Ronda Rousey slipped into a deep depression after losing to Holly Holm back in November, and it sounds like she has no intention of revisiting both the physical and emotional pain she felt after the fight.
Rousey’s coach, Edmond Tarverdyan, told Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com this week that Rousey still has not watched any tape from her loss to Holm. In fact, she may never watch it.
“It’s not about wanting to watch, it’s about whether or not the timing is right or if it’s even necessary,” Tarverdyan explained. “I know how to speak to Ronda. I know Ronda very well. She doesn’t need to watch that fight. The fight is over. It’s about what we’re doing now. It’s my job to watch the footage and I’m dedicating everything I have to Ronda’s rematch with Holly.”
Tarverdyan faced heavy criticism for not preparing Rousey adequately enough for the Holm fight. After Rousey fell victim to a brutal knockout kick (video here), her coach made some delusional comments about how Rousey handled the striking game.
Tarverdyan maintains that Rousey did a lot well in the fight that is being overlooked, but he is fine with shouldering the blame.
“When you’re up there, somebody needs to be blamed for it,” he said. “I’m taking the blame. I’m OK with that. I know what reality is. I accept reality. Reality is people will talk all kinds of unnecessary stuff. As long as my fighter believes in me, I believe in my fighter and we’ll move on from there.”
Rousey has promised that she will fight Holm again. Assuming that happens, she is probably going to want to watch the fight at some point. Holm has no reason to change her approach in the rematch. Rousey has every reason to study it.
