“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey here, AMA!
Ronda here. My favorite Pokemon is Mew and I used to moderate a Pokemon forum. I’m an active player on WOW and a Mage named Randa on TaichiPanda – I’m on the 3rd Game Of Thrones book and will shank a bitch who tries to give shit away about the series cause you watched the show already.
Oh, and I’m also the UFC Bantamweight Champion and undefeated in MMA. I’m here today to answer your questions with the help of my friends Bobby and Leo.
As many of you already know, I get a lot of questions about femininity and body image. Women are constantly being made to feel the need to conform to an almost unattainable standard of what’s considered attractive so they can support a multitude of industries buying shit in the pursuit of reaching this standard.
So, I’ve decided to expand my support of the charity Didi Hirsch with their work in the field of women’s body issues, and have partnered with Represent.com to release a limited edition “don’t be a D.N.B.” shirt, with a portion of proceeds benefiting this amazing cause. (For those of you who don’t know- a “D.N.B.” is a “Do Nothing Bitch”)
I’ll be answering your questions for the next ~34 seconds, so I’ll have plenty of time for 50+ thoughtful answers.AMA!
Have you ever had to throw someone who tried to pick a fight with you on the street?
Yes. See my first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel.
Do you sometimes wish your fights would last a little longer than just a few seconds?
No because the shorter my fights are, the more fights I can have. I only have a finite amount of fight time, and I’d like to fight as long as possible.
What’s your go-to hype music before a fight?
I have complete silence before I walk out before a fight. No talking in the locker room, no music, cellphones on silent. If I hear a ding from you taking a video you’re gonna get your own private Rowdy Glare.
I recently discovered that you had Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) growing up. I’m a new speech therapist and a huge fan. Do you feel as though overcoming CAS helped you become the tenacious fighter we know you are today? Is there any message you’d like to send to kids out there struggling with speech? I’d also love to know what you liked/didn’t about speech therapy, and what you wished your speech therapist said or did for you.
I love my speech therapist – I thought she was super cool and I didn’t even know I was in speech therapy. I’d like to tell any kid struggling with speech that anything can be overcome with hard work regardless of how insurmountable the odds seem. Shout out to all speech therapists. You’re all awesome. And the best thing about my recovery was that I was never allowed to feel interior.
What’s your favorite cheat meal?
buffalo wings naked with chunky blue cheese and extra hot sauce on the side.
Who is your favorite Mortal Kombat character?
I would always play as Princess Katana ‘cuz in the Sega version you could press down and punch up vs the computer and get to the fifth guy from the top with all flawless victories because the computer wouldn’t learn to throw you from the floor until it was almost the end.
Favourite male fighter to watch in the UFC?
Demetrious Johnson. I think he’s the most well-rounded and I feel like I’m watching one of the later episodes of Dragon Ball Z when you only see one second of action going on between them disappearing ‘cuz they’re going so damn fast. I wouldn’t be surprised if rocks start levitating around the ring because of all the energy emanating from it. Might Mouse vs. Dominick Cruz was one of my favorite (and most under-appreciated) fights ever.
What achievement in your life are you the most proud of?
winning my Olympic medal
What is your idea of a great date?
doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. If a guy is lame, he’ll have to come up with activities to distract you from his lameness. If he’s all kinds of awesome, doing nothing with him with be all kinds of awesome.
With your exponential increase recently in exposure and recognition, do you worry about the amount of control that the media has over your image? And have you run into circumstances where you felt you were misrepresented or portrayed inaccurately by the media?
I accept that I have NO control over my image already. So, I try not to let the state of my perception have any effect on my happiness. You can never truly know anyone through only media anyway. If anything I just try to keep in mind that I’m an entertainer and not a politician or Miss America.
Any chance of you going on the Joe Rogan Experience again?
Yes. Very soon. It’s just my life is crazy sauce, so it’s hard to do just fun stuff. Apart from reddit 🙂
What person, past or present, would you legitimately be scared to fight?
That one gnarly giant dude from 300.
What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Leon The Professional.
If you were to be in a superhero movie, which hero would you play?
well… a lot of the good ones have been taken, but I’d like to vie for Miss Marvel.
If you could fight any historical figure, who would it be?
Buffalo Bill. Him destroying the buffalo population of America also destroyed the Native American culture and coming from Jamestown ND, which boasts having the largest statue of a buffalo in the world, the plight of the buffalo is quite near and dear to my heart.
Who is your favorite Game of Thrones character from the books, and what would your sigil be if you were a character?
i always get super stoked when I see it’s a Daenarys (the ANTI D.N.B.) chapter, and would get really bummed when I saw it was a Catlyn chapter. But for some reason my heart is always Team Stark.
My sigil would be a Mew with Vegeta hair.
Is there any truth to the rumor you became interested in fighting after watching the movie surf ninjas?
No, I’ve never seen it. But I wish I had now.
How many chicken wings can you eat?
At least 60 in one sitting. But there were no bets on the table. I think I could’ve done more if it really came down to it.
What race is your mage?
TaiChi Panda doesn’t have races. I have a night elf hunter on WoW. (Yeah I know everyone starts with that but I also have a blood elf rogue that I’m working on).
If you could choose any one fighting-type pokemon to battle in the octagon, which pokemon would that be and why?
Throh – because he’s the Judo Pokémon and would challenge me the most 🙂
Are you going to train with this guy for Tate?
Yes. It’s already set in motion. He’s going to teach me the art of the full body boner via hemp rope training.
Can you please tell reporters to stop asking you and Dana about Cyborg? It’s getting old. I’d be like Marshawn Lynch and just say the same thing over and over, perhaps “Let me know when she’s 135.”
Having the same conversation over and over reminds me of bar-tending, and I’m thankful for the training I received having to deal with stupid questions from repetitive drunks. I only do it because I know I’ll receive tips at the end 😉
I know you love DragonBall Z. Who would you rather train with in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? Goku or Vegeta?
Vegeta. For sure. Goku is such a fucking goodygoody that he’d be fun to be friends with but I’d get annoyed hanging out with him after 2 weeks, let alone after a whole year. I’d imagine that Vegeta and I would have many an interesting debate. Probably not about politics but maybe like societal shit.
I’m incredibly inspired by your eating disorder recovery through UFC. When I was struggling with anorexia, I felt so weak and powerless, and feel so strong after recovery. How does it feel to conquer something so daunting? I feel like it makes you invincible!
Thanks for the kind words. It feels very liberating to free of the guilt that used to come with every meal. And I feel like I have so much extra space in my brain now that I’m not constantly thinking about the next meal and trying to eat as much as possible every day while still losing weight. I feel amazing. I (think) I look amazing. And I just ate some bomb-ass french toast this morning. I’m so happy to hear about all the progress you’ve made on yourself and best of luck for the future.
What’s your top piece of advice for young (and not so young) women looking to get into MMA or other competitive fighting oriented sports?
The advice: for any woman trying to break into a male-dominated career, I’d say the greatest thing you can do is always keep in mind that you always have the right to be there.
What is your ideal sandwich?
Bay Cities Godmother – everything on it.
I have enjoyed watching your fights (all 25 minutes of them). You truly are a very dominant female. In recent interviews, I’ve heard you mention things you want to do before you retire. That being said, how many more years do you anticipate having left in the UFC?
I don’t think of it as “time” or “matches” left – I think of it more as fight time left. So… if I have a few 5 round wars I’m not going to keep fighting nearly as long as if I keep walking out of the cage with unscathed victories. So the faster and more efficient my fights are, the longer I can fight.
What do you think about the pornstar calling herself “Ronda ArouseMe”?
It’s funny I used to hear that in high school sometimes! At least some girl somewhere is paying her bills with it now.
What is your sincere opinion about Cyborg?
Sincere opinion about Cyborg: she’s just waiting to be offered enough money to get her ass kicked (‘cuz she knows she’ll get her ass kicked). I know for a fact she can make the weight. She consulted with Mike Dolce (my current nutritionist) before I ever started working with him and after consulting with her he said he could get her in “the best shape of her life” at 135. She then started being represented by Tito Ortiz and all talk stopped. The delay is all about money, not her weight. She made 145 pumped full of steroids. She can healthily make 135 without them. Her shows that she headlines lose thousands of dollars, and the majority of the tickets are given away because no one will buy them. She needs me. So pretty much we’re waiting for her to realize that she needs to fight me before I retire or she’ll never have enough money to retire. I would like me kicking her ass be my retirement fight but whether she steps up or not I’ll walk away undefeated and happily ever after regardless.
Do you think you would legitimately beat Floyd Mayweather in a ruleless fight?
Do I think I would legit beat Mayweather in a ruleless fight? Floyd is one of the best boxers of all time. He would definitely beat me in a boxing match. I unfortunately don’t get into “matches”. I fight for a living. In a no rules fight, I believe I can beat anyone on this planet. Boxing is a sweet science with strict rules that I respect very much and aspire every day to improve at. But you said ruleless fight, and that’s my honest answer.
What do you have to say about Mike Tyson’s rumored return to the ring?
I’d be surprised if Mike Tyson returned to the ring but could imagine he would do it in a charity kind of capacity, and if so good for him.
How do you think Fedor Emelianenko will do in the octagon after all these years of absence?
Ring rust is a real serious thing that is hard to overcome and of course I wish Fedor the best but that much of a lay off would affect anyone’s performance, which is why I fight so often.
Would you ever consider entering WWE after you retire?
Definitely. I loved being in Wrestlemania and will find a way to get back in the squared circle I just have no clue when. And any real wrestling fan would want to be surprised anyway.
Would you rather fight 100 Mewtwo sized mews or 1 Mew sized Mewtwo?
1 Mew sized Mewtwo, ‘cuz everyone knows that even though Mewtwo has better stats than Mew, 100 Mews totally overcome that.
If you were a gym master in Pokemon, what special type of Pokemon would you have to fight trainers?
Ooooooh. Since I’ve been playing from the beginning I have a certain affinity for the psychic type. But that being said, fairies seem pretty badass these days but I gotta go with the original 151 types and psychic was my fave because Mew is my jam.
You recently said that Fallon Fox should not be fighting women in MMA matches. Why do you disagree with the Association of Boxing Commissions policy regarding the licensing of transgender athletes?
I think that transgender athletes should be approved on a case-by-case basis and have a doctor judge whether there is a physical advantage or not. Because there is a big difference between gender reassignment pre and post puberty, at least based on the research I have done.
