Edmond Tarverdyan: The Reluctant Ronda Rousey Benefactor

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Edmond Tarverdyan knew her face, knew she was a two-time Olympian and knew she was always working out at the Glendale Fighting Club in Glendale, Calif. She often pestered Tarverdyan about training her, and when he had the time, he offered a tip or two about hitting the heavy bag. Tarverdyan got a call about being in her corner for her first amateur fight. There was just one thing missing: He had to go back to the gym to get her name.

Tarverdyan can laugh now, because six years later, the world knows Ronda Rousey. It knows her otherworldly skills as a crossover face, not only MMA but in all of professional sports. The Rousey that Tarverdyan first met has not changed. Well, that would not be wholly accurate. Rousey is a far better mixed martial artist than she was then and, according to Tarverdyan, still improving. That seems like terrible news for Bethe Correia, who will challenge the 28-year-old Rousey for the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 190 headliner on Saturday at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Ronda is a beast mentally. She trains so hard, works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. She has the intelligence, the speed, power and flexibility. She has everything that any trainer would dream of having as a fighter,” Tarverdyan told Sherdog.com. “There are a lot of fighters out there that have three or four pluses, big punchers, this and that. Ronda has all of that combined.”

Tarverdyan recounted how he first met the megastar, and it did not take him long to realize he was dealing with a special kind of fighter.

“I didn’t want to train Ronda at first when she came to the gym,” he said. “I didn’t want to work with her, and she really got my attention. A few months she was in there, I always gave her a few pointers on how to hit the bag, and when she picked up her first amateur fight, they called me telling me Ronda is fighting. I had nothing to do that day, so I wanted to show respect to a two-time Olympian. I worked her corner, and when I warmed her up, I showed her a few things just to close the gap, her stance, keeping her hands up. I told her to do what she’s best at, use her judo. She went in there focused.

“In the locker room, we worked on stepping forward if a kick came, or anything came: Step forward, close the gap and then take them down. It’s all about closing the gap,” Tarverdyan said. “The way you do that is using your legs. Ronda went in there right away. She closed the gap and took the girl down, who was a kickboxer. Ronda tapped her out. The speed, power, the explosiveness, the mind and the ability, the transitions on the ground, the belief and the spirit and in her eyes that hunger -- it was all there. I worked with [super flyweight world boxing champion] Vic Darchinyan, and Vic was a fighter and everybody knows that. Vic was a fighter and here I was thinking, watching Ronda that first time, ‘I have another fighter on my hands.’”

On Aug. 6, 2010, Rousey made her amateur MMA debut and submitted Hayden Munoz with an armbar in 23 seconds.

“Of course from that day on, I made a big commitment to her and wanted to see where this all was going,” Tarverdyan said. “Let’s see what she wants to do and see if she wants to make a career out of this. I gave it some time. We went through a few more amateur fights, but after the first fight, going home, I didn’t know her last name. The next day I went to the gym and got her last name. Then I went to YouTube to see her judo matches. I saw her amateur MMA debut had 100,000 views. She had a good following. I started working with her from that day on, and it’s been great. We have such a great understanding, such a great friendship and partnership. Our goal every day is to be the best in the world in every area, and we’re improving every day in the gym. I know we’ve been finishing fights in 14 seconds and doing things no one has ever done. We’ve been hitting records in every area, and she’s the best in areas. We’re still not satisfied with everything we’ve done because Ronda can do way more than what she’s done until now. That’s how great this girl is.”

Tarverdyan does not hesitate when he claims Rousey can beat a lot of men. He uses the example of an Armenian female weightlifter that lifted 330 pounds.

“Me and anyone else in here couldn’t lift that weight off the ground,” he said. “That’s why I say Ronda can absolutely beat a lot of men. Judo fighting is the definition of the gentle way. It uses so much technique to sweep someone off the ground. It’s all timing and technique, so of course Ronda could take any male down and submit them, no problem. She can also knock anyone out.”

So the question was posed, if Rousey were to ever take on a particular fighter in the cage, the one whom she happened to beat out as ESPN’s 2015 Fighter of the Year at the ESPYs, could she?

“If Ronda Rousey were to ever face Floyd Mayweather in a cage, Ronda wins, no question,” Tarverdyan said. “Ronda closes the gap, takes him down and submits him. Ronda would get a hold of him, and there’s no way Floyd is going to be able to do anything once Ronda clinches him. I’ve done all kinds of martial arts as I was growing up and I become a roller coaster for her when I’m moving with her, so what’s Floyd going to do? It’s as simple as that. She’s that devastating. I’m serious.”

Tarverdyan felt compelled to point out something: Celebrity has a way of creeping up and altering identities. It has not tinged Rousey. With all of her success, appearances in movies and on magazine covers, 1.15 million Twitter followers, mingling with the red-carpet crowd asking what she is wearing, she has never let it affect her. Rousey has never evolved into anything other than what she is, and she knows what has made her a worldwide sensation.

“Ronda remains humble because she’s so strong mentally; it’s why she’s able to do all of the things she does. She’s a fighter, and she knows she’s a fighter,” Tarverdyan said. “She can take the pressure of the spotlight, because she knows what she’s best at and she knows, more importantly, who she is. Ronda is a sweetheart, but Ronda is also a fighter. She hasn’t changed. I won’t take any credit for anything Ronda has done. She’s a legend who would have won the UFC title even if I wasn’t training her. Ronda stops every boxing world champion in the gym who steps in there with her.

“Aug. 1 is another challenge for us,” he added. “All of these girls are challenging for us. Bethe Correia is an undefeated fighter, but Ronda is the best in the world. She’ll train hard, she’ll be prepared. Ronda is going to go through her like she does everyone -- no problem.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.