Ronda Rousey explains decision to hire bitter rival’s former coach for Netflix return

Ronda Rousey has enlisted the help of Miesha Tate’s old coach Ricky Lundell for her MMA return.

The first-ever UFC women’s champion faces Gina Carano on May 16 in the main event of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) MMA show, live on Netflix.

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Rousey hasn’t fought since being knocked out by Amanda Nunes in December 2016 but has since regained her love for competing.

The 39-year-old is set to make her grand comeback on a stacked card, also featuring the returns of Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz, and is relishing promotional duties with MVP as part of a feud against the UFC.

She has already been warned about the difficulties of fighting at an older age, but seems to be in a great position alongside new coach Lundell ahead of her return.

Lundell was Tate’s main coach when she coached against Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 in November 2013, which led to the latter defeating her fellow American in a bout the following month.

Although Rousey said Lundell and she ‘started off as mortal enemies’, ‘Rowdy’ has explained how the pair eventually became close friends and training partners.

Rousey explains U-turn to bring Lundell on board

“[Lundell] was coaching against me on The Ultimate Fighter, and he was so nice,” Rousey said on her YouTube channel.

“I was like this m*****f***er is so patronising and fake, and I hated his guts…

“This is a common theme, by the way, that he’s so nice that everyone was like, this m*****f***er is not for real.’

“He’s really just being a passive-aggressive a**h***, but he’s actually the nicest m*****f***er.”

Rousey continued: “After I beat Miesha, I was still like f*** that guy, he tried to help somebody hurt me, you’re dead to me.

Getty

Getty

“But then he was [husband Travis Browne’s] coach. So Trav’s like, ‘No, you have to give him a chance, he’s a really nice guy.’

Lundell explained that at the time, Rousey and Browne were not together, and even when they eventually started talking, he still wasn’t loved by the women’s MMA great.

“Then, Trav and I fell deeply in love,” Rousey added.

“And he’s got a fight, I fall into a deep depression, and Trav goes and stays at Ricky’s house…

“But [Ricky] was really nice, and kept me supplied with milk and cereal at all times.

“So then I was like, ‘Okay, I really like Ricky, he’s really nice…”

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Lundell described how he’d always loved Rousey’s technique and said it was an ‘honour’ to feature on her opposite side as part of the first TUF to feature women.

“So then we’re friends, and I’m doing WWE, and during Trav’s training camp we would put together fight scenes and stuff,” Rousey said.

Rousey revealed she then trained Lundell to help him become a black belt in judo, and from there on, the pair have been close ever since.

“Ricky started reigniting the joy again in rolling around and teaching,” she concluded.

Rousey vs Carano is set to be contested over five five-minute rounds at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.

The event marks Netflix’s first-ever MMA show to be broadcast by the streaming giants.

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