Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has come up through the mixed martial arts (MMA) ranks with coach Edmond Tarverdyan by her side. Along the way, "Rowdy" captured titles in Strikeforce and UFC en route to becoming one of the biggest stars in combat sports.
How much of that success can we attribute to her tutelage at Glendale Fighting Club?
Little-to-none, according to Rousey's mom, AnnMaria De Mars, who insists that her daughter is successful because she was an Olympic medalist and already light years ahead of her competition from the moment she stepped foot inside the cage.
From her conversation with LatiNation:
"I think Edmond is a terrible coach and I will say it publicly. I think he's a terrible coach. I think he hit the lottery when Ronda walked in there. I think she stays there because it's like somebody pitches a no-hitter when they're wearing red underwear, and they wear that red underwear for every day and I think it's superstition, and I would caution anybody from going there. And I think it's bad he uses her to lure people in. And the reason I tell everybody, and I told Ronda, I'm not going to be quiet about this anymore. He's a bad person, and people should not go there. And if he wants to sue me, that's my honest opinion."
Tarverdyan has several fighters under his watch, but none with the success of the "Rowdy" champion.
Nevertheless, Rousey will move on to face undefeated challenger Holly Holm at the upcoming UFC 193 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place in roughly one month inside Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia (more on that card here).
But it's hard not to wonder if these outside distractions and newfound romances won't affect the champ's mental game, which up until this point, has been bulletproof.
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