Ronda Rousey on 'TUF 18' with Miesha Tate: Baking cupcakes and braiding hair

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When it comes to “The Ultimate Fighter 18,” how is Ronda Rousey (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) getting along with fellow head coach Miesha Tate (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)? “Oh, we’re fantastic. We cooked cupcakes together last night and had a sleeping party and braided each other’s hair.”

Ladies and gentleman, the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion – and a queen of sarcasm.

Earlier this week, MetroPCS hosted a chat with Rousey, who discussed the current taping of the reality show, which debuts Sept. 4 on FOX Sports 1. Rousey and Tate are the first female head coaches in the show’s history, and the coed bantamweight cast also features the first “TUF” female competitors.

Rousey said the job is more grueling than she imagined, largely because of the emotional investment that’s needed on a near-daily basis.

“It’s a lot more work than I thought it would be, and it’s a lot more emotionally taxing than I thought it would be,” she said. “You care a lot about these kids, and I just feel like any kind of heartbreak or triumph or whatever they’re going through, I share in it. It’s exhausting to go through that over and over and over with every competitor.”

Rousey initially was slated to fight Cat Zingano on “TUF 18.” However, when the challenger, who knocked out Tate earlier this year to get the coaching slot, underwent knee surgery, officials switched it up. Tate, who suffered a first-round armbar loss to Rousey at a 2012 Strikeforce event, got the slot, and the two fighters now will rematch at the end of the season.

In the end, Rousey said it probably worked out for the best since the cameras can capture their rivalry.

“The draw of Meisha is the drama, and the draw of Cat is her athleticism and record,” said Rousey, who said she still hopes to fight Zingano at some point.

Check out the full chat above.