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Ronda Rousey under fire over Conor McGregor comments

WWE star Ronda Rousey has been slammed for her controversial comments regarding Conor McGregor and the UFC.

The former UFC and Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion has little to do with the sport that made her famous these days.

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Rousey’s making big bucks as a headliner in World Wrestling Entertainment, and her only appearance back in the world of real sports in recent times was a well-deserved induction into the UFC Hall of Fame in July.

But Rousey recently launched her revamped RondaRousey.com website, and soon thereafter found herself in front of those TMZ cameras that always seem to somehow magically find celebrities at the exact moment they’re looking for a bit of publicity.

Ronda Rousey weighed in on the Conor McGregor drama. Image: Getty
Ronda Rousey weighed in on the Conor McGregor drama. Image: Getty

And the former champ, who’s been mum on all things MMA over the past couple years, just happened to tell TMZ a thing or two about the near-riot at UFC 229 following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fourth-round submission victory over Conor McGregor.

“When it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, when it comes to felonies, when it comes to hit and runs or anything like that,” Rousey told TMZ. “I think there’s too much preferential treatment given to high-profile fighters. I think there needs to be equal discipline across the board.”

Rousey also feels that McGregor’s April assault on a bus containing Nurmagomedov in Brooklyn merits a bigger punishment than what Nurmagomedov deserves for kicking off the brawl in Las Vegas, hinting the UFC is giving McGregor special treatment.

“I think that Khabib jumping out of the Octagon was not as bad as throwing objects at a bus … ” said Rousey.

“So I just feel like there has to be equal treatment all the way across the board. I don’t think that anyone should get special treatment because they’re a bigger draw.”

Rousey’s comments have since come under fire, particularly her thoughts on the ‘special treatment’ afforded to McGregor.

Yahoo Sports’ Dave Doyle finds Rousey’s comments very ironic:

Putting aside for a moment that McGregor has never spoken an ill word about Rousey, his former co-star among UFC pay-per-view draws, there’s irony in Rousey accusing others of special treatment.

It was Rousey, after all, who received special treatment in the run-up to her UFC 207 fight with Amanda Nunes, making next-to-no public appearances and hamstringing a fight which was big but should have been massive. Rousey’s petulance minimised the shine Nunes got in winning the fight, and the bantamweight belt has never recovered as a draw from its heyday of Rousey, Miesha Tate and Holly Holm. Not even McGregor, who was pulled from UFC 200 after trying to get out of promoting the event, got away with such a stunt.

From there, Rousey was whisked right into the prime position of the entire pro wrestling business: A co-headlining spot at WrestleMania, the industry’s Super Bowl.

Rousey wasn’t there because she has the wrestling talent of a Ric Flair or Shawn Michaels or an entire roster of men and women who have put in their ring time and developed fan followings. She was there because she can draw money.

In other words, stars get special treatment in the entertainment business.

A number of fans also took exception to Rousey’s thoughts:

‘Having seizures’: Khabib reveals fallout from McGregor fight

Khabib has opened up on the shocking physical toll of his victory over Conor McGregor.

Khabib was dominant inside the Octagon, but has since made a shocking revelation about the affect the fight had on his health.

He says he suffered a number of severe seizures the night before the fight, due to the weight he had to lose.

“The day before the fight I did not sleep at all,” he told Russian TV on Sunday.

“I had weight loss and I felt very bad. I was having seizures and I felt very ill.

Khabib Nurmagomedov. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Khabib Nurmagomedov. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“But if I lost I would not tell you about this. Because that would have been an excuse.

“However after the weigh-in everything was good. The main thing was my psychological attitude.

“If you are not psychologically ready then your physical training will not help you in the fight.

“I worry like any other fighter – the whole world is watching us.

“I’m not worried that anyone can beat me, I worry only about what I can lose. I am 30 years old and the years have passed very quickly.

“Victory, defeat, all of this is not as important as the good things in life.”