Ronda Rousey surely knows that this season of The Ultimate Fighter ends on November 30th, but she doesn’t read anything that’s ever written about her in the media. Therefore she doesn’t know much more about what fans are saying about the show–or her–than that. When she filmed her first movie (The Expendables 3–which premieres in 2014) Rousey vowed never to read any articles, Twitter or Facebook mentions–or anything else, for that matter, about herself.
As this season of the Fox Sports show ends, the UFC fighter, who coaches on The Ultimate Fighter along with former competitor Miesha Tate, is thrilled beyond belief about what her presence on TV and on The Ultimate Fighter has done for women in the sport.
“The way that everyone has been approaching the women fighters has changed dramatically. It went from being a joke to the highlight of every card they’re on,” she says. “The past season of The Ultimate Fighter really proved that numerically. The episodes where the women fight do much better than the episodes with the men.
This doesn’t in any way, however, mean women are treated fairly within the sport. Often sexualized during conversations about ultimate fighting, social media guidelines for UFC fighters are in the working stages. At least that way the men who compete in the sport can’t be quite as insulting when referring to their female counterparts. That won’t stop men who aren’t signed with the UFC, of course.
As long as people are talking about Ronda Rousey, she really doesn’t care what they say. She figures it keeps the money coming in.
“I want everyone to talk as much as possible about everything. As long as they’re talking, I’m happy. The bills get paid. I can feed my dog,” she says. “[When I did the Olympics] every(one) thought I was so darling, but it didn’t do a damn thing for me.”
And why doesn’t she care about what people are saying about her? Well, that just goes right back to that vow she made. If she doesn’t read what’s written, she certainly doesn’t care what’s being said. When you think about it, that’s a pretty good philosophy that could pan out for people in general–whether they’re UFC fighters or not.
Just because Ronda Rousey doesn’t read social media posts, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t make them. In the midst of training fighters for The Ultimate Fighter finale, she took time to tweet her followers some holiday wishes on Thursday.
Happy thanksgiving everybody 😉 http://t.co/ilFX8aEzR5
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) November 28, 2013
Image via Wikimedia