Ronda Rousey ‘Died’ at UFC 193, Sister Says
Saying Ronda Rousey was devastated after her loss to Holly Holm would be an understatement.
In an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne earlier this month, Rousey spoke about her shocking defeat to Holm for the first time. While it was clear that the only loss of her UFC career hit her hard – “I’m just really fucking sad,” she said – Rousey may have been underselling the impact of the defeat just a bit. Because according to sister Maria Burns Ortiz, part of Rowdy died that night in Australia.
“I haven’t rewatched [the fight],” Ortiz wrote on Vice Sports. “I haven’t read about it. I won’t. I don’t see a point in reliving the moment when a part of my loved one died, when I saw someone I cared about have her soul crushed.”
What angered Ortiz the most was the reaction from people following Rousey’s loss. Other than the regular flood of trolls, it didn’t help that a number of high-profile fight fans – Lady Gaga, Donald Trump and 50 Cent (or was it actually Floyd Mayweather?) to name a few – basically laughed in her face. That’s what happens when you’re headlining the year’s biggest UFC fight, but it doesn’t make the barbs hurt any less.
“I saw how horrible people can be to someone they don’t even know, which made me even more appreciative when I saw how wonderfully Ronda’s friends and family treated her,” she continued. “Those are the people that matter.”
Here’s what also matters: Ronda will get her rematch against Holm on July 9 – a date that can’t come soon enough for fight fans…and anyone interested in witnessing a resurrection firsthand.