Ronda Rousey, one of the UFC's most villainous fighters these days due to some nasty trash talk between her and Miesha Tate in December is set to take on Sara McMann in February at UFC 170. This time around, "Rowdy" Rousey has taken a different tact when discussing her opponent.
"It's hard to sell the same thing over and over and over," Rousey said. "I think the dynamic of the [UFC 170] fight is so different that it makes it easier to get people interested so soon. I approach every single fight differently. I think this is the perfect fight at the perfect time."
Those words are strikingly different from the ones uttered about Tate, with whom Rousey had a deep and personal rivalry with. She cemented herself as a target of fan derision after refusing to shake Tate's hand following her submission victory.
Fellow fighter Daniel Cormier defended Rousey's character recently, making the point that her behavior toward Tate stemmed from personal dislike, and that she does not treat everyone the same way.
"Those of you who say Ronda is disrespectful, you have to understand one thing, it's only been one opponent who has brought that out in her," Cormier said. "They fought each other twice and you saw the animosity twice. But every other time Ronda has fought, she's been highly respectful."
Rousey said that she will need to update her strategy inside the octagon for McMann, who will enter the bout with a 7-0-0 record. "I'm absolutely positive that the way I threw Miesha when she came in for her shots, it will not be possible to do that against Sara, just because of the time she's put in and the level of athlete she is and the technique she has," Rousey said. McMann is an elite wrestler, so Rousey's ability to dominate on the ground and get McMann into her armbar could be compromised.
"Sara, the level that she's at, she has to be approached entirely differently."
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