Julianna Peña has nothing but respect for Ronda Rousey’s contributions to MMA. It’s Rousey’s departure from the business that continues to rub her the wrong way.
“The Venezuelan Vixen” joined a chorus of voices weighing in on Rousey’s comments in association with the promotion of Rousey’s recently published autobiography, which has seen the former UFC star throw shade at fighters, executives, and the media who she believes wronged her during the darkest moments of her MMA career.
From one former bantamweight champion to another, Peña sympathizes with the mega stardom that Rousey had to deal with during her memorable championship reign, but she would like to see Rousey look inward more when it comes to doling out criticism.
“I will say, definitely, weight of the world on her shoulders, I’m sure, but it comes with the territory,” Peña said on The MMA Hour. “I do have this saying that I always say to everybody, ‘It sounds like an excuse, it sounds like an excuse. That’s what we call an…’ and then they’ll finish the sentence for me and they’ll say, ‘an excuse.’ I’ll tell you straight-up, ‘That’s an excuse, but…’ It’s never for her to say, taking accountability, ‘It’s an excuse, but I didn’t get to evolve.’ It’s just more of like blaming everybody else without taking any accountability.
“Especially if you lose, everybody loses. You get back up on the horse, you ride again, you fight another day. You’re not going to win every single fight. I think it was very poor taste for her to lose like that and then just be gone from the sport and never return. It just kind of shows her mentality.”
Rousey’s fighting career saw her incur a stunning fall from grace when she was knocked out by Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. That loss ended Rousey’s three-year run as champion and sent her into seclusion following a long period of widespread media attention. Thirteen months later, Rousey returned to the cage, only to lose to bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds at UFC 207.
That signaled the end for Rousey, who later went on to a successful run with WWE that ended in 2023. Rousey has made no indication that she plans to return to combat sports since.
Much of Rousey’s recent ire has been directed at the media, who she feels turned on her after her first loss. Peña wonders why Rousey couldn’t find a way to channel that negativity into motivation for a comeback.
“It’s a tool, and you can use it to fuel you or you can use it to sabotage you and ruin your life,” Peña said. “What are you going to do, you know what I mean? It’s some of that fighter mentality, for me. Are you going to fight back or are you just going to crumble and say, ‘My life is over. Everybody hates me and I’m done, and it’s all your fault.’
“Look, [I’m] appreciative, thankful, happy. Thanks for getting the foot in the door for the rest of us, of course. But I also had my own personal run-ins with Ronda, especially being on The Ultimate Fighter, that were not so pleasant, so I’m obviously going to feel a little bit differently about her than maybe most people would.”
Peña won The Ultimate Fighter 18 as the No. 1 pick of coach Miesha Tate, Rousey’s longtime rival. Not only was Peña on the opposing team, but she advanced to the semifinals of that season’s tournament by defeating Rousey’s close friend and No. 1 pick, Shayna Baszler.
Despite the beef between them — while Rousey was still active, Peña frequently campaigned to fight her — Peña has expressed her admiration for Rousey in the past. However, she believes that someone else would’ve eventually led the charge for women in the UFC even if “Rowdy” hadn’t paved the way.
“I don’t believe that,” Peña said when asked if women don’t become a part of the UFC roster without Rousey. “I think it was just a matter of time.”
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