Mainstream fame is a rare thing to see in the world of mixed martial arts. But if you ask Dana White, international judo champion Ronda Rousey is light years ahead of the pack.
And that includes Tito Ortiz—even in his prime.
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting), the former UFC light heavyweight champion gave some pointed criticism that Rousey was buying into her own hype far too soon.
White voraciously defended his bantamweight women’s champion (via MMA Weekly), directly comparing both fighters’ credentials:
Tito Ortiz came out the other day and said, “What has Ronda Rousey [done]? Ronda Rousey hasn’t even proven herself yet. She hasn’t proven herself.” What the f—! Tito was a junior college wrestler. [Rousey‘s] an Olympic-level athlete who won a f—ing medal at the Olympics. Ronda Rousey‘s first nine fights have gone nine minutes and 28 seconds. Tito Ortiz’s first nine fights went 40 minutes and 45 seconds.
But as the UFC president continued on, he didn’t just refer to the pace of their early careers in their respective weight classes:
What the f— are you talking about, Tito? She blows you out of the water when it comes to accomplishing things at the same point in your age and career. She smokes you. She buries you. She’s in another universe. I get it–he’s a manager now and he’s got to get out there and say some goofy s—. But c’mon. Do your homework, Tito.
Ortiz is retired from MMA after 15 years in the sport that saw him win and successfully defend the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship five times over two years and seven months—a company record that has yet to fall.
But after suffering a 1-7-1 slide, Ortiz turned to the business side of MMA, where he currently represents former Strikeforce champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino. Despite a dominant career, Cyborg has been sidelined for over a year due to a positive test for anabolic steroids.
Although the UFC is trying desperately to put a super-fight together between Rousey and Cyborg, the two have been at an impasse on an agreed weight.
So far, Cyborg and Ortiz have claimed (via MMAInterviews.TV) that Cyborg is simply too large to cut down from her normal 170 weight.
Unfortunately for Cyborg, Rousey will only take the fight at her division’s 135-pound limit, while White suggested to Fuel TV that the Brazilian simply wants “nothing” to do with Rousey.
Cyborg replied with an extremely heated Instagram post, calling Rousey a “bitch” and daring her to fight at a 140-pound catchweight. For now, Rousey will be mostly occupied with her first title defense, as she faces off against Strikeforce and Invicta FC veteran Liz Carmouche at UFC 157.
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