Dana White On Ronda Rousey: ‘She Has Not Retired’
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has not given any information regarding his MMA future since losing to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Most people expect her to permanently leave the world of mixed martial arts to focus on her acting career. However, UFC President Dana White revealed “Rowdy” is not yet retired, hinting the possibility of Rousey’s return in the Octagon.
“She has not retired,” White said on Tuesday, via MMAjunkie. “USADA is still popping up at her house testing her, but she refuses to retire.”
Ronda Rousey is undeniably the major reason why the UFC allowed women to compete in the Octagon. She ruled the UFC women’s bantamweight division for years before suffering a massive defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193. After losing the belt, Rousey admitted contemplating suicide and thought about MMA retirement. Fortunately, a year after, she decided to make a comeback fight to reclaim her throne.
Ignoring other title contenders, UFC President Dana White immediately scheduled a fight between Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Heading into the match, “Rowdy” looked confident she could become the champion once again. However, Nunes only needed 48 seconds to dismantle the former queen of the UFC.
Since then, White has been continuously monitoring Rousey’s MMA status. If he will be the one to decide, White doesn’t want to see Ronda Rousey fight again in the Octagon.
“I wouldn’t want to see it,” White said Tuesday at a media lunch, per MMA Fighting. “I wouldn’t want it to happen. I care about her. She’s got enough money. She’s got enough money and all that stuff. I don’t want to see it happen. It’s like Chuck Liddell. I was hearing that Chuck was talking about fighting again. I hope that’s not true.”
Dana White on Not Wanting Ronda Rousey to Return to UFC and What She Refuses To Do (Video) https://t.co/jCVY3Iwt6r pic.twitter.com/bSJlX7dvCL
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) November 30, 2017
White believes Rousey already made enough money to spend the rest of her life. White said the former champ already accomplished everything she wanted to accomplish. As of now, Rousey is enjoying her life away from mixed martial arts with her husband Travis Browne.
Of course, everything is still in the hands of Ronda Rousey whether she will fight again or stay retired. She’s only 30 years old and definitely has a lot of gas left in her tank. However, if she will ever consider a UFC return, Rousey should double her effort during training and improve her defense.
VIDEO: The first face off between Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm ahead of December 30’s UFC 219 https://t.co/Llowp0mCZv pic.twitter.com/LcJOQKk9HZ
— Women's MMA Rankings (@WMMARankings) November 30, 2017
Even after losing two consecutive fights, Ronda Rousey still emerged as a threat to champions in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg remains hopeful she could face “Rowdy” in the Octagon. However, with Rousey’s MMA future uncertain, Cyborg believes defeating Holly Holm in their upcoming fight also counts as a win over Rousey, according to MMA Fighting. Cyborg will be defending the title against Holm at UFC 219 on December 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.