Ronda Rousey details rift with Joe Rogan, MMA media towards the end of her UFC run: “I’ll be waiting on that call forever!””

By Curtis Calhoun - April 23, 2024

UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey wishes UFC commentator Joe Rogan and other media personalities would apologize for their past criticism of how she handled losses.

Ronda Rousey, Joe Rogan

Rousey is arguably one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time after pioneering the promotion’s dip into women’s MMA. She headlined the UFC’s first all-female main event, defeating Liz Carmouche for the bantamweight championship at UFC 157.

Since retiring from MMA, Rousey has opened up on what went wrong with the end of her fighting career. She attributed losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes in part to her substantial history of concussions and other health issues.

Rogan, the longest-tenured UFC broadcaster in promotional history, has commented on Rousey’s UFC end on numerous occasions. During a 2018 The Joe Rogan Experience episode with Eddie Bravo and Brendan Schaub, Rogan hinted at Rousey’s skillset being one-dimensional.

Ronda Rousey on why relationships with Joe Rogan, MMA media became fractured

During a recent appearance on The Chris Cuomo Project podcast, Rousey explained her disdain for Rogan and other MMA media members.

“It was disappointing to see how happily everyone turned on me,” Rousey said. “People like Joe Rogan who were crying in the ring out of the honor to call my fights, people I considered friends in the media, so quickly turned on me. I’m also kind of grateful for it, in a way, because it forced me to separate other people’s perception of me, from my own perception of myself, which I hadn’t realized had become intertwined. When you have that outpouring of love and support from people, you’re being love-bombed from the world. And how do I keep this going? I was pandering to everybody and doing things that other people would think was cool, but I didn’t really enjoy…

“It wasn’t real love, it was fake. It’s a reflection of themselves and what I represent to them…MMA media hates me, but it’s fine. They’ve all just doubled down and said I’m making excuses…not giving credit where it’s due. I’ll be waiting on that call forever.”

Rogan hasn’t commented on Rousey’s memoir, Our Fight, nor the UFC Hall of Famer’s concussion admissions since the book’s release.

Rousey transitioned to professional wrestling in WWE following a loss to Nunes at UFC 207. She’s squashed any speculation of a fighting comeback in recent years.

Rousey and Rogan could potentially break bread in the coming months, but if Rousey’s comments are any indication, she isn’t expecting any peacemaking with Rogan.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Joe Rogan Ronda Rousey UFC