Coach Edmond Explains Ronda Rousey Media Blackout

Coach Edmond Tarverdyan has been at the side of former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey for the majority of her professional MMA career.

Rousey unsuccessfully returned to action at UFC 207 and didn’t do any media leading up to the fight, because the coach says that she decided that she had done too much media work in the past.

“We’ve done too much media and a lot of work,” Tarverdyan said on The MMA Hour. “So we decided just to stay away for one fight. I don’t think it was a big deal, just to stay away and focus on the fight. So we could have a different outcome — and we fell short. It didn’t work, but it didn’t mean we disrespected anybody. It was just a decision to make life easier and just move on like that.”

Even without the media work, the former women’s bantamweight champion didn’t even last a minute against Amanda Nunes.

The coach is also proud that despite the crushing defeat, the former champion didn’t fall down as she was assaulted by Nunes’ punches.

“Nunes is a big puncher and Ronda got caught from the beginning,” Tarverdyan said. “You saw how fit she was — she didn’t even go down. Ronda took all those shots and she didn’t take a knee. She was stopped on her feet. She was so fit, she was so strong. That shows she was so strong and she’s not going down from all those big shots that she took. A lot of these girls, whoever took Amanda’s shots, they all went down. And she didn’t.”

UFC 207 may be the final time fans see Rousey in the Octagon, because her future in the sport isn’t known at this time.