Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey has taken aim at Khamzat Chimaev just days out from her blockbuster comeback fight against Gina Carano this weekend.
Rousey, who returns to MMA for the first time in nearly a decade when she headlines Sunday’s (AEST) card in California, went face-to-face with Carano at Friday’s pre-fight press conference.
The card is being billed as one of the biggest MMA events in years and features a host of former UFC stars and crossover names including Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou and Mike Perry.
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Rousey, 39, has come under fire from several UFC fighters in recent weeks, including former champion Chimaev, who labelled her “ungrateful” for criticizing the promotion’s treatment of athletes.
“I hate it, ungrateful,” Chimaev said on his YouTube channel.
“If they pay good or they don’t, who cares? When she was an Olympic champ, what did she make then? Zero.”
Rousey did not hold back when asked about the comments during Friday’s press conference.
“I want to make something abundantly clear – I owe Dana [White] and the Fertittas immensely,” Rousey said.
“I would be caught dead before you ever heard me say a bad thing about any of them. But my loyalty is to them, not the company they sold. I do not owe TKO’s UFC a damn thing.
“F**king cleft-lip Lincoln is just hating because at his press conference for his fight, people are asking about me and my fight because no one gives a shit about his ineffectual wrestle-f*ck fests.
“People can’t stop talking about this fight because it’s stacked and they’re excited to see me fight because unlike Kumquat, I have a 100 per cent finish rate.”
Rousey also took aim at UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who recently questioned whether the MMA pioneer was returning for the right reasons after so many years away.
Harrison suggested that Rousey’s comeback was more about “chasing money” than legacy, declaring that while “Rowdy” was cashing in, she herself was “chasing greatness”.
“I would say this is professional fighting,” Rousey said.
“There’s no such thing as discount greatness in professional fighting. The biggest money fight is the biggest fight, period.
“We obviously have very different definitions of greatness. Mine is making history, having a cultural impact and influencing the future of the sport.
“I’ve already won a record eight consecutive title fights. There’s nothing left for me to do there. So now me and Gina are smashing the record for the most women have ever been paid in combat sports.
“Who says the success of this fight can’t create the rival the UFC needs and give fighters bargaining power they’ve never had?
“Hell, if we knock this out of the park, I could become the face of MVP MMA and the most powerful figure in this sport since Dana.
“I’m not chasing greatness? Motherf***er, I am greatness. These bitches are chasing me!”
Although Rousey and Carano have shown plenty of mutual respect in the build-up, Rousey admitted she would have no hesitation breaking her rival’s arm if the opportunity presented itself.
“I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to break it, but I also wouldn’t hesitate to put it back,” she said.
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“It’s kind of like a wax on, wax off situation. You don’t really break it, you just kind of dislocate it. It’s not that bad.
“I’ve had my elbow go out several times because I didn’t tap and I thought I was really cool when I was young and wouldn’t pay for it when I was older.”