UFC veteran Phil Baroni destroys MMA media in defense of Ronda Rousey - 'F**k the MMA media'

A lot of people believe that Ronda Rousey's media blackout leading up to UFC 207 was the wrong move to make, especially considering the extra time out of the spotlight led to a lackluster 48-second defeat at the hands of Amanda Nunes. Some believed that Rousey was still coping with her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 and any talk about that defeat would open up a world of despair. Even without the media, Rousey's world still collapsed at UFC 207. But according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Phil Baroni, cutting out the media ahead of her return was the right thing to do.

"F**k the MMA media," said Baroni in a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio. "I did everything. I bent over backward. I shadowboxed sexy for them for hours, answered all the questions, and then you just sh*t on me. But whatever. You sh*t on me, and now f**k you."

Wow. Harsh words from a fighter who hasn't been in the MMA spotlight for quite some time. Baroni not only agrees with Rousey's media shutdown before her Octagon comeback, but he believes she enjoys being the bad guy.

"I think she likes being a heel," added Baroni. "I have a feeling that she embraced the heel, and she bent over backwards for the media previously for all the other fights, and she felt the MMA media turned on her. So f**k the MMA media. If you can do that sh*t, then do it. That's strong.

"I don't f**king buy pay-per-views; I didn't feel like going to the Strip. I always get tickets. But I bought the (UFC 207) pay-per-view. I wanted to see the fight. I don't buy pay-per-views. I didn't give a sh*t if she did an interview or not. I wanted to see what she's got.

"What is she going to say? ‘I trained really hard for this fight, I'm in the best shape of my life, (and) I'm not worried about the last fight?' What the f**k? She wasn't fighting for the money that time, and that just goes to prove it. She was there to fight; I give her even more respect for that."

That's an over-the-top way to look at Rousey's introverted approach to UFC 207, but Baroni makes some valid points. Not doing media probably cost Rousey some blood money in the long run, even though early reports puts UFC 207 over 1 million PPV buys. Still, the former champion wanted to focus solely on training for the biggest fight of her career, which some fighters are able to relate to.