Over the years, Ronda Rousey has built up a reputation for being a bit of a recluse when it comes to speaking to media, especially following her losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes when Rousey went radio silent for the better part of a year. But as Rousey has successfully transitioned to a career in professional wrestling, she is now back in front of the mic again more often and last week she finally addressed the issue of her notorious silence with MMA media and fans, saying that hearing her speak was “a privilege that’s been abused, so why not revoke it from everyone?”

Needless to say, this made several MMA luminaries blanche, chief among them Rousey’s former rival, Miesha Tate. On the most recent episode of MMA Tonight, Tate addressed Rousey’s statements, calling the comments “asinine” and the former UFC bantamweight champion “full of herself.”

“People are gonna say I’m being a hater but I’m gonna be honest, I think it’s a bit ridiculous and I think it’s very above herself,” said Tate. “This kind of attitude, this is where we butt heads. This is the point where we don’t agree. Sometimes Ronda will say something that’s humble and I’ll be like, ‘Hey, that’s a great comment.’ This is asinine.

“I think this is not the kind of attitude that you should have when you’re someone who is in the position of Ronda. Ronda’s very fortunate. Granted, she’s worked very hard but there’s a lot of people that work really, really hard and don’t get to that point of stardom or financial benefit or whatever it is. It’s a combined effort. To say ‘it’s a privilege to hear me speak’ is just sounds rude and full of herself. She really sounds full of herself.”

The rivalry between Tate and Rousey dates back to the days of Strikeforce, when Rousey won the bantamweight title from Tate with a first-round armbar. Later, the two would coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter against one another, with Rousey constantly at Tate’s throat. Rousey went on to win the rematch and rattled off four more wins before losing her UFC title to Holly Holm. Not long after that, Tate went on to defeat Holm to claim the 135-pound title but a trilogy bout never materialize, and with both women retired from MMA, it doesn’t seem like it ever will. That isn’t likely to stop Tate though who will happily called out Rousey for her egotistical behavior, suggesting that Rousey is not setting a good example for the millions of young women who look up to her.

“I don’t see it as a privilege to hear her speak,” said Tate. “She owes it - sort of, to a degree - to her fans. Without the fans and the people who care what you say, what you say doesn’t matter. So when you say something like that I feel like it’s a burn and a slap in the face to the people who love and support you. She has a lot of young ladies that really look up to her and I just don’t think this is the type of attitude that a role model should have because it seems a bit selfish, it really does.

“I think she should be more grateful for being in the position that she’s in and everybody who has genuinely loved her throughout her career than to turn around and say, ‘It’s a privilege to hear me speak.’ I think it’s a bit ridiculous.”

Rousey is currently signed to the WWE and made a wildly successful debut at their yearly Wrestlemania event last month. Meanwhile, Tate retired from MMA following her loss to Raquel Pennington and is currently expecting the birth of her first child in the next few weeks.

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MUST-READ STORIES

Scuffle. Pearl Gonzalez, Barbara Acioly get into physical scuffle at Invicta FC 29 weigh-ins.

Comeback. Oscar De La Hoya hints at starting ‘Golden Boy MMA’ with Chuck Liddell.

Also Comeback. Jake Shields believes Nick Diaz will ‘fight again soon.’

Suit. Ex-manager suing UFC’s Ray Borg for fraud, breach of contract, stolen trade secrets.

GP. Scott Coker: Bellator grand prix semifinals could be on different nights; NYC, LA, Chicago in running.

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VIDEO STEW

After The Beat.

Invicta weigh-ins.

MMA Squared.

Nick Newell.

TMZ roundup.

’

Chael coming after Fedor.

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LISTEN UP

The MMA Beat. Discussing Nate Diaz’s potential return, Eddie Alvarez, Fedor vs. Sonnen.

Bushido Talk. Discussing Nate Diaz and a rumored August bout plus Fedor/Chael.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Good news!

Ian McCall is the kind of guy who makes you believe curses are real.

Looks like the Ring Boy is in trouble.

Just needs six months of sprawl training.

50 Cent and Coker teaming up.

Till working with Karateka’s in prep for Wonderboy.

Got him.

Fight wishes.

Thirsty.

Congrats!

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Teruto Ishihara (10-5-2) vs. Petr Yan (8-1); UFC Singapore, June 23.

Kenan Song (12-3) vs. Hector Aldana (4-0); UFC Singapore, June 23.

Felipe Arantes (18-9-1, 2 NC) vs. Yadong Song (11-3, 2 NC); UFC Singapore, June 23.

Li Jingliang (14-5) vs. Daichi Abe (6-1); UFC Singapore, June 23.

Paul Felder (15-3) vs. James Vick (13-1); UFC Boise, July 14.

Justin Ledet (9-0, 1 NC) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (9-1); UFC Hamburg, July 22.

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TODAY IN MMA HISTORY

2001: One of the biggest events in UFC history, UFC 31, took place. In the main event, Randy Couture retained the UFC heavyweight title with a unanimous decision win over Pedro Rizzo. In the co-main event, Carlos Newton became the welterweight champion by bulldog choking Pat Miletich, and elsewhere on the card, Shonie Carter landed his famous spinning backfist on Matt Serra, Chuck Liddell knocked out Kevin Randleman, and B.J. Penn made his professional debut, stopping Joey Gilbert.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

We’ve got an Invicta fight card to look forward to this weekend as well as the return of Rizin, so saddle up, enjoy the fights, and see y’all on Monday.

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EXIT POLL

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