Rousey’s coach takes blame for loss to Holm

At UFC 193 Holly Holm put on a flawless performance against Ronda Rousey that saw “The Preacher’s Daughter” claim the UFC women’s bantamweight championship by picking up a 2nd round KO win.

Following the bout Rousey and her head coach Edmond Tarverdyan caught quite a bit of criticism. Rousey was criticized for her confidence going into the fight, while Tarverdyan was criticized for what many believed was giving Rousey a false sense of confidence in her striking.

Tarverdyan spoke to ESPN to discuss the bout, as well as why he’s taking the blame for Rousey’s loss:

“When you’re up there, somebody needs to be blamed for it. I’m taking the blame. I’m OK with that. I know what reality is. I accept reality. Reality is people will talk all kinds of unnecessary stuff. As long as my fighter believes in me, I believe in my fighter and we’ll move on from there.”

“Our job wasn’t to prove she’s a better boxer, which I [still] believe Ronda could box with anybody in the world.”

“Come on. We’re here to get the win. At that level, are you serious? Would you put your ego or whatever it is — I can’t even find the word — to prove something instead of defending the title? That’s dumb to even say that.”