Edmond Tarverdyan was dealt a lot of criticism from the likes of Ronda Rousey's mom and plenty of mixed martial arts (MMA) pundits in the latter half of 2015.
Not to mention he's been playing hooky from creditor meetings.
Part of the blowback stems from his coaching style and questionable cornering of his star pupil in the midst of "Rowdy's" title defense against Holly Holm at the UFC 193 pay-per-view (PPV) back in November. It was one fight that both Rousey and Tarverdyan would like to forget.
Still, they remain loyal to each other, just as No. 6-ranked heavyweight contender Travis Browne told MMA Fighting of his relationships with Rousey and Tarverdyan:
"Things are going really well. Even through all that stuff, all you can worry about is the stuff you're in control of. You can't control what other people are going to do or say, or whatever. For me, it's just been focusing on my fight Sunday. Once I learned I had that fight, that's all I could control. It hasn't been a problem for me, or any of the other athletes. It's just -- I mean when you're put in the spotlight like that, people are going to try and make a headline off of you, especially when you have some high-profile fighters in your stable. They're going to go out and look for stuff. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is."
"Hapa" had a difficult time in 2015 himself and it was punctuated by domestic abuse allegations (which he was eventually cleared of). The 33-year-old dynamic striker also had his jaw rocked by fellow contender and ex-training partner, Andrei Arlovski, at UFC 187 last May.
Despite his rocky road back to the Octagon, Browne has also been there to support his significant other, Rousey, and has stood by her side since her debilitating knockout loss "Down Under," while preparing for an ever-important tussle with Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 81 this Sunday night (Jan. 17, 2016) inside TD Garden in Boston.
For more news and notes on UFC Fight Night 81, as well as up-to-the-minute live results and play-by-play, click here and here.
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