On April 20, Americana MMA, a mixed martial arts apparel company, announced on Twitter that it will hand out $5,000 to the first female fighter who will knock out UFC women's champion Ronda Rousey. The announcement was made after Rousey ridiculed Cris "Cyborg" Justino for using steroids.
The official account of Americana MMA tweeted, "American will give $5k to the first fighter that knocks out Ronda Rousey", according to a report by Fox Sports.
Peter Giannoulis, owner of Americana MMA, did not want to comment on the matter. Giannoulis is apparently not in favor of Rousey's comments against Justino. He believes that the women's champion should be fined or suspended for verbally attacking her could-be opponent. According to the owner, male fighters in the UFC were previously penalized for trash talking such as Matt Mitrione, so the same should be done with Rousey, writes the Caged Insider.
Rousey is set to fight Alexis Davis on July 5, 2014 at UFC 175. Basically, Giannoulis' tweet is addressed to Davis and the latter can expect an additional $5,000 bounty if she emerges the winner and puts the light out of Rousey.
Rousey complimented Davis and other female fighters during a recent interview but did not hold herself back in describing Justino as an "it" and adding that the sport of female MMA will die if Justino was let in or won the championship title.
American MMA responded to Rousey's comments about Justino in its Facebook and Twitter accounts. The company is based in Toronto, Canada and also sponsors other female MMA fighters like Miriam Nakamoto, Zoila Frausto and Tecia Torres.
The American MMA Twitter account later tweeted, "Hey @AlexisDavisMMA, knock out Ronda Rousey and I'll give you $5k."
Rousey has not yet responded to the cash offer, but said before that she was not afraid to fight Justino, should the latter join the UFC. Rousey believes that Justino's dominance would not be good for the women's division.