For two ladies who don't like each other, they sure are spending a significant amount of time together.
UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey once again squared off against former Strikeforce women's champ Miesha Tate on ESPN yesterday.
When asked about their rivalry by the host, Tate took a minute to respond some some of Rousey's claims, particularly that she couldn't say discouraging words about her to her face. She also brought up the middle finger incident from the Los Angeles 'World Tour' press conference.
"I think what it means to be a professional is, even if you dislike someone (looks Ronda in the eyes) I don't like you, so there it is to your face, hope that makes you happy. Still, maintaining a manner of professionalism doesn't mean you have to flip someone off or cuss at them when there's cameras and young girls looking at you."
Rousey, on the other hand, tried to avoid discussing her dislike of Tate and instead focused on an interesting analogy comparing their rivalry to a popular sitcom like Seinfeld.
"I think it has a long history. It's been going on for a while and there's a lot on the line. Miesha was the champion and I took the championship from her. Now the roles are reversed. There's been no love lost in the time in between. It's just grown because now there's a storyline to it. It's an ongoing thing. It's a drama series. It's almost like a TV show. Our relationship has a following just like Seinfeld does."
Tate has promised not to underestimate Rousey again and brought up how emotionally compromised she was in their original scrap at Strikeforce: Tate vs Rousey in early 2012. She also had an interesting celestial comparison for her heated rival.
"I'm not as emotionally invested. The roles are reversed in every way. I describe Ronda like the sun. The first time you're exposed to it and you're not wearing sunscreen you get burnt pretty bad. Now, the more she's around, I feel like I've got a gorgeous tan and the more the sun's out, the better I look."
Things are heating up. Rousey and Tate will square off in the co-main event of UFC 168 later this year (Dec. 28, 2013) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Can the end of the year come soon enough?