Rashad Evans: Rousey arrogance as champ was ‘kind of disgusting’

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans spoke recently with MMA Alpha, and discussed the failed title challenge by former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 207 vs. Amanda Nunes.

You know where you step into that spotlight to have a great performance, you also got to understand you may not have a great performance and you got to understand that you may be criticized for what you didn’t do or what you could’ve done or whatever, said Evans, as transcribed by Brent Cristelli for MMA Mania. Another part to that, is I think that she is not trying to be hung by the same words that she was last time. If you recall Ronda going into the fight with Holly Holm, she was uber-confident, she was almost disrespectful, you know? ‘No one can be champion as well as me’ and just her arrogance … it was kind of disgusting.

The MMA media piled on Rousey after the title loss to Holly Holm, often quoting her own hyper-confident remarks, like her stated belief that it’s possible she could beat Cain Velasquez. Rousey entirely shunned the MMA media since and has made only a handful of appearances in the mainstream media in the past year.

I think those were the words that kind of ate at her when she lost because everyone brought it up, he said. And now I think she’s to the point where she’s like, ‘You know what, I’m not going to say anything, I’m not going to give you a soundbite to hang me with afterward if I don’t win this fight’.

Rousey’s controversial coach Edmond Tarverdyan said Rousey has made no plans yet one way or the other about retirement. Evans is dropping to middleweight but was twice refused a license to fight due to medical issues. He plans to fight early in 2017.