Ronda Rousey has moved from the UFC to WWE, and has the support of at least a few UFC fighters.
UFC Lightweight Michael Chiesa was in the crowd during February's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view that saw Rousey sign her WWE Raw contract. When speaking to Fightful.com's James Lynch, he said that Daniel Cormier was the person who led him to the event.
"I knew DC was out here and I linked up with him. He's out here filming TUF, and he was like 'you want to go to WWE?' I had no idea Ronda would be signing her contract tonight. We were walking in to the arena he was like 'it's going to be so cool when Ronda comes out.' It's like she had her own little section of UFC people. She had obviously Travis Browne and her team of people were with her. In the same section was me, DC, Cain. When she got on the mic the crowd was a little iffy, kind of cheering, kind of booing, but she had a Ronda Rousey section. It was cool to support her in her new venture. I felt like I was a small part of her new chapter being somebody that got to throw on a 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey shirt and cheer for her," said Chiesa.
Chiesa also opened up on his former pro wrestling fandom, and mentioned that WWE Hall of Famer and WrestleMania legend Hulk Hogan gifted his mother roses in celebration of his birth in 1987.
"What kid isn't a WWE wrestling fan at some point of her childhood? My mother worked at a sports bar at the stadium in Denver, so she got to work with a lot of pro wrestlers. The rumor is that Hulk Hogan blessed her with a dozen powder blue roses when she was pregnant with me because she was having a boy," said Chiesa.
While Chiesa enjoyed himself at WWE's Elimination Chamber show, he admitted that he fell out of love with wrestling over a decade ago. He was also quick to realize while attending the event that he'd be a little small in pro wrestling as compared to some of the other members of the WWE roster.
"I was a fan of WWF/E until the Attitude era ended. My favorite match, King of the Ring 1998, The Undertaker vs. Mankind. I'd maybe do a cameo. I'm a little scrawny, I'd have to put some weight on. The smallest guy in there was like 220. I'd come up with some sweet ass special move. I'm good at talking shit, but I'd probably go for a good guy role. If not, screw it, pull a Chael Sonnen and get everybody riled up," Chiesa said.
In the full interview, Michael Chiesa (13-3) discusses his upcoming fight against Anthony Pettis (20-7) at UFC 223 on Apr. 7. Michael also explains why he hasn't fought since June, his thoughts on Mario Yamasaki's reffing and recently attending his first WWE event. You can check it out above.
