Ronda Rousey News: Former Opponent Says Holly Holm Did Not Break 'Rowdy'
Former UFC women's bantamweight title contender Sara McMann recently defended former champion Ronda Rousey from detractors.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, McMann fired back at "Rowdy's" haters who continue to question the latter's accomplishments.
"As somebody who is an Olympic athlete, who is also an Olympic medalist and a tournament athlete, it's completely insulting to me," McMann said. "It shows that people do not even understand what Ronda has actually done before."
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Rousey had earned more haters after she was knocked out in the second round by former professional boxer Holly Holm in their main event bout at UFC 193 in November. McMann, who fought and lost to Rousey via first round technical knockout at UFC 170 in April 2014, is also an Olympic athlete.
Having competed and won the silver medal for Olympic wrestling at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece, McMann says she fully understands what Rousey is going through. The 35-year-old mixed martial arts fighter noted how Rousey was able to pick herself up from sheer disappointment from not winning the Olympic gold medal in judo during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
This, according to McMann, was what frustrates her the most whenever she gets to read or hear about hate comments about Rousey.
"It was really, really frustrating to me," McMann said. "Don't think that she's not resilient and she can't adapt to those circumstances."
A great majority of Rousey's detractors are fans who are merely spectators of the sport and have zero experience in high-level competition. That said, McMann calls for everyone to respect all athletes who put their bodies at risk just to keep themselves in tip-top shape.
Rousey is still currently on the shelves after the said loss to Holm. After the fight, she was given a six-month medical suspension, keeping her out of action, even in the gym, for the said time period.
She is expected to be back at UFC 200 in a rematch against Holly Holm. The event is scheduled to take place in July.
