Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant came to the defense of former Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey after she suffered a second straight loss inside the octagon in Friday night's UFC 207, this time in a 48-second stoppage in the first round at the hands of the champion, Amanda Nunes.
The UFC star has now dropped two straight fights after being an undefeated 12-0 to start her mixed martial arts career.
Instead of clapping for @RondaRousey defeat give her a standing O for putting the sport on the map #pioneer #muse
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) December 31, 2016
Black Sports Online’s Twitter account quoted Bryant and mentioned how Rousey skipped in her post-fight press conference.
We would have Kobe if she had come to the presser https://t.co/yLALcjvqvl
— BlackSportsOnline (@BSO) December 31, 2016
Bryant, who's been a mild tweeter during his NBA career, replied asking for understanding for her situation as a competitor in the sport, mentioning himself as part of the media.
As media we should hold UNDERSTANDING the psychological and physical behavior of athletes above judgment. THIS is powerful content #museon https://t.co/OSYTHUkyj6
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) December 31, 2016
Looking past the whole “media” thing, Black Sports Online has a point. Once Rousey lost her first fight against Holly Holm in 2015, she was not available for her post-fight press conference duties as she sustained multiple injuries that prevented her from being there. Fair.
But Rousey disappeared off the map post-surgery, claiming to take time off from the sport and most recently skipped her media presser obligations prior to UFC 207.
Now that she's lost two in a row, Rousey has once again saved face by skipping on the post-fight press conference — thing the media can have a legitimate beef with.
There's only so much UFC president Dana White can do for her image, and neither him or Bryant will be able to ease the fury of journalists seeking answers from the frustrated longtime champion.
Follow Us
Subscribe