Mark Wahlberg Calls Ronda Rousey the Michael Jordan of MMA
Ronda Rousey Photo by Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Between Tom Brady and Jimmy Butler, Mark Wahlberg is buddies with a lot of star athletes, and now you can add Ronda Rousey to that list.
The Boston-bred actor joined Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Lovato, Sylvester Stallone and a slew of other celebrities for the latest episode of UFC Embedded to hype up Rousey’s next fight against Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Australia on Saturday, November 14.
Wahlberg, who previously worked with the bantamweight champion on the Entourage movie, had nothing but love for the mixed martial artist turned budding Hollywood actor, and even compared her to NBA legend Michael Jordan.
“Considering the fact that Dana White said that females would never fight in the Octagon, it’s pretty incredible what she’s been able to do,” Wahlberg said. “She’s the Michael Jordan of her sport.”
“She’s got that heart of a lion, that desire to do anything to be the best,” he added. “She basically transcended the sport.”
Rousey seems to be pretty fond of Wahlberg as well.
During a recent conference call, the UFC champ admitted that she’s a big fan of the Dorchester native and can’t wait to team up with him again for their upcoming action movie Mile 22.
“It’s really nice to be able to meet people that have been able to sustain a public lifestyle and still stay really normal and cool and grounded,” Rousey said. “He’s an amazing example for me and, so, I’m not just excited to create something with him, but I’m really excited to learn from him, and [see how he] handles this kind of lifestyle with some of the grace and poise he has.”
Check out the full UFC Embedded episode below.
