Arianny Celeste to Haters: 'I Have Right to Express My Opinion of Ronda Rousey'

Despite hordes of criticism, UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste refuses to back down from her shocking comments regarding Ronda Rousey.

The word shocking is aptly used to describe the whirlwind of a media storm caused on Monday, following Celeste’s recent appearance on MMAJunkie Radio.

Celeste, who is typically known as the quiet brunette with a beautiful smile, surprised MMA fans by calling out Rousey and rehashing an incident that occurred nearly two years ago.

“I don’t really like the way she carries herself,” said Celeste. “I don’t think she’s a good role model for women. I think that women should empower each other and give each other a little pat on the back.”

Celeste continued, “I’ve personally been talked about by her, and I don’t even know her. I’ve met her twice. She said a couple things in her Maxim interview. A lot of people pointed it out to me, but I didn’t really acknowledge it.”

The overwhelming backlash from these comments has had an immediate impact on Celeste, who has been forced to block several people on Twitter. In a pair of tweets sent out on Monday, Celeste stood her ground and refused to be bullied through social media.

Rousey and Celeste were both listed in the 2012 “Hot 100,” Maxim’s annual ranking of the most beautiful women in the world. The interview Celeste is referring to came in a piece for Maxim dating all the way back to August 2012.

During the interview, Rousey took a random shot at Celeste when asked if she felt someone undeserving ranked higher than her on the list.

She immediately at pointed at the model/ring girl, claiming she was just reaching her prime while Celeste was “only getting older.”

“It would have been really funny if I’d beaten Arianny Celeste, because that would be like a triathlete coming along and beating the runners in a marathon,” Rousey said. “Like, ‘Ha-ha, it’s your job to show your t******—I do that better than you!’ Maybe next year. She’s only getting older, and I’m reaching my prime.”

This entire situation reeks of a real-life sequel to the movie Mean Girls.

Perhaps the irony in all of this is that Celeste didn’t say anything the rest of the MMA world hasn’t been regurgitating for the last six months. It’s perplexing that Celeste is being criticized by the general public for basically agreeing with the general public.

Rousey has been tagged a villain ever since her coaching stint on season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. She took a lot of heat for her on-screen behavior towards longtime rival and UFC 168 opponent Miesha Tate.

Celeste simply expressed her opinion that she doesn’t see Rousey’s behavior as an acceptable standard for young girls to imitate. There is a good chance that some people, perhaps even Rousey, don’t think Celeste’s line of work is a positive influence on young girls, either.

But then again, when did standing up for oneself become a bad thing?

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also theMMA writer for Rocktagon.