Ronda Rousey, the UFC bantamweight champion, will defend her title on December 28 at the UFC 168 against her rival Miesha Tate. The animosity the fighters share for each other has been well documented both inside and outside of the octagon. While coaching against each other on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter, the coaches almost came to blows on more than one occasion.
Despite the intense rivalry, Rousey says she is actually happy for all of the attention that they are receiving. “It’s not like my dislike for her outweighs how much I care for women’s MMA,” Rousey said. “It’s not like I want her to be like permanently injured or retire or anything like that. It’s just like it would be nice not to have to deal with her personally, myself, anymore but the notoriety she’s gained from this rivalry has helped all the other girls out so I’m happy that she’s actually done better because of it.”
Rousey says that she looks forward to beating Tate for a second time, and finally putting the rivalry at rest. “I want to win every single fight,” she said. “They’re all equally important to me no matter who it is against but it will be nice to not have to deal with it anymore. I don’t want to have to be able to put myself in a situation where anyone could instigate me again,” Rousey continued. “If you notice, I’ve never really had a problem with any other opponent that I’ve ever had, if you think about it. Everyone thinks of me as this big trash talker but who have I had a problem with that I’ve fought except for Miesha?”
Rousey also says she will be completely prepared to take on Tate, realizing that she is, in fact, fighting a “perfectly trained athlete.”
“I’ve prepared for the worst-case scenario,” Rousey said. “I’m constantly talking her up, that she’s going to be in the best shape of her life, that she’s going to have a perfect game plan. I’ve spent this whole camp focusing on every single weakness I could possibly have. I assume she’s going to be perfect, and that I’m getting ready for a perfectly trained athlete … that’s going to fight me for a five-round brawl, Rousey continued. “She expects me to go out and make stupid mistakes and gas out. I expect a lot more from her, and I’ll be better prepared.”
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