Travis Browne was briefly suspended over the summer after allegations of domestic abuse came to light from his estranged wife, Jenna Webb, only for the UFC to reinstate him after a minor investigation. Webb hadn’t pressed charges prior to the investigation, but has since said she plans to do that given what she believes was a faulty investigative process on their part.
Shortly after Browne was reinstated, a picture made the rounds of Browne with UFC Champ Ronda Rousey, with further rumors and comments swirling of a relationship between the two. On Monday, Browne confirmed that relationship in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
“Dating is for children,” Browne said. “Dating is for kids. Over the summer, through all the sh*t that I had to shuffle through, that I had to sift through, Ronda and I started talking throughout the summer and I’ll say now that we are together. She’s my woman and I’m her man. There’s no boyfriend, girlfriend stuff. There’s no dating. We’re together.
“…I’ve gotten to know her through the gym, through all that kind of stuff. I see her for who she is. The fact that she’s out there winning ESPYS and the star she is on the movie screen and all that kind of stuff, that’s all great. But that’s not who I know her as, if that makes sense. I know her as one of the hardest working athletes that I’ve ever seen, in this gym busting her butt on a daily basis. And through our own personal experiences of how compassionate and really how much of a sweetheart she really is. That’s what a lot of people don’t see out of her. They see that, but they don’t really get to experience that. She’s a huge star and that’s great for her and I’m happy for her. I want nothing to do but support that aspect in her life.”
Penick’s Analysis: The UFC essentially swept Browne’s case under the rug, but we still may not have heard the end of it. And though relationships between individuals are certainly their own business, Rousey’s likely to take some criticism over a relationship with a still-technically-married man who has been accused of domestic violence. It’s very much contrary to the type of things Rousey’s been talking about in public and trying to advocate with her platform, and it’s something that could certainly harm her overall image if the same mainstream outlets she’s been courting and drawing dive into Browne’s background further. It’s likely we’ll be hearing a lot more of this in the future.
Guy looks like Kevin Smith..lol