By Edward Chaykovsky
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO for Mayweather Promotions, says there is no hostility with UFC champion Ronda Rousey.
During the last few months, Rousey and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have traded words through the press.
Rousey turned up the heat when she beat Mayweather (and others) to earn the top fighter award at this year's ESPY awards. She did a televised interview following the win and asked Mayweather how it felt to be "beaten by a woman" - an obvious jab at Mayweather's controversial history with domestic violence.
Rousey has done others interviews since, where she claimed to earn more money than Mayweather per fight and later questioned Mayweather's ability to read.
Although Mayweather has hit back with a few verbal punches of his own, Ellerbe says there are no hard feelings on their end and the entire Rousey friction is nothing more than the UFC using Floyd's name to promote their fighter.
"He doesn't [view her in any way]. That's just been a very good job with UFC promoting her. She's an outstanding fighter. She's young, and up and coming. And that's just them promoting their fighter. I know Dana personally. They've done a very good job with trying to align her using Floyd's name. It's just promotion from their part," Ellerbe told Sports Illustrated.
"Floyd has nothing bad to really say about her because he doesn't really know her. He doesn't follow the UFC. The UFC has been able to do an outstanding job with building their brand and we have been too. The two have been able to co-exist because they do what they do and we do what we do."
"He has the utmost respect for what they do and they respect what he's been able to accomplish and there are no hard feelings. It's just promotion on their part, that's all."
