Published 11:15 11 Dec 2017 GMT

Mia Khalifa labels Ronda Rousey 'embarrassing' and gets savaged by WWE star

Ever since she quit the porn industry in order to become a sports anchor, Mia Khalifa has done a pretty sturdy job at keeping herself in the headlines. The presenter, who is one of the most infamous and polarizing adult actresses to have ever existed, has become something of a social media sensation, with her trolling of professional athletes being a regular feature of her popularity. However, while the majority of sports stars are happy to play along with Khalifa's games, one wrestler hasn't taken too kindly to her. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BaiM4wSj86n/?hl=en&taken-by=miakhalifa]] Recently, it was announced that UFC fighter, Ronda Rousey, would be making the switch from the UFC to WWE. Rousey swiftly rose to fame in the UFC, with her once seeming unbeatable until a devastating loss to Holly Holm in 2015 destroyed her career. Rousey never recovered, and a move into a new career seemed inevitable. Speaking about Rousey's career, UFC President Dana White said that he counts her as a close friend and that he wouldn't like to see her enter the Octagon again. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPmwFWhZeM/?hl=en&taken-by=rondarousey]] “I wouldn’t want to see it. I wouldn’t want it to happen. I care about her. She’s got enough money. She’s got enough money and all that stuff. I don’t want to see it happen. It’s like Chuck Liddell. I was hearing that Chuck was talking about fighting again. I hope that’s not true.” However, it seems like Rousey doesn't want to give up the "fight" game just yet - with it being widely reported that she is going to make the leap into WWE. While the majority of fans were gutted to see the fighter leave the octagon, the majority of them were happy that she was continuing her career. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BZCCjlgh6j0/?hl=en&taken-by=rondarousey]] But one person who isn't impressed by the new direction, is Mia Khalifa. Speaking on Complex's Out of Bounds, Khalifa said: "This is where her career will go to die," she said. "I have no respect for the WWE, it's not a real sport. It's embarrassing." Gilbert Arenas, the co-host of the show, said that he believed Rousey's transition was probably to save her from being savaged in the Octagon anymore. But, despite the reasonable response from Arenas, Khalifa carried on with the insults. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BOnvxmMD0u3/?hl=en&taken-by=rondarousey]] "That's embarrassing, though," she said, "to go from real fights to wearing a sequin unitard to pretending to fight." Plenty of people were quick the lash out at the former adult actress, and former WWE star Hurricane Helms delivered an absolute stone cold comeback. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ShaneHelmsCom/status/938916118936326144]] "I’m not gonna get upset that a Porn Star doesn’t respect Pro Wrestling. She’s entitled to her opinion. Our bodies take a pounding. and well ... so does hers," Tweeted the former wrestler. Understandably, fans of the sport were delighted with Helms, with many responding to him online. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JQuasto/status/939978915535134720]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/h_an0611/status/940081485620457477]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JimmyJTholke/status/939282496092590081]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/WOKEN_TONY/status/939460783867678720]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/drow_stalker/status/939055990686781440]] Safe to say Khalifa has been burnt there. Although, given her presence on social media, I'm sure she will come back with a suitable response.

uncategorised3 min(s) read

Published 09:52 22 Jan 2018 GMT

Joey Ryan invites Mia Khalifa into the ring as she criticises wrestling

Tom Wood

Whatever you think of Mia Khalifa, it's very clear that she has no problem speaking her mind, which often results in a few people getting ticked off. After a very brief but successful career in the world of pornography, she became disillusioned with the industry after a few months and quit it for good. Now she has taken on roles as a social media personality, model, and host of a daily sports show on Complex since October last year. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BaXVYKQjrn_/?taken-by=miakhalifa]] But the reason many of us know her name is down to the various controversies she's been involved with in recent months. There was the time she was shut down by NFL star JuJu Smith-Scuster on Twitter after she tried to flirt with him, the time she screenshotted the chairman of the FCC sliding into her DMs, or the uproar she caused when she photoshopped her face onto the Virgin Mary. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BafitMyDtav/]] Recently, the 24-year-old upset many wrestling fans when she called the pro-wrestling "embarrassing and "not a real sport", also describing UFC fighter Ronda Rousey's move to WWE as being "where her career will go to die". As you can imagine, people weren't too happy about this. WWE star Gregory Helms, better known as 'Hurricane', hit back on Twitter, writing that, "I’m not gonna get upset that a Porn Star doesn’t respect Pro Wrestling. She’s entitled to her opinion. Our bodies take a pounding. and well ... so does hers" [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ShaneHelmsCom/status/938916118936326144]] Now Joey Ryan, another pro wrestler, has responded to Khalifa's comment on his vocation, even going as far as to invite her into the ring to settle the dispute. Ryan invited her to Sabotage Wrestling's War of the Genders show in Texas, where she didn't exactly stay on the sidelines. Talking to the crowd from the ring, Ryan said: "If you think it's so easy to get in here and do this - Mia Khalifa I invite you down into the ring with Joey Ryan". Surprising pretty much everyone, she actually did turn up, joining him in the ring to trash talk one another. "There's a little term on the internet called keyboard warrior," Ryan told her. "So now you're in the ring you can prove whether you mean what you really say." [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huVvNS6rcxU]] She replied: "Of course I mean what I say. Of course, I do. You look like a giant, hairy man baby. You are basically a cartoon. I can not believe your gimmick." What then followed was a ridiculous choreographed fight between Joey and Khalifa's bodyguard, who had stepped in to defend her, with Khalifa getting involved in a slapstick bit. When Ryan he tries to perform 'Sweet Tooth Music', a finishing move of Ryan's that's preceded by putting a lollipop in the opponent's mouth (yes, really), he accidentally gets it in Khalifa's instead, much to her disgust. Despite the bad words between the two, it seems like neither of them has strong negative feelings for each other. "People take things so seriously," Khalifa later said. "I have no hate towards wrestlers, I just love talking s**t."

celebrity0 min(s) read

Published 17:58 11 Apr 2020 GMT

Ronda Rousey slams 'f***ing ungrateful fans' for not appreciating her work

Tom Wood

Former UFC champion-turned-WWE Superstar 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey has hit out at her 'f***ing ungrateful fans' for not appreciating her time with the wrestling promotion.

You can see Rousey's scathing remarks in the video below:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/vW8mYu7G-sKUnNGKf.mp4||vW8mYu7G]]

Rousey made the comments while appearing on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, where the pair discussed Rousey's stint in the wrestling promotion, the fans, and what it would take for her to return to the ring.

During her time in the WWE, Rousey wrestled on the Raw brand, where she reigned as Raw Women's Champion for 231 days, before dropping the belt to current champion Becky Lynch in the main event of WrestleMania 35 last April.

Speaking to the former Jackass star about her stint in WWE, the former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion said:

"We didn’t need the money. So it’s just like, what am I doing it for if I’m not being able to spend my time and energy on my family, but instead spending my time and energy on a bunch of f***ing ungrateful fans that don’t even appreciate me.

"I love performing. I love the (wrestling) girls. I love being out there, but at the end of the day I was just like, 'F*** these fans, dude'. My family loves me and they appreciate me. I want all my energy to go into them. So that was my decision at the end of the day."

aeece pa

[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]

Despite the backlash from fans, Rousey did say that she loved the performance aspect of professional wrestling and hasn't ruled out a part-time return to the squared circle. The 33-year-old told Steve-O:

"Running out there, having fake fights for fun is just the best thing. I love choreography, I love acting, I love theater.

"It’s live theater. It’s one of the last forms of live theatre, and it’s so fun.

"But I was basically doing it part-time, and I was away from home over 200 days out of the year. When I did get home, basically I was so sleep-deprived because you just don’t have time to lay down, and my back’s broke. My bottom vertebrae is like broken in half.

"They got me appraised like a house before I came to WWE, and they’re like, ‘Your back’s broke’, and I’m like, 'Oh s***, didn’t know that. That explains a lot!'"

And this isn't the first time Rousey has stirred up controversy recently. Last month, the former champ was slammed for posting a series of videos to her Instagram account "bragging" about her resources amid the lockdown.

Check out one of the 'tone-deaf' videos below:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/LhBDsVqb-sKUnNGKf.mp4||LhBDsVqb]]

Tags:

healthcare software

uncategorised3 min(s) read

Published 10:26 20 Sep 2017 GMT

Ronda Rousey's coach is pushing her to make a sensational UFC comeback

Tom Wood

While she has been mostly quiet about her future in mixed martial arts, former UFC champion Ronda Rousey looks like she's not going to be returning to the sport. In fact, it seems that she is becoming more committed to the world of wrestling after being involved in her first storyline on WWE. But that hasn't stopped her longtime coach from weighing in on her return, even suggesting that she could take down the current champion reigning in her absence. Edmond Tarverdyan (despite having a name like a character on Game of Thrones) has worked with Rousey for years, and after speaking to The MMA Hour recently, has suggested that the former champ could make a comeback. Not only that, but he seems to think she should face off against Cris Cyborg, the Brazilian woman who currently holds the UFC women's featherweight title. Cyborg hasn't lost a fight since she went pro in 2005, and her most recent win was a brutal knockout which earned her the title. Speaking on the 400th episode of the MMA Hour, Tarverdyan said "That's the one. I want that fight. When I trained Ronda, I know Ronda could beat Cyborg. I know that. Cyborg is too slow". And when he was asked whether he thinks that Rousey would actually return, he replied: "We’ll live and we’ll see. If injuries weren't there and everything was where it was, we would take that fight and I’m telling you she’s too slow for us. And Ronda will beat her." Playing up the animosity between the two champions, who have clashed in the past after Rousey publicly called Cyborg out for her history of using PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs), Tarverdyan believes that this rivalry could make for a great fight: "Ronda needs a challenge. She really needs to be like, 'This person is no good and I need to prove something to the whole world.' That’s how Ronda works good. She said she cheated before, she’s hurt women and she wants to come and beat her." [[rumblewidget||]] Unfortunately for any fans that want to see Cyborg and Rousey fight, the former isn't too interested in facing her. In an Instagram post she responded to the comments, saying that her desire to fight her has left her in recent times. "When I wanted to fight her it was because she was at the top of her game and she had all of the confidence in the world," Cyborg wrote. "Both of us are now at different chapters in our careers and for me that chapter is finished". She points out that Rousey is not exactly as tough a competition anymore as she has now been "KO'd twice in a row", while she calls Edmund "nothing but a joke of a coach". [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BZOmpj8FHNp/]] She goes on to suggest that she would do it if Rousey wanted to, but that it might be better for the two of them to face off inside the WWE ring. It might not be exactly what fans want to see, but you have to admit, that would be pretty awesome.

uncategorised3 min(s) read

Published 09:50 29 Jan 2018 GMT

Ronda Rousey receives an epic introduction to the WWE

Tom Wood

Fans haven't seen Ronda Rousey fight since December 2016, when she suffered her infamous 48-second loss to Amanda Nunes. The former UFC champion has since turned away from the sport, and even announced her intentions to enter the world of professional wrestling rather than make a return to what most of us know her for. While she showed no interest in returning, there have been rumors that she might - or at least could - after her longtime coach weighed in on her chances. Back in September, Edmond Tarverdyan spoke to The MMA Hour, suggesting that she should make a comeback and who exactly it should be against: Cris Cyborg. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BOnwIY3DS9M/?taken-by=rondarousey]] "That's the one. I want that fight," he said. "When I trained Ronda, I know Ronda could beat Cyborg. I know that. Cyborg is too slow." When asked about her chances of recovery, he replied: "We’ll live and we’ll see. If injuries weren't there and everything was where it was, we would take that fight and I’m telling you she’s too slow for us. And Ronda will beat her. "Ronda needs a challenge. She really needs to be like, 'This person is no good and I need to prove something to the whole world.' That’s how Ronda works good. She said she cheated before, she’s hurt women and she wants to come and beat her." Rousey, who was the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo, doesn't seem to have followed up his comments with any return, instead finally making the jump to WWE after a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble this week. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BehhsDkh0UC/]] She had previously ruled out an appearance at the women's event in Philadelphia, but surprised the assembled crowds by appearing, even pointing to a WrestleMania sign, which is scheduled for New Orleans in April. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BehgJQLB46p/]] She certainly made an impression on fans as she entered the ring, with Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation' playing as she left. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/WWE/status/957829866958630912]] She has said of her decision to join the WWE that wrestling will be her "first priority": "This is my life now. Yeah, they have first priority on my time for the next several years. This is not a smash and grab, this is not a publicity stunt. "When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/957832896412348416]] When she was asked whether she had officially retired from UFC by ESPN recently, she was clear that reports aren't always accurate, and she isn't necessarily ruling anything out. "That’s what everybody else seems to say — I mean, I never retired from judo. So that’s what you guys want to think. "All I know is I really want to devote 100 per cent of my time to wrestling right now and whatever people want to call that they can call it." Not everyone has been too complimentary when it comes to Rousey's decision to join the WWE, but there's no doubt that the fans assembled to watch the Royal Rumble are dying to see how it all plays out.

celebrity3 min(s) read

Published 12:17 21 Feb 2025 GMT

Ronda Rousey reveals heartbreaking reason we don't see her anymore

James Kay

Ronda Rousey has explained why she isn't in the spotlight as much these days, after previously being one of the most famous fighters in the world.

Rousey, once a dominant force in women's combat sports, made history as the first female fighter in the UFC and became its inaugural bantamweight champion.

GettyImages .jpg ttwnzQ

Ronda Rousey was one of the best fighters around. Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty

She was even referenced in Demi Lovato’s 2015 song Stars and, for a time, seemed unstoppable in the octagon.

However, her meteoric rise came to an abrupt halt in 2016 after suffering two consecutive losses. Following her exit from the UFC, Rousey transitioned into professional wrestling, joining WWE.

She remained in the sport until 2023 before seemingly leaving combat sports altogether.

In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, the 38-year-old revealed that ongoing health concerns ultimately forced her retirement.

She disclosed that she had concealed multiple "concussions and neurological injuries" throughout her career.

"I just couldn't fight at that top level anymore, and I couldn't take those impacts," Rousey said. She added that her decision came at a time when she was physically at her peak, stating she had "never been stronger or faster, or had a better grasp of the game."

GettyImages .jpg AFCi

Rousey stepped away from fighting. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty

The risks of long-term brain trauma played a significant role in her choice to walk away. "You never know when you've had one hit too many until decades later, and I don't want to keep testing that," she explained.

Rousey has previously spoken about the impact of repeated concussions, detailing her experiences in her 2024 memoir Our Fight.

She also revealed in an interview with BBC Sport that she was likely concussed for most of her shocking title defeat against Holly Holm.

"It's hard to look at footage of that match," she admitted. "Because I can literally see in my eyes I'm suffering from a neurological injury decades in the making.

"It [ticks] me off when people see that and say, 'this is Ronda being outclassed.' That's me with my brain not properly working."

GettyImages .jpg qRiPE

Rousey now puts her energy into her family and other creative outlets. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty

Since stepping away from the ring, Rousey has shifted her focus to family life with her husband, former UFC fighter Travis Browne, and their children. She has also embraced a new creative passion - screenwriting.

Sharing her latest endeavor with PEOPLE, she revealed that she had been working as an intern at Warner Bros. in its story department.

"I've been writing screenplays and things to keep my mind in a positive place, and if I feel myself going somewhere negative, I'll consciously turn it towards something that I'm creatively working on," she said.

"It's just been a really positive force in my life."