For years, Ronda Rousey’s clean reputation was as formidable as her armbar, but that entire image is now under fire as fans question her physique ahead of her MMA return. On Wednesday, Rousey joined Netflix’s pre-fight press conference for her highly anticipated MMA bout with Gina Carano on May 16 and continued tearing into the UFC. However, some fans couldn’t help but notice the obvious difference in her physique.

In particular, they pointed out that the former UFC champion and Olympian’s traps appeared unusually larger than before, sparking fresh accusations of potential performance-enhancing drug use.

Even though the former UFC 135 lbs champ is facing new allegations, she’s been an advocate against PED use in MMA. In fact, the Riverside County native waged a full-on war against former Strikeforce and now PFL champ Cris Cyborg for her history of failed drug tests.

For those who don’t know, in 2011, the California State Athletic Commission banned Cyborg’s license for a year and also fined her $2,500 after she tested positive for an anabolic steroid named Stanozolol. Moreover, CSAC also overturned her win over Hiroko Yamanaka into a ‘no contest’.

After that, Ronda Rousey became one of Cyborg’s critics and even pushed for the Brazilian’s lifetime ban, calling her a ‘fraud.’ A decade later, their bad blood remains intact as Rousey dissed Cyborg for her PED usage once again. During the first Netflix-MVP press conference, a reporter asked Gina Carano about her 2009 loss against Cris Cyborg, which prompted a reaction from Rousey, who didn’t mince her words while targeting her old adversary once again.

“Obviously a cheating ‘roided-up b—- that totally cheated you out of your title that was deservingly yours,” Rousey told Carano. “So, you’re too nice to say it, I’m gonna say it, f— her and you’re the best.”

So, as we could learn from the Cyborg saga, Ronda Rousey despises PED users in MMA. Still, it wasn’t enough for fans, who have started pointing out her recent physique, claiming her fight with Carano wasn’t fair.

Fans suspect Ronda Rousey may be on PEDs ahead of the Gina Carano fight

A fan quickly chimed in and wrote, “Netflix are allowing her to juice because look at those traps, dawg.” This was followed by another user who claimed Rousey’s physique had changed rapidly, “Dog, I literally said the same ish to my homies today. She was just looking normal two weeks ago. Crazy.”

To be fair, Ronda Rousey has competed at 135 lbs for most of her professional career, but she’s now fighting Gina Carano at 145 lbs. That 10-pound jump can naturally add size, especially around areas like the traps. Still, moving up a weight class wasn’t a convincing enough reason for many fans.

Another fan compared her physique to a man’s, writing, “Built like a man in his mid twenties. This can’t be a fair fight?” Then another took it up a notch, saying, “She on that Yoel Romero cycle.” When it comes to conversations around PEDs, Yoel Romero‘s name is often brought up, although he only faced one six-month suspension back in 2015 for a growth hormone-related issue, not a steroid either.

Then came a harsher take, with one user criticizing not just Rousey but the sport as a whole: “All these a—holes juice. You’d think she would’ve learned a lesson that all the juice in the world isn’t gonna save her a—. She needs to improve her ‘boxing,’ not her biceps. She’s being awful loud for having done nothing in how many years? A has-been, making noise. Don’t buy it.”

The fan’s tone echoed sentiments that Nate Diaz made some time ago. At UFC 196 pre-fight presser, the Stockton legend famously called out widespread PED use in the UFC. Later, ‘The Notorious’ also returned the favor to Diaz in a social media exchange.

That said, not all reactions were negative. Some fans came to Rousey’s defense. One user pointed out, “She’s always had large traps, she just looks like she has lower bf,” while another added, “She works out almost every day and has for most of her life 😂💀 y’all are new to fitness.”

That’s a fair point! Rousey has been training intensely for her return, and a combination of reduced body fat and added muscle can significantly change how someone’s physique looks, especially under fight camp conditions. So, it could very well be discipline and conditioning behind the transformation, and not the PED use.

With the fight just weeks away, the court of public opinion has already rendered a verdict, leaving Rousey to fight a battle over her reputation as much as her opponent.

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