Ronda Rousey possibly set for court battle with management company in California

It appears Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, has her next battle set.

But, it may not take place inside the Octagon

That's because the Olympic Bronze medalist is gearing up for what could prove to be a fight of a different sort at the moment: A legal dispute with her management company, Fight Tribe Management.

Disputes between a mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar and a one-time management team are not without precedent. In fact, just last year, Georges St. Pierre was successfully sued by a former manager to the tune of $737,006 and a 20 percent cut of future earnings.

In this case, Rousey's attorney, Steven Bash of Bash & Polyachenko, P.C, claims his client's contract with Fight Tribe Management can be rendered null and void per the guidelines of California state law.

Here is Bash's guarded take on the pending legal situation (via Sherdog):

"As far as disagreements go, we don't have any intention to publicly litigate any dispute or air any grievances or dirty laundry about their relationship. The only current issue is whether or not Fight Tribe can legally be considered Ronda Rousey's manager under well-established California law, and we feel the answer will be no...Today, the fact is, [the representation agreement] is voidable and null and not legally enforceable. Once we get a determination, then we'll go from there, but that's really what the issue is today."

As anyone who has ever been involved in a legal dispute -- or anyone who has every been involved in a dispute period for that matter -- can attest, it's highly doubtful Fight Tribe Management, which declined comment for the attributed report, agrees with Bash's assessment of the validity of the company's contract with Rousey.

What's more, it appears there is more to Rousey's attempt to get out of her contract than just an impartial business decision. Judging by an "emotional component" Bash hints at, this dispute just might be personal.

"I can't really comment on the source of the friction. I can tell you that there are multiple sources, but it's still pretty premature to discuss them, because the issue is one of legality, rather than what I'm sure people will want to hear, which is 'What's going on behind the scenes to have caused this situation to occur?' It's premature for that, and in my opinion, it's no necessary. Maybe it all comes out later in the future, but right now, like in any relationship that comes to an end, there is an emotional component to it."

Hmmm ...

If there's one thing we learned about "Rowdy" during her stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 last year, it's that she's virtually incapable of hiding her emotions when she's pissed off at somebody.

Look no further than Rousey rappelling down a rock climbing wall, flashing her arch enemy, Miesha Tate, a series of rapid fire middle fingers for proof that she is, indeed, a passionate competitor.

Whatever the case may be, stay tuned to MMA Mania for the latest developments.