Ronda Rousey Trashes Kim Kardashian

Ronda Rousey has a problem with Kim Kardashian. The Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight title holder lashed out at the celebutante on multiple occasions, including during a recent interview with TMZ.

Not a Good Role Model

It would be hard to cast Ronda Rousey as anything but the epitome of a strong female role model. According to Rousey, however, Kardashain's fame is solely the result of her appearance in a sex tape and her success is simply the result of her being marketed as a "product" by the more capable people by whom the reality television star is surrounded.

The bantamweight champion first attacked Kardashian—verbally, of course—during a red carpet interview, where she used some rather choice language to describe how Kardashian achieved her fame. She was later interviewed at length by TMZ and elaborated on her irritation with the reality television star and fashion model.

Citing her as a poor example for her younger sister, Rousey expressed worry that Kardashian's fame sends exactly the wrong image to young girls. She repeatedly challenged the interviewers to name one thing that Kardashian had done for herself, bristling when the interviewers brought up the "empire" that Kardashian had created and saying that Kardashian's success was really the result of other people doing the work for Kim. Kardashian reportedly said that Rousey was "pretty" and did not comment further on the hostility directed toward her by the accomplished MMA fighter.

Rousey is slated to defend her title at the Valley View Casino Center—which is not a casino, but a sports arena, on August 18. She'll be fighting Sarah Kaufman, a Canadian fighter with a record of 15-1. Rousey is known for her excellent ground game, which analysts hope will make for an interesting match against Kaufman, who has a reputation as a very competent standup fighter.

Strikeforce Fighter Begs for Bonuses

Lorenz Larkin made a scene during his post-fight interview on Saturday, June 14 when he begged for bonuses for Strikeforce fighters. The fighter had just won is match for the evening and, after encouraging Muro Ranallo to join him, he got on his knees and asked that the fighters in Strikeforce receive the same sort of compensation that UFC fighters get. UFC and Strikeforce are both owned by Zuffa, LLC.

The Differences

According to an article in Yahoo Sports, UFC fighters tend to make far more than do the fighters in Strikeforce. In addition to winning bonuses that range into the tens of thousands of dollars at times, the fighters in UFC also receive bonuses based on how well they performed in the cage and for winning bouts in particularly impressive ways—submissions, knockouts, and other events that tend to get the fan base excited. Strikeforce fighters receive no such compensation.

The article points out that UFC fighters tend to get far more fights—and therefore, opportunities to earn—every year compared to the Strikeforce fighters. The combination of lower pay and fewer fights can make professional fighting a very low-paying proposition for the fighters in Strikeforce.

Not everything is sunny for UFC fighters, either, according to the article. The UFC fighters sometimes depend upon the bonuses they make just to get by and, of course, professional cage fighting carries with it the risk that the fighters could be seriously injured at any time and, thus, lose their ability to make a living.

Strikeforce has been having its share of difficulties recently as far as churning up a large fan base goes. While UFC continues to expand and to be held in a growing list of nations, even press interest in Strikeforce has been comparatively minimal and presents yet another contrast between the realities for fighters in the two leagues

Mike Brown Will Do 5 More Fights with UFC

Mike brown will be fighting five more times in UFC matches, according to reports and his own website. The fighter had complained about injuries impacting his performance but, in the end, he signed a contract with UFC to do five more fights rather than retiring, as he was considering prior to signing the deal.

Brown is a former WEC featherweight champion. He defeated Urijah Faber in WEC 36 to secure that title in 2008. He took the victory in the first round, becoming the champion and garnering reputation the best featherweight fighter around.

After defeating Daniel Pineda in UFC 146, Brown was considering retiring. His numerous injuries, including having his knee badly injured in a match in Japan, were causing him problems and he was debating whether or not his body could handle any more punishment.

Coming Back

On his own website, Brown said that a combination of fatigue and the wear and tear on his body was taking all of the fun out of being in the cage and that he was thinking that the exhaustion and pain was going to continue. The turning point, however, came during the fight with Pineda, after which the fighter said he felt "great" and that he didn't suffer from the fatigue that has plagued him recently. He plans on continuing through with the contract he signed, according to his post.

The new UFC deal was signed on July 4, 2012 and will see the fighter stepping into the cage at least 5 more times. After having two successful title defenses in the WEC and holding onto a reputation as a determined fighter, despite his body having taken a lot of punishment over the years, it was looking like the end for Brown, but the new deal means that fans will get to see the fighter back in action.