Ronda Rousey Dedicated UFC 190 Win To “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
After her win against Bethe Correia in UFC 190, mixed-martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey said she dedicated the fight to the memory of the late WWE legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. She said she was influenced by Piper, who died at the age of 61 on Thursday.
She also gave some touching words about the late professional wrestler. She said that they “lost a really close friend” who allowed her “to use his name as a fighter.” Gene Lebell, the mentor of Rousey, was the trainer of Piper. LeBell brought Rousey to the world of MMA when she was a rising judo star. After Ronda Rousey’s move into the MMA circuit, LeBell asked permission from Piper to allow Rousey to use his “Rowdy” nickname during her fights. Piper gave his blessing and she later took on the name “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.
Ronda Rousey Fight Dedicated To "Rowdy" Roddy Piper - image credit: wrestlingmedia.org
The news of the death of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper reached Rousey around 24 hours before her weigh-in for match against Correia. While dealing with stress and heavy emotions, the MMS fighter wrote a heartfelt tribute for the WWE legend on her Instagram account. She thanked the wrestler for the name and “so much more.” She added that she will make him proud in her fight, which she dedicated to Piper.
Ronda Rousey was able to bring down Correia within 34 seconds of the opening round and was able to keep the bantamweight championship belt.
Posted by
Andre Monohan
on Monday August 03 2015, 12:29 PM EDT.
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