“I hope people don’t get too brutal with it. This is a hard job to be in and a lot of people can’t get in there. When you get in that Octagon, it’s one of the loneliest places in the world, because it’s only up to you to do it. A lot of people wouldn’t even have the nerve to be able to get in and just put it all on the line. Millions of people are watching you and you might get knocked out, you might not. You might do well, you might not. But you kind of have to go in being OK with knowing millions of people are going to be watching this. There’s a reason why only certain people fight. You’re putting yourself out there and you know people are going to say something one way or another… Any time you’re on top, people are going to want to talk one way or another. She’s been pretty vocal in her career, I think it’s easier for people to want to pick at things. I thing she’s strong enough. She can handle that… I hope she’s doing well. I know she’s obviously been at the top for a reason. She’s very dominant and a great athlete. She’s been the reigning champion for a long time. I’m sure she’ll come back soon.”
-New UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm talks to Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show about the reaction to Ronda Rousey since UFC 193, and why she believes Rousey doesn’t deserve much of what’s been said (transcribed by MMAFighting.com).
Penick’s Analysis: Now, some of the response to Rousey is a direct result of the way she’s carried herself at times, and in particular the way she went off on Holm after the weigh-ins on Friday. That was actually a bit out of character even for her, and that attitude made it easy for some to revel in her comeuppance. Now, Holm’s coming across as entirely genuine when she makes these comments, and as Michael Bane noted in his piece on Wednesday, she does seem in many ways like the antithesis of Rousey. She’s not out-spoken, she’s extremely humble, she seems a genuinely kind person, and right now she’s deserving of the spot she took last weekend. Rousey’s likely to make her way back into the mix, and though there are some who wouldn’t be able to deal with the level of backlash she’s getting right now, she very well might be able to. It’s hard to say anything too definitively at this point, but I’m with Holm in expecting Rousey to get past this and come back.
Leave a Reply