Ronda Rousey detailed her new training partnership with Ricky Lindell on the New York Post Sports. Lindell is a former student now coaching Rousey for her return to the cage against Gina Carano after a ten-year hiatus.

The bout that will headline MVP's MMA event on Netflix on May 16, by itself, is rousing conversations across the MMA world. But the scene outside the cage is what's drawing the most attention. And rightly so, with Rousey's current trainer also being one of her former students, whom she helped get his black belt in judo.

In a recent episode of the New York Post Sports, Scott Fontana brought to light the interesting coach-athlete dynamics between Ricky Lindell and 'Rowdy'.

And it's not just the dynamics that have flipped around. The experience, when weighed against the 39-year-old's past coaches, is noticeably different, too.

"I love that he was my student first, and he took the time to really understand my system and how I think before coming to me and letting me know what he thought would work for me," Rousey explained. "It's always been much more of a partnership than a dictatorship."

That essentially becomes the difference between a training camp that is successful and one that turns to dust. And Lindell has undoubtedly invested both the time and effort in Rousey's game.

However, while their relationship has evolved into one of mutual respect, it wasn't always the case.

Why Did Ronda Rousey Hate Ricky Lindell?

When the two combat artists met, it wasn't exactly the meet-cute people might expect. The fighters were put right in the crosshairs of a heated rivalry in The Ultimate Fighter season 18.

Lindell was the opposing coach, training Miesha Tate, in a direct clash with Ronda Rousey's team of UFC hopefuls. The rivalry wasn't the part that was hard to digest, however. It was Lindell's overly amicable behavior that came off as almost pretentious for Rousey.

“Started off as mortal enemies. He was coaching against me on ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and he was so nice I was like, ‘This m*********** is so patronizing and fake,'" the ex-UFC champion remarked.

Fortunately, it seems, time can heal all wounds. And sometimes rivalry is the best place to begin a cherished relationship. Do you think Lindell is the right choice as Rousey's coach?

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil