UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey is getting some heat for her recent comments that she can beat any female in the world, in any weight division, gi or no-gi, in pure Jiu-Jitsu. Last week on FOX Sports’ The Great MMA Debate podcast, Rousey said:
“One thing that I couldn’t stand when I was just watching MMA and coming from Judo was all these people talking about how the Jiu Jitsu people would beat any Judo player. It was such a stereotype that I thought, and still think, that I could beat any girl in the world, any weight division, gi or no-gi, black belt and in any ruleset they want, in just pure Jiu Jitsu. I really feel like the Judokas that do excel in Newaza, which is our term for groundwork, have never really gotten enough respect.”
One person not taking those comments lightly is Gabi Garcia, the 8-time World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion – best known as Wanderlei Silva’s sidekick on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
Garcia spoke to Gracie Mag and said Rousey must have been confused, because there is no way a champion would make a claim like that.
“I rather believe she didn’t know what she was saying. It’s not possible for someone to display such a lack of humbleness. She disrespected jiu-jitsu as a whole. The first quality of a champion is to be humble and to respect others. As my professior Fabio Gurgel said, I’m ready and at her disposal to fight her under any rules, with or without gi.”
Ronda Rousey puts her UFC Women’s Bantamweight championship on the line this Saturday night (7/5) against jiu-jitsu black belt Alexis Davis in the co-main event of UFC 175.
Join us here this Saturday night for our realtime live coverage UFC 175 Results.
