Ronda Rousey was recently announced to be the cover athlete for the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. Following the announcement, there was an outpouring of congratulations from UFC fighters, including former Lightweight Champ Benson Henderson, and a previous opponent of Rousey’s, Sarah Kaufman:
#Covergirl! If I ever have a daughter, making the cover of #SportsIllustrated is something I'd want her to aspire to. pic.twitter.com/BwKrlp3hCt
— TheOnceAndFutureKing (@BensonHenderson) May 12, 2015
@ufc @RondaRousey impressive feat to be named most dominant by #SportsIllustrated… Always my goal to get back to the top
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) May 12, 2015
However, Larry Brown Sports by way of Front Row Brian claims that UFC asked fighters to send the congratulatory tweets:
https://twitter.com/FrontRowBrian/status/598230837755252736
Even with the screen shot, I’m a little skeptical because FRB is known to throw out a lot of rumors with a low track record of accuracy.
It’s interesting that UFC felt the need to ask fighters to congratulate Rousey instead of just letting it happen naturally. This isn’t to say that every tweet was coerced, but it does put the sincerity of the messages into question.
