Written by Geoff Craig at MMA Manifesto
Ronda Rousey’s reign as Women’s Bantamweight Champion ended on November 14th 2015. Ronda Rousey came in to her fight with the undefeated (8-0) Holly Holm having won her previous 12 fights in under 26 minutes total. Yes, 26 minutes for 12 fights. Her previous two title defenses against Cat Zingano and Bethe Correia lasted just :14 and :34 seconds respectively. She looked unstoppable and the Las Vegas oddsmakers agreed, setting her as a -2000 favorite. But, beyond what we see in the octagon from Ronda was a myriad of distractions heading into this fight with Holly Holm.
Leading up to this fight, Ronda was in the news more than I can remember for things that didn’t involve her fighting at all. Let’s take a look at a few of these distractions that may have led to her reign coming to an end.
Back in October Ronda’s mom, AnnMaria De Mars, went off in an interview with LatiNation talking about Ronda’s coach, Edmond Tarverdyan. “I think he’s a terrible coach. I think he hit the lottery when Ronda walked in there.” She went on to say “She was winning before she ever met him. She probably won 99 percent of the judo matches she ever fought in. She’d won the Junior Worlds when she was 17. She got a bronze medal in the Olympics. She got a silver medal in the world championships. She was one of the top athletes in the world when she walked in there, and he wouldn’t even give her the time of day for months. Somebody like that is a terrible coach.” De Mars gave some insight on why her daughter stays with Tarverdyan, “I think she stays there because it’s like somebody pitches a no-hitter when they’re wearing red underwear, and they wear that red underwear for every day – and I think it’s superstition, and I would caution anybody from going there,” De Mars said. “And I think it’s bad he uses her to lure people in. And the reason I tell everybody, and I told Ronda, ‘I’m not going to be quiet about this anymore’ – he’s a bad person, and people should not go there. And if he wants to sue me, that’s my honest opinion.” Wow, harsh words from mom about your coach as you head into a big fight with another undefeated fighter.
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