Rousey on Cris Justino: Where’s she at??!?

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey appeared in a media scrum at UFC Fight Night 51, and covered a wide variety of topics.

Rousey was asked how she was able to manage shooting movies, training, and a recent media tour that included China and now Brazil. The reply contained a surprise.

“Actually it was really convenient timing,” said Rousey. “I got knee surgery right afterward. And actually I kept this a secret, I haven’t said it publicly until now, but I broke my thumb the last fight. Right next to the joint I had a pin stuck in, and I was in a cast all summer. As well as my knuckle.

“But I just got cleared by the doctor like two days before I left. So I’m cleared to fight now. So yah, it was perfect timing for me to go and do the media required, while I was in rehab. I think it was the perfect multitasking.”

“I would love to fight on the Jan 3 card, with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. I love fighting on New Years, because it is one of the biggest shows of the year, and I love being part of it. I love driving to fights.”

A fawning reporter, noting she was among other things an Olympic gold medalist, asked if she thought she could be the MMA GOAT, despite gender or weight class.

“I’m an Olympic bronze medalist,” corrected Rousey. “I think those are the kind of titles you can’t give yourself. You have to wait until after you retire, and see if the fans give it to you.”

Rousey pulled the curtain back a little bit on her often controversial public persona. She said she wanted to fight Bethe Correia, and complimented the Brazilian for taking on the Four Horsewomen in succession.

“I think it was extremely intelligent of her,” began Rousey. “And I think it’s one of the things that was missing in women’s MMA before I came along. I am glad that the girls are taking the hint, and making things a lot more interesting for the fans.

“I think that a backstory and story lines are extremely important, because the fight becomes more than just who is athletically better. It becomes about who is right. Then the fans pick favorites and it becomes personal for the fans as well.

“I think it’s very smart what she’s doing. She’s not going to get away with it, but it’s very intelligent.”

Rousey was asked what she thought about a fight with Gina Carano. Rousey responded that that was her dream fight ever since she watched Carago fight Julie Kedzie, which took place early in 2007.

“My coach has a really good saying,” related Rousey. “He translated it from Armenian. He says ‘be jealous but be kind.’ And so I wanted what she had, but I didn’t want her to lose it. I wanted her to have it too.

“It would be the greatest honor of my life to fight the girl that really inspired me to take up MMA and change my life.”

Rousey later said the two fights she wants the most are Gina Carano or Cat Zingano.

“I promised (Zingano),” said Rousey. “One day we are going to have that title fight that you deserve. I am going to beat you, but you’ll have it. She’s had a very, very tough year, and I think (a title shot) is exactly what she would need, and I am happy provide that experience for her.”

Inevitably, the questions turned to Cris Justino.

“It’s always been a fight that I wanted,” began Rousey. “But everybody forgets, It was less than 24 hours after they announced out of competition drug testing that she requested to be released from the UFC.

“I didn’t go anywhere. She’s the one who left. I’ve always been ready to fight. Where’s she at?”

Rousey then went on the describe at some length her motivations.

“All these things in my (pre MMA) life that I thought were bad, the referees, the injuries, and all these other things ilke that, they all ended up helping me become the most complete fighter in the world,” said Rousey.

“It was the most frustrating thing, when I was coming up in the MMA world, and I knew that I was the best in the world, b but no one believed me. Yeah, that is why I worked so hard, because I was frustrated, because I was like ‘Don’t you understand that I am the best in the world? Nobody, nobody knows??!?'”

“So that was one thing that really, really motivated me from the very beginning. So I stepped into the gym on the first day that I started MMA, and I knew that I was already the best in the world.

“I just had to become more complete, and a little bit more of a smooth fighter.”