some kind of cheap reconciliation after their brutal fight.
It almost seems ironic now when you consider that Rousey, while being surprised, was honestly cordial to Tate when she walked into the TUF gym as a replacement to Cat Zingano. She smiled and even offered her hand before she was aware that Tate was going to be on the show as the opposing coach.
Now, the show is over, the fight is in the books and Rousey has the satisfaction of defeating Tate twice. Perhaps she does have some regrets and perhaps not, but either way, at least her feelings come from a very real place.
And if their two fights have not given them some acceptance for their feelings, then the only thing left that can is time.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com