2016 wasn’t many people’s year (here’s a recap of all the famous faces we lost), but it may have just played out worst of all for UFC fighter Ronda Rousey — at least professionally.
In what was supposed to be her big comeback fight last night (she took more than a year off following her first defeat ever at the hands of Holly Holm last November), the UFC fighter stepped into the ring to face off against Amanda Nunes.
48 seconds later, it was all over for Ronda, as Amanda defeated her with several swift blows to the head, crushing her hopes of regaining her championship title.
While the defeat was shocking, to say the least, it was Amanda’s response that has Twitter up in arms.
Appearing to have no sympathy for her fallen opponent, she told a commentator post-match, “I trained for this girl since my first fight in UFC. I proved to everybody I’m the best on the planet… Forget about f*cking Ronda Rousey. I’m the real champion.”
— Amanda🦁Nunes (@Amanda_Leoa) December 31, 2016
And she didn’t stop there. She made the feud even more public by taking to Twitter to gloat, posting a Photoshopped shot of herself holding the championship belt while pushing Ronda in a stroller.
Justin Bieber (who reportedly once denied Ronda’s little sister for a photo, spurring some bad blood between the two) was firmly on Team Amanda, composing this charming tweet in her support, but many were left with a bad taste in their mouths over her show of poor sportsmanship.
@theohoward2 @Amanda_Leoa Belt.
Amanda paid the cost to be the boss lady… but, gloating over a fallen opponent? Not classy.— Haywire1970 (@Haywire1970) December 31, 2016
@Amanda_Leoa What a classless post. SMH.
— John Mattingly (@mattyjam559) December 31, 2016
@Amanda_Leoa this is classless. Without @RondaRousey there would be no women in @UFC. Great win, poor sportsmanship.
— Bill Anderson (@BillAFox29) December 31, 2016
Lost all respect for Amanda Nunes after those post fight comments. Easily the most classless champion I've ever seen. Not a fan.. #ufc207
— Alex Westby (@awestbyfitness) December 31, 2016
Amanda Nunes taunting Ronda Rousey?? Seriously? Don't be too bloody arrogant, girl. You ought to know NO ONE is invincible. 😏
— Rose Martin (@EnglandRose0914) December 31, 2016
@Amanda_Leoa not a very gracious winner are we? #poorsport
— Shanny (@NickelPickel32) December 31, 2016
While Ronda has yet to respond, she did discuss the difficulty she faced after her first defeat prior to the fight with The Mirror. ”I hear so many of the worst things anyone could even imagine to think to say about me every single day. People are constantly trying to reach me to tell me negative things,” she said. “People want to see people rise, because they want to rise, but they want to see people fall, because they want to feel like they’re human, like they are,” she said, commenting on our society’s tendency of raising people up to let them crash down. (She isn’t wrong: See Taylor Swift and Ken Bone).
We’ve gotta say: Our hearts are breaking for her a bit. While some have questioned her own displays (or lack thereof) of sportsmanship in the past (one Twitter user pointed out that she failed to shake Amanda’s hand pre-fight, for instance), it can’t be easy to not only suffer such a crushing blow of a loss, but also be taunted for it thereafter.
Here’s hoping her 2017 goes better than 2016 did!
Do you think Amanda was out of line? Share with us @BritandCo.
(h/t E!, photo via Michael Reaves, Christian Petersen + Noel Vasquez/Getty)