Ronda Rousey's mom goes off on 'terrible coach' and 'bad person' Edmond Tarverdyan

The world’s most famous MMA fighter has a storied history with her mother. But lately, Mrs. “Rowdy,” a combat sports legend herself, has been more vocal about her daughter than ever before.

Ronda Rousey’s mom, AnnMaria De Mars, recently said she wasn’t a big fan of her daughter’s choice of friends. And now, in a recent interview with LatiNation, published today, the former judo world champion took issue with Rousey’s coach, Edmond Tarverdyan.

“I think Edmond is a terrible coach, and I will say it publicly,” De Mars said. “I think he’s a terrible coach. I think he hit the lottery when Ronda walked in there.”

Rousey (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion, arguably is the most dominant fighter in the world. She has stoppages in all 12 of her pro MMA wins, and only once has she had to go past the first round.

Next month, Rousey headlines UFC 193 in Australia against Holly Holm (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a fight that the promotion is hopeful will set its new high-water mark for attendance. The card takes place at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

But because Rousey, who won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in judo, already was successful in combat sports when she started training with Tarverdyan at Glendale Fighting Club in Southern California, her mom argues, the coach hasn’t done much to further her success.

“She was winning before she ever met him,” De Mars said. “She probably won 99 percent of the judo matches she ever fought in. She’d won the Junior Worlds when she was 17. She got a bronze medal in the Olympics. She got a silver medal in the world championships. She was one of the top athletes in the world when she walked in there, and he wouldn’t even give her the time of day for months. Somebody like that is a terrible coach.”

In fact, Tarverdyan has talked in the past about Rousey’s early days in his gym, admitting he wasn’t doing much coaching of the soon-to-be-world-famous fighter right away.

“When she came in, I didn’t want to train her because I had my hands full,” Tarverdyan told “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast recently. “I was like, ‘What’s this girl doing? What is she going to do with this? Is she serious? Is she not?’ … She would have a lot of patience and have a lot of understanding and would work very hard. After like three, four months of being in the gym, I gave her a few pointers.”

De Mars said she believes Rousey might be sticking with Tarverdyan because, well, it’s a formula that has worked for her so far, likening it to sports superstitions.

“I think she stays there because it’s like somebody pitches a no-hitter when they’re wearing red underwear, and they wear that red underwear for every day – and I think it’s superstition, and I would caution anybody from going there,” De Mars said. “And I think it’s bad he uses her to lure people in. And the reason I tell everybody, and I told Ronda, ‘I’m not going to be quiet about this anymore’ – he’s a bad person, and people should not go there. And if he wants to sue me, that’s my honest opinion.”

Rousey made headlines earlier this week when UFC heavyweight Travis Browne went public with confirmation that he and Rousey are an item, which had been a months-long rumor. Rousey confirmed it, as well. Browne earlier this summer was suspended by the UFC while an investigation took place into allegations he had committed domestic abuse against his estranged wife. Browne was cleared by the UFC’s investigators and next will fight Matt Mitrione in January in Boston.

Earlier this year, Rousey was named the “most dominant athlete alive” by Business Insider, coming in ahead of 49 athletes from around the world across all sports – like NBA megastar LeBron James (No. 2); unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., a frequent verbal sparring opponent of Rousey (No. 14); and the only other MMA fighter to make the list, Jon Jones – who was No. 18 despite his April suspension and the stripping of his light heavyweight title in the wake of an arrest for his alleged involvement in a felony hit-and-run accident.

It’s been a mammoth year for the 28-year-old Olympian. In August, she headlined UFC 190 and knocked out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds. In February, she headlined UFC 184 in Los Angeles and submitted Cat Zingano in 14 seconds. The win was her second straight in record-setting fashion for a title fight. In July 2014, she knocked out Alexis Davis in 16 seconds.

She also became the first MMA fighter to appear in Sports Illustrated’s famed “Swimsuit Issue.” (Check out a gallery of Rousey’s photos from the landmark publication below.) Earlier this spring, she appeared in the record-setting blockbuster “Furious 7,” and she returned to the big screen with a key role in the “Entourage” movie (check out the trailer here). She also got a big pop when she appeared at WrestleMania alongside friend and “Furious 7” costar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Rousey’s autobiography was released in the spring. The book, “My Fight/Your Fight,” got some early attention when Walmart said it would not carry it in its physical stores because it’s “too violent.” But regardless, Rousey recently sold the rights to the book for a feature film she will produce and star in.

Rousey soon will star in a reboot of the cult classic film “Road House,” playing a role originally starring Patrick Swayze. She signed an endorsement deal with Carl’s Jr. to do burger commercials. She’s made the rounds for just about every talk show in the country … and all in addition to fighting.

But with all the acclaim, she still may have some differences with her mother.

For more on UFC 193, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.