MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Floyd Mayweather Jr. defended the MMA fighter Ronda Rousey from her critics in social media following her loss to Holly Holm.
“I guess it’s not cool how everyone trolls Rousey in social media. There are certain things you have to learn. People will love you today, and will hate you the other day. People are making negative comments, making jokes and having fun about her, which I think isn’t cool,” said Mayweather.
“I don’t know how it feels, and I’ve never been on the other side. She is a very very strong person, but we should consider that she also have feelings.”
“I’m not referring to boxing; I’m just talking about life. When someone you love lost, that’s taking a loss. Everything is just a learning experience. After her loss, I’m pretty sure she’ll be able to bounce back and will make a buzz again in mixed martial arts,” the 38-year-old boxer added.
Rousey was dethroned as women’s bantamweight champion after Holly Holm knocked her out on Sunday, November 15, at UFC 193. Holm elude everyone’s expectation when she placed a left head kick in the second round that made Rousey fell straight to the mat.
After the well-placed hit of Holm to Rousey, MMA fans quickly criticized Rousey online, saying she grew arrogant, referring to her Instagram post where she called Holm “fake” and “cheap” and said “You’re getting your ass kicked tomorrow and I’m really going to enjoy the beating I give you.”
Rapper 50 Cent was among those who criticized Rousey on Instagram with an edited photo of her in the arms of Rocky Balboa from a scene in the Rocky IV film. The photo was captioned: “LMAO, FLOYD TOLD ME TO POST THIS, he want me to do the dirty work.”
Mayweather denied that he has anything to do with the photo posted by 50 Cent, which has been deleted in his Instagram account.
“Just to set the record straight, I haven’t really spoke to anyone about the situation of Ronda Rousey. I have nothing against MMA fighters. It’s just like boxing; you win some, you lose some. A true champion bounces back after loss.”
Rousey’s match with Holm was her first career defeat with a record of 12-1, while the 38-year-old Holm extended her unbeaten record to 10-0 with 7 knockouts.