Ronda Rousey may be a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, but UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Pena isn’t impressed with the legacy “rowdy” has left in MMA.
Fresh from a weekend in Dallas for WrestleMania, where she saw Rousey fail in a pro wrestling match against WWE star Charlotte Flair, Pena took aim at the former UFC champion on The MMA Hour and openly challenged Rousey to do it attempt a better final chapter in MMA than the 2-0 slump that ended their UFC career in 2016.
“Ronda is so dated, isn’t it?” Pena said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. “I think the incredible thing about her is that she opened the door and destroyed people in 10 seconds and became a star because she destroyed people in the first round and that’s great – but she passed out twice and never came back. So how legitimate is she?
“She had to go to pro wrestling. And I get that and I think that’s great. But as a fighter and someone who’s competitive, I know it probably really bothers her – deep down – the fact that she walked away after two KO losses and never came back to make her name good. If it really really bothers her and at the end of the day it gets under her skin to know that, then her legacy is kind of ruined by the fact that she never came back and never got on that horse again I want to invite her please come back – and if she wants to come back, I would welcome her with open arms.”
Rousey memorably left the MMA world in 2016 after back-to-back KO losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, the latter of which lasted just 48 seconds. Prior to these career-ending setbacks, Rousey had risen to become one of the biggest stars in combat sports, having started her MMA run with a 12-0 record that included 11 first-round stoppages and multiple headlining spots at big UFC pay- per included views. Rousey’s breakthrough as Strikeforce Champion in 2012 also convinced UFC President Dana White to eventually open the doors to women’s divisions in the UFC, and her impact in that regard cannot be overstated.
Still, Rousey’s departure from MMA was disgraceful, to say the least, and Pena believes the reality of that fact must continue to eat away at the former UFC champion.
“That’s what I’m saying, she’s kind of a joke in the MMA world now because she’s a — what’s the word? – Sell out,” Pena said of Rousey. “Like a little sale. I mean, I think I understand, right? It’s like, pro wrestling is wrong, you get paid millions of dollars, I get it. But for me, for real shit, for like, “You’re the real, real deal,” I’d say that’s in the UFC. And if she ever wants some of that real smoke, I’m ready.”
The likelihood of Rousey ever returning to MMA is slim. She’s currently working a full-time job with WWE, and Pena is also gearing up to take her UFC title online in a rematch against Nunes this summer. Pena and Nunes are also dueling coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter 30, which is set to air in May.
Though Rousey never accepts her offer, the bantamweight champion still considers herself a fan of the woman who helped popularize female athletes in the UFC.
“I thought she had a great one [WrestleMania] fit,” said Pena. “I found them very good, yes. And that’s just girl to girl as a fan — I’m a fan and I think she’s amazing and I’m happy for her and I think it’s great what she’s doing in WWE — but as a fan, she either has to more comfortable in her own skin or she has to come up with a different outfit because every move she makes becomes a wardrobe correction. You know what I mean?
“Wear something you feel comfortable in. Wear something you love that doesn’t require you to keep tugging at your clothes throughout the game. You never once saw Charlotte Flair touch anything she was wearing, it was all about the match. But Ronda keeps pulling. So wear something you’re comfortable in so you don’t have to because it just takes a little bit away.”