Ronda Rousey’s Mom Slams Coach, Says Edmond Tarverdyan Is ‘Terrible,’ A ‘Bad Person,’ And Riding Ronda’s Coattails [Video]
While perhaps being best known as Ronda Rousey’s mom, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars is also a world class judo champion, CEO of an educational games company, and one not afraid to speak her mind. This, apparently, is particularly true when it comes to Ronda Rousey’s coach, Edmond Tarverdyan, as the MMA mom recently let fly her critical views of Ronda’s coach in a couple of interviews.
The first interview (video below) where Ronda Rousey’s mom unleashed her true feelings about Tarverdyan came via LatiNation, Dr. De Mars throwing some verbal bombs when asked what she thinks of Ronda’s coach. The interviewer starts by timidly tiptoeing toward the subject of Tarverdyan and Ronda Rousey’s coaching arrangement before Dr. DeMars abruptly jumps in and cuts to the chase, starting right off with, “I think Edmund is a terrible coach, and I will say it publicly.”
And despite these accomplishments, when Ronda Rousey did walk into his gym, according to her passionate MMA mom, Taverdyan “wouldn’t even give her the time of day for months,” an assertion that Ronda Rousey’s mom explains with particular disdain, going on to say that the only reason she thinks Ronda stays with him is because of a kind of superstition, and that the coach’s initial, disrespectful treatment of Ronda Rousey should be a red flag for other fighters considering Taverdyan’s gym.
“I think she stays there because it’s like somebody who, you know, pitches a no-hitter when they’re wearing red underwear and they wear that red underwear for every day, and I think it’s superstition, and I would caution anybody from going there.”
Concluding by calling Ronda’s coach a bad person, and saying if he wants to sue, she’s just stating her opinion, Dr. DeMars makes it clear that she’ll not longer be pulling punches or holding back when it comes to how she feels about Ronda Rousey’s coach.
And according to Bleacher Report, Ronda Rousey’s mom may be on to something when questioning Tarverdyan’s coaching prowess.
Edmond Tarverdyan hasn’t exactly been cranking out UFC champions from his gym. In fact, aside from Ronda Rousey, other notable MMA fighters have seemed to go backwards, or at least not to have lived up to their expected potential.
Travis Browne is among these fighters. Though reportedly in a relationship with Ronda Rousey, Browne’s and Rousey’s careers are heading in opposite directions, with the once strong belief that Browne would one day get a title shot now not so likely.
Ronda Rousey’s friend and training partner, Marina Shafir, has also been on the wrong end of two knock-outs in her last two fights, the most recent coming early in the first round.
With Ronda Rousey’s mom, Dr. De Mars, publicly slamming Rousey coach Tarverdyan, eyebrows were raised, wondering what type of response or reaction might be forthcoming from the Rousey camp as Ronda’s November face off with Holly Holm looms.
But so far, the only response has been a follow-up beating on Ronda’s coach from Ronda’s mom. Dr. De Mars doubled down in a second interview with judo colleague Rhadi Ferguson, reiterating her dislike for Tarverdyan and his alleged using of Ronda to “lure” other female fighters into his gym, other female fighters that Ronda’s mom believes face harm by training with Ronda’s coach, reports FOX News.
“(Ronda and I) talked about it before and she said, ‘Oh, I’ve got a fight coming up.’ You only get that pass from me once. Whatever she wants to do in her career, that’s her business, but if you’re in a situation where you’re really causing harm to other people by being used as bait to lure people in there, I think somebody needs to speak up. And all I did was say publicly what people have been whispering for years, but no one had the balls to speak up because Edmond (Tarverdyan) is like that gatekeeper to Ronda.”
Whether or not the disdain of Ronda’s mom for Tarverdyan will have any impact on Ronda Rousey’s relationship with her coach, the Rousey camp, or Ronda’s upcoming fight with Holly Holm, remains to be seen, but it is an inherently awkward situation just a month out from Ronda Rousey’s next fight.
[Image LatiNation/YouTube and Narek75/Wikimedia Commons]
