Former UFC television analyst Jimmy Smith didnât hold back in critiquing Ronda Rouseyâs recent remarks about her relationship with the media.
Rousey has found herself in the headlines in recent weeks after the release of her memoir Our Fight in bookstores worldwide. The book covers her burst onto the MMA scene, her Olympic judo run, and her admitted history of concussions.
Rousey has appeared on numerous shows and podcasts to promote her memoir. During a recent appearance on The Chris Cuomo Project, Rousey claimed that Joe Rogan and other media members owe her apologies for spreading misconceptions about her career.
Smith, a former UFC color commentator, made some jaw-dropping admissions about how Rousey treated the promotionâs broadcast team during her Octagon run.
During a recent episode of Unlocking the Cage on SiriusXM, Smith unleashed on Rousey and revealed how some staff viewed her.
âIâve never been a religious person. One thingâs always said about God, he gets all the credit, none of the blame. Thatâs what Ronda Rousey wants,â Smith began on Rousey. âShe never gives credit to the people who actually beat her. The idea that âI left MMA and went to the WWE because I had concussion problemsâ makes no sense. Let me let you in on something. Ronda, if youâre listening: the people behind the scenes; camera people, audio people, the people you can push around, and the people you can bully, talk down to. Canât stand your f***** a**âŚ
âEverybody behind the scenes that had to put a mic on Ronda Rousey couldnât stand her. I said why? They said âShe was a b**** to us from the moment she sat down, to the moment she got upâ. Like itâs our fault that she has to do this interviewâŚand sheâs miserable, mean, and âwe canât stand herâ. They were cheering when she got knocked out, thatâs what I was told,â Smith continued. âThose are the people you can be mean to and rude to, and they canât fight back. Those people couldnât stand Ronda Rousey, so donât sit here and tell me that youâre the victim. The poor guy sitting behind the camera is doing his job, gets s*** on by you or youâre mean to the person asking you questions when weâre hyping your fight, donât give me this victim s***. Donât, donât waste my time with that.â
Smith joined the UFCâs broadcast team in Jan. 2018 but parted ways with the promotion the following year. Heâs spent stints in Bellator, Invicta FC, and WWE during his broadcasting career.
Rousey retired from MMA after a loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Before that, she was seen as an indomitable force ahead of a knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.
Rousey is one of the greatest female UFC fighters of all time and is viewed as a pioneer of womenâs MMA. Her UFC bantamweight title reign between 2013 and 2015 was one of the most dominant in MMA history.
Smithâs claims, if true, point to a fractured relationship between Rousey and many behind-the-scenes UFC staffers. While a deserved UFC Hall of Famer, Rousey didnât have many allies during the height of her career.
Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock in Bellator were a fuckin INCREDIBLE commentary team.
Jimmy!
Ronda is the type to scream at the person making her coffee because the price is too high. Because theyâre the ones responsible for Starbucks pricing, of course.
Ronda is a narcissistic bully plain and simple.
Burt Watson had to quit the UFC over this dumb cunt.
Fuck her up the goat ass.
Go Jimmy !!!
I always could not stand the cunt.
From day one.
Ronda or Jimmy?
Yeah me too. Jimmy always got the nice place to train on Fight Quest. Doug always got fucked. Haha
Yep.
https://www.mmanews.com/news/former-ufc-broadcaster-lays-into-ronda-rousey
Former UFC Broadcaster Lays Into Ronda Rousey, Claims âPeople Behind The Scenesâ Cheered When She Got KOâd
Jimmy Smith says that âRowdyâ was not well-liked by people that had to work with her.