Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ronda Rousey have not quite been the best of friends in recent years, as the two traded insults publicly and were often discussed in a hypothetical fight between the male boxer and female MMA star. After Rousey’s second loss, however, Mayweather appears to be taking the high road.
FightHype.com caught up with Mayweather and asked him for his opinion on Rousey’s loss and what she should do next.
Mayweather began by discussing his strange back-and-forth with Rousey over the years — much of which, he admits, stemmed from his history of domestic violence allegations — but then offered the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion some sincere advice.
"Ronda Rousey, hold your head up, stay focused, keep believing," he said. "A true champion can bounce back. You’ll be OK, everything will be OK."
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Rousey returned from a year-plus absence to fight Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Nunes ran through Rousey in under a minute, lighting her up on the feet until the referee was forced to step in. It was an even more onesided loss than Rousey’s shocking defeat to Holly Holm last November.
Mayweather argued that Rousey made a mistake by stepping back into the cage against such a dangerous opponent after such a long layoff.
"I think that her losing had a lot to do with time off. She may should have competed against another female MMA fighter that wasn’t as active as the female that she faced. I think the female that she faced, she was rugged and toughed, so we can’t take anything away from [Amanda Nunes]. She was a tough competitor, she was the better woman that night.
"But Ronda Rousey has a lot left. I don’t want her to think this is the end of the world."