Former UFC Light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans has claimed that fallen superstar Ronda Rousey’s lack of humility during her own title reign came back to haunt her in the end.
“You know where you step into that spotlight to have a great performance, you also got to understand you may not have a great performance and you got to understand that you may be criticized for what you didn’t do or what you could’ve done or whatever,” Evans told MMA Alpha. “Another part to that, is I think that she is not trying to be hung by the same words that she was last time. If you recall Ronda going into the fight with Holly Holm, she was uber-confident, she was almost disrespectful, you know? ‘No one can be champion as well as me’ and just her arrogance … it was kind of disgusting.”
Evans believes that’s why she changed her tune heading into her comeback fight with Amanda Nunes at UFC 207, refusing to do any media in the lead-in to the event.
“I think those were the words that kind of ate at her when she lost because everyone brought it up. And now I think she’s to the point where she’s like, ‘You know what, I’m not going to say anything, I’m not going to give you a soundbyte to hang me with afterward if I don’t win this fight’.”
Like many others, Evans also stated his opinion that Rousey should have looked to part ways with her widely criticized coach Edmond Tarverdyan following the loss to Holm, but added that it’s something that might have been easier said than done.
“I think, personally, maybe she should’ve bounced around. But, here’s the problem with bouncing around if you’re Ronda Rousey: You have a huge target on your back no matter where you go to and you almost don’t want to try out new training gyms because you don’t want to have to feel like the new kid on the block, and being the new kid on the block when you’re Ronda Rousey, it’s a huge target on your back.”
