Dana White Doesn't Think Ronda Rousey Will Fight Again
Dana White Doesn't Think Ronda Rousey Will Fight Again
UFC President Dana White says he doesn't expect Ronda Rousey to ever fight again on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
Dana White interviews very rarely lack news, and his latest didn't pass without a bombshell or two.
Joining hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra on the UFC Unfiltered podcast this week, White spoke about a conversation he had with Ronda Rousey just hours before the recording. Most notably, he revealed he didn't expect the former champ to ever make a return to the Octagon.
"Funny you asked me that, I just talked to Ronda this morning on the way to the gym," White said. "She's good, you know, she's doing her thing. The conversation I had her with her, if I had to say it right here right now--and I don't like saying anything because it's up to her--but I wouldn't say she fights again.
"I think she's probably done and she's going to ride off into the sunset and live her life outside of fighting."
White then gave his own opinion on why Rousey would leave MMA, suggesting that it was simply down to her wanting to have more in life than just her MMA career.
"It's not even that I think it was an invincible thing, I think she is just so competitive that her career and her record meant everything to her," White said. "Once she lost, she started to say to herself, 'Why the f*ck am I doing this? Is this my whole life? Is this just it?'
"I think she just thought she wanted to experience and do other things, and that's what she started to do. She's got a lot of money and she's never going to need money again. Unless you spend money like crazy, like Floyd [Mayweather], you aren't going to need money again when you have the kind of money like Ronda has. She has a cute place down in Venice, California, and I think she has some more plans to move to a more desolate place and do her thing."
While losing one of his biggest stars would be a massive blow to the UFC, White said he was happy for Rousey. If she did decide to walk away, he wouldn't be bitter.
"Look, man, I'm happy for her," White said. "She came in and she changed the world. She put female fighting on the map and she's been a part of the biggest fights in the history of women's fighting. I hope those records can be broken. I don't know if they can, but I hope they can.
Speaking about the criticism that has been thrown the way of Rousey's coach Edmond Tarverdyan, the UFC president didn't jump to his defense, but he did point out that the knives only came out for him after she had been defeated.
"No one was criticizing him when she was winning," White said. "That's between her and him. People are like saying she should fire him, but look, everyone's a f*cking expert. When she was winning, nobody was an expert and saying she should be looking at a different coach [than] this guy, but when she loses that's what everybody says."
Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloCombat mailing list today.
Joining hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra on the UFC Unfiltered podcast this week, White spoke about a conversation he had with Ronda Rousey just hours before the recording. Most notably, he revealed he didn't expect the former champ to ever make a return to the Octagon.
"Funny you asked me that, I just talked to Ronda this morning on the way to the gym," White said. "She's good, you know, she's doing her thing. The conversation I had her with her, if I had to say it right here right now--and I don't like saying anything because it's up to her--but I wouldn't say she fights again.
"I think she's probably done and she's going to ride off into the sunset and live her life outside of fighting."
White then gave his own opinion on why Rousey would leave MMA, suggesting that it was simply down to her wanting to have more in life than just her MMA career.
"It's not even that I think it was an invincible thing, I think she is just so competitive that her career and her record meant everything to her," White said. "Once she lost, she started to say to herself, 'Why the f*ck am I doing this? Is this my whole life? Is this just it?'
"I think she just thought she wanted to experience and do other things, and that's what she started to do. She's got a lot of money and she's never going to need money again. Unless you spend money like crazy, like Floyd [Mayweather], you aren't going to need money again when you have the kind of money like Ronda has. She has a cute place down in Venice, California, and I think she has some more plans to move to a more desolate place and do her thing."
While losing one of his biggest stars would be a massive blow to the UFC, White said he was happy for Rousey. If she did decide to walk away, he wouldn't be bitter.
"Look, man, I'm happy for her," White said. "She came in and she changed the world. She put female fighting on the map and she's been a part of the biggest fights in the history of women's fighting. I hope those records can be broken. I don't know if they can, but I hope they can.
Speaking about the criticism that has been thrown the way of Rousey's coach Edmond Tarverdyan, the UFC president didn't jump to his defense, but he did point out that the knives only came out for him after she had been defeated.
"No one was criticizing him when she was winning," White said. "That's between her and him. People are like saying she should fire him, but look, everyone's a f*cking expert. When she was winning, nobody was an expert and saying she should be looking at a different coach [than] this guy, but when she loses that's what everybody says."
FloCombat's hottest content, delivered to your inbox
Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloCombat mailing list today.