TUF 18: Has Miesha Tate Already Won The Battle In The Public Eye?

The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 finally premieres tonight on Fox Sports 1. We already know for a fact that UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey is completely comfortable being in the spotlight. However, it seems like over the past few months Rousey hasn’t been getting all the attention she’s been looking for, and there are a number of reason why.

First, the teaser trailers make her look like a nightmare to work with, and nothing is stopping Season 18 opposing coach Miesha Tate of telling the world that Rousey is a little “rough around the edges” when it comes to coaching. And you see what she means in the trailers. Second, Rousey picked up all the nasty habits from former STRIKEFORCE Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, but it doesn’t look classy when a female champion goes to those disrespectful lengths to prove how bad ass she really is. Personally, it looks like unnecessary drama and completely unprofessional. No wonder Tate feels that the public is shifting to her side, and I’m completely sensing the same thing.

I think people are finally seeing her true colors a little bit. This is a six-week thing. It’s not like you can really hide who you are over a six week course. The cameras are always there. I think people are finally starting to realize exactly why I haven’t been able to get along with her and what the problem has been. I think it’s hilarious that she’s already making up excuses for how she behaved and saying that I ’emotionally manipulated’ her and all this stuff.

It also sounds like Rousey is prepping for the worst attention of her career ever, according to a recent discussion she had with USA Today about TUF 18.

I think it was very good for the women’s division, and I think it definitely needed to happen. But you couldn’t pay me $10 million to do it again. How could people possibly know who you are from a couple of clips of a video that people are seeing out of context? That’s no way for people to get to know you, so I’m just preparing for people to get the worst idea of who I am.

The first episode will feature 32 fighters, 16 male bantamweights and 16 female bantamweights, and it airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET.