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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Ronda Rousey's decision last week to refer to Cris "Cyborg" Justino as an "it" in the course of an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole drew the ire of a number of media outlets, fans, and more, but one company's response in particular may have gone in the wrong direction.
MMA apparel company Americana MMA was understandably irked by Rousey's comments and the UFC's lack of reaction to one of their "top draws" saying something that would have led to a significant fine and/or public reprimand for an athlete in almost any other sport. Their response? Offer a monetary incentive to any fighter who takes Rousey off her perch in a sanctioned fight.
Americana will give $5k to the first fighter that knocks out Ronda Rousey.
The offer caused a stir, with some taking it as a "bounty" on Rousey's head, which in turn led to Americana issuing the following response on their Facebook page:.
"I really can't believe that some people are stupid enough to think that we placed a bounty on Ronda Rousey and that any random person can physically harm her to win $5K. Let's make this clear for those of you that don't understand. The offer was made for a professionally sanctioned fight between professional fighters; be it Alexis Davis, Cat Zingano or anybody else scheduled to fight her in the future. We don't condone random acts of violence so put your bats away. Fuckin' hell."
For what it's worth, it's not the first time a company has urged a competitor to take Rousey out by offering a monetary reward, as Dynamic Fastener offered Miesha Tate an extra $10,000 had she beat Rousey in December.
Penick's Analysis: I think the fact that it was made to look like a bounty with the request for a KO on Rousey brought out more of a negative reaction than had they simply said, "We'll give the first woman to beat Ronda Rousey in a fight an extra $5,000." The UFC's already offering further incentives for fighters to stop their opponents, and this really isn't much different than that. On top of that, the UFC just letting Rousey get away with what really are unacceptable comments from someone in her position and with her reach is as ridiculous as it is unsurprising. Because of that, a negative reaction towards Rousey for making those comments is understandable.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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