The reason we love sports, aside from watching the most talented athletes on the planet wow us, is for the characters.
Everyone has players in every sport that they love and hate, and those names can change at any given moment. All it takes is one thing, like trash talking or a brilliant display of respect, to make an athlete hated or loved.
The truth is, no matter what an athlete does, there will always be supporters and haters, that's just how it is and how it always will be.
Ronda Rousey knows that better than a lot of athletes. Once on top of the mountain, Rousey has now hit rock bottom after returning to the octagon, only to be knocked out by Amanda Nunes less than a minute into the fight.
Some people have stood by her side while others have not, but regardless of whether you think she's a good fighter or not, you can't deny what she's done for women in the UFC.
Rousey paved the way for everyone from Nunes to Holly Holm, and without Rousey, is there a women's division in the UFC? It's a legitimate question, and it's also one of the reasons why Nunes shared some kind words with Ronda inside the octagon after defeating her, as per SportingNews.com:
“I told her, ‘you did a lot for the sport, thank you so much,’” Nunes said.
“Now you can take time, rest and maybe do something else. No need to keep doing that."
It just goes to show that despite all of the chirping, the respect is what matters at the end of the day.
That being said, Nunes did do her fair share of chirping after the fight, highlighted by this photoshopped image she posted on Instagram.
(H/T: Uproxx)
