Coach counters Tate’s criticism and guarantees: ‘Ronda won’t stop until she wins’

R. Rousey (left) trains with Edmond Tarverdyan (right). Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

It was to be expected that controversial statements from both sides would mark the week leading up to the duel between Ronda Rousey e Miesha Tate, who are in the co-main fight of UFC 168. Long-time rivals, the athletes managed to worsen their relationship even further during their time together during the recordings of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter 18, in which they acted as coaches. After Rousey herself attacked her rival, it was her coach Edmond Tarverdyan's turn to rebut the criticisms made by Tate and his team.

“Ronda is much stronger, in much better condition. Miesha Tate and other fighters think she won't make it past the first round, that Ronda doesn't know how to fight. They are kidding? When Ronda is training, she doesn't think about it. It's not the way we work. She only says stupid and clueless things”, said Edmond, who from time to time clashed with members of the rival team during TUF.

One point that deeply bothered the coach was the questioning about Ronda's technical quality and the effectiveness of her judo base in MMA fights. “The speed in judo is so fast, you have to stay alert all the time. You can lose in a simple fall. It's not like you lie down and try to fit a triangle together. So if you guys think she doesn't know how to fight, again, you're stupid. Ronda can't just fight five five-minute rounds, Ronda can fight 100 five-minute rounds. She won’t give up, she won’t stop until she wins,” he concluded.

This Saturday (28), in the octagon set up in MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (USA), Ronda Rousey e Miesha Tate close another chapter in the history of one of MMA's greatest rivalries. After months of exchanging barbs and growing tension, including weeks of confinement on TUF, Tate and Rousey fight for the women's bantamweight belt. In the main fight of the night, Anderson Silva challenges the middleweight champion Chris Weidman, in one of the most anticipated rematches in the history of Ultimate.

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