Ronda Rousey is sticking by her man through thick and thin. The formerly undefeated UFC queen, who had been keeping her relationship with fellow fighter Travis Browne under wraps, talks openly about the domestic violence allegations against her boyfriend for the first time in an exclusive new interview with ESPN.
“It’s hard, it’s really hard. I’m very anti-domestic violence,” Rousey explained through tears.
“But I know that he didn’t do anything. Now I’m put in a situation where I’m finally happy with somebody that respects me and cares about me, and I’m like, ‘What do I do?’”
Browne’s estranged wife, fitness model Jenna Lee Webb, accused her spouse of domestic abuse on Twitter and Instagram this past summer, posting a photo collage featuring an array of bruises on her body. Webb went on to slam Rousey in a series of tweets over her relationship with Browne.
“Why can’t [people] have some confidence or trust in me that I would make a good decision and be with a good man regardless of how it looks,” Rousey said.
Browne spoke with Rousey and her mother the day Webb’s allegations were made public. Browne was suspended by UFC while the law firm Campbell & Williams investigated whether any wrongdoing had occurred. The firm ultimately found “there was inconclusive evidence” to support the claims of spousal abuse.
“The investigation wasn’t about clearing me,” Browne noted. “It was about finding the truth if I did something. … I knew there was nothing there because I did nothing.”
Browne has been an integral part of Rousey’s life since April. Rousey said the pair has retreated to a remote ranch in Texas following her recent fights.
The pair slept on a mattress in the back of his pickup truck for a week, and Browne made her breakfast at dawn. Rousey talks at length with ESPN about how Browne makes her feel safe and protected.
Browne famously escorted Rousey through a paparazzi-riddled LAX after she had been defeated by Holly Holm in Australia last month.
“At the end of the day, I can’t curl up with people opinions” she said.
