UFC commentator Joe Rogan says he thinks Ronda Rousey’s loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is a positive thing for the sport. On his Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he says he even though he considers Rousey a friend, he thinks Holly Holm’s victory is a “great thing” for MMA.
“As a person, I’m sad for [Ronda Rousey’s] loss, that this happened to her,” Rogan said on his Joe Rogan Experience. “But Holly Holm is a great person, too. They’re two great competitors. And I think ultimately what happened last night, yesterday is great for martial arts. It’s great for MMA. Even though it was terrible for Ronda and I feel terrible for her, I feel great for Holly Holm.”
Rogan joins Ronda’s own mother in the list of critics of her head coach Edmond Tarverdyan. Rogan says Tarverdyan messed up by praising Rousey in the corner after the first round, instead of advising her after she had lost the first five minutes decisively.
“I like Edmond,” Rogan said. “I talk to him all the time. I enjoy talking to him. I always hug that guy when I see him. I do not like what he did in the corner. He wasn’t honest. He told her she did great. He was like, ‘Great round, champ. Everything is great.’ Maybe he was trying to psychologically pump her up, but she needed technical advice. She needed someone to tell her what she’s doing wrong and how to correct it. I think he’s more of like a boxing coach than he is an overall MMA coach.”
UFC president Dana White, who was a guest on the podcast, suggested Ronda needs to sit down with her team and work out what went wrong in her fight against Holm.
“The thing is, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” White said. “Now what do they do? Listen, at the end of the day, Edmond is a guy who really cares about Ronda and her career and all of that stuff. I think as a team, they’ll sit down and try to figure out what went wrong and what needs to be fixed.”
Rousey is currently taking time off from MMA to work on film & TV projects, and is expected to have a rematch with Holly Holm in 2016.
Related: Tim Kennedy Says Ronda Rousey Needs To Fire Her Coach
