10 Things You Didn't Know About Ronda Rousey
9. Her Coach Is Generally Regarded As One Of The Worst In The Sport
Ronda Rousey's coach, Edmond Tarverdyan, runs Glendale Fighting Club. That's home of Rousey's UFC heavyweight boyfriend, Travis Browne, Rousey, and well - not a whole lot of other notable fighters.
That in and of itself isn't a big deal. After all, when you have arguably the best female fighter in history, you've still got a pretty huge claim to fame, right? The problem is, just about everyone with any knowledge of MMA sees Tarverdyan as one of the worst coaches in the game. And that includes Ronda Rousey's own mother, a world class judoka.
Dr. Ann Maria De Mars, Rousey's mother, actually stated "I would run him over with my car if there wasn't a law against it" and pointed to the fact that Tarverdyan didn't want to train her daughter for months when she first entered the gym.
Beyond that maternal protective instinct, there are other troubling signs: Tarverydyan has a habit of making exaggerations about the skills of his star pupil (specifically in the area of boxing, which is one of her major weak points), and gave horrible advice between rounds during her UFC 193 title fight loss - the first loss of her career. During the break between rounds, Tarverdyan actually encouraged Rousey to continue on her current course, saying she was doing great, while she was actually being beaten to a pulp.