Before Conor
McGregor rose to prominence, Ronda
Rousey was arguably the UFC’s biggest crossover star.
After McGregor suffered a disappointing doctor stoppage loss to
Dustin
Poirier in the UFC 264 main event on Saturday night, the former
two-division champion delivered some controversial post-fight
comments that included more death threats to Poirier and lewd
remarks toward his opponent’s wife, Jolie Poirier.
“There was no check,” McGregor said. “Not one of them was checked.
Your wife is in my DMs. Hey baby, hit me back up on chat later on.
We’ll be at the after party, the Wynn nightclub, baby … you little
hoe. F*ck him.”
While McGregor’s lack of class in defeat drew criticism from
throughout the MMA community, Rousey, for one, was not in that
corner.
“I’m amazed that as soon as you hit the ground you were already
promoting the next fight,” Rousey wrote on Twitter. “I [definitely]
wouldn’t have had the mind to do that. The other fighters, [UFC]
and media are lucky to have you.”
I’m amazed that as soon as you hit the
ground you were already promoting the next fight @TheNotoriousMMA
– I def wouldn’t have had the mind to do that. The other fighters,
@ufc and
media are lucky to have you.— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey)
July 11, 2021
Whether it was McGregor’s post-fight interview or the anticlimactic
nature of the ending, it seems as though a fourth fight could be in
store between the two rivals. UFC president Dana White
indicated as much during Saturday’s post-fight press
conference.
After a meteoric rise to superstardom that saw her win her first 12
professional outings and usher women’s MMA into the UFC, Rousey
exited the sport following back-to-back knockout losses against
Holly
Holm and Amanda
Nunes. The Olympic judoka followed her UFC tenure with a brief
stint in the WWE and is currently expecting her first child with
ex-UFC heavyweight Travis
Browne.