Ronda Rousey vs. fill in the blank was characteristically preceded by weeks or months of trash talk. However, Rousey demanded and received a media blackout before her fight with new women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Without Rowdy stirring the pot, Nunes’ genial nature flourished, with weeks of respectful references to her opponent.

Afterward, not so much.

Nunes shushed Rousey’s corner Edmond Tarverdyan, told color commentator Joe Rogan she knew she was going to “beat the s*** out of Rousey,” and tweeted an unkind image. On Tuesday Nunes offered an apology. And now she has offered an explanation – she was upset for the same reason the hardcore fanbase was.

Nunes was the champion, and Rousey was refusing to say even a single word. Yet the UFC marketing was entirely on Rousey, to an almost unprecedented degree. Nunes was not impressed.

The apology was because the words that I said,” said Nunes, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. “I think it was a little bit too much because I was very upset, very mad because how I was promoted [for] the whole thing. I was the champion and I didn’t have the credit I was supposed to have. I feel like everything was about her.”

I never fight mad before. That was the only fight that they made me fight mad, upset, and hurt. They hurt me and after the fight I can’t control myself. I say bad words and I know I have a lot of kids that night, a lot of people that didn’t want to hear that bad speech. But I was so upset and so hurt, I can’t hold myself [back]. That’s why I decided to post that after a couple days, a couple weeks after the fight because I was better now. I can hear everything, all the things, and I’ve calm down more but I was very upset with the whole thing.

For sure. Ronda Rousey was huge. We know what Ronda Rousey did for this sport, especially for women’s MMA. I know everything. I respect her for that. But I was the champion. I’m supposed to have credit a well. That’s why we have the belt. That’s why the UFC has the belt. Who’s the best? You have the belt. I was the best. Now everybody is gonna respect and treat me better and I think I deserve it.

Time heals all wounds and wounds all heels. And UFC champions have to fight. Next up for Nunes is a rematch with Valentina ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko.

I think she’s pretty tough opponent,” said Nunes. “She did very good, I think she did good work against Julianna Pena, but I know Julianna got caught. I know it’s not a move – nobody expected it. I think even Julianna Pena didn’t expect that because she knows Valentina Shevchenko’s a striker. But she made the mistake, she don’t believe it that much, and she got caught. I think Valentina Shevchenko’s a hard opponent but I beat her already and I will beat her again. This time I will finish her.