RONDA ROUSEY HAS earned the right to avoid the media spotlight ahead of her return to the octagon after a 13-month absence.
That’s according to UFC president Dana White, who believes that Rousey’s media blackout in the build-up to tomorrow night’s clash with bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is understandable.
Rousey will be competing for the first time since November 2015, when she was dethroned as champion via a second-round knockout defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne.
As she bids to regain the title in tomorrow night’s UFC 207 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Rousey insisted that she didn’t want to speak to the MMA media. Therefore, the 29-year-old hasn’t been present at any of the traditional UFC pre-fight press events.
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In order to fill the Rousey-shaped hole at yesterday’s press briefing, Dana White made himself available in a media scrum — something he has stopped doing in recent years — and took questions from reporters. Rousey’s media blackout was the main talking point.
“If you look at the amount of press that has been done by any fighter in UFC history, Ronda smokes everybody by a long shot. This is the way she wanted it. The only thing she cares about right now is focusing on winning,” White said.
Rousey's last outing ended in defeat to Holly Holm. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
“She’s done a lot of things for this company. I say it all the time about Conor [McGregor] too. Ronda has done a lot of things for us. This is what she wanted so I gave it to her.”
In an interview with FOX Sports back in August, White explained that Rousey resented the manner in which the media “turned on her” after the only loss of her professional career. Prior to her defeat to Holm, Rousey was undoubtedly the biggest star in mixed martial arts.
“It’s definitely not ideal. It’s what she asked for,” White admitted yesterday, with the build-up to Rousey’s comeback subsequently more muted than would otherwise have been anticipated. The Olympic judo bronze medallist’s recent media appearances have been confined to the talk-show circuit with the likes of Ellen Degeneres and Conan O’Brien.
“Back in the day, Ronda would literally do anything we asked her to do. Anything. If the guys wouldn’t do something, she would pick up the fall and do it herself. So for her to ask for something like this, how can I say no to that? She’s done a lot.”
White was asked about the apparent contradiction of affording Rousey such a luxury in the same year that Conor McGregor was pulled from a card for refusing to attend a press conference.
Conor McGregor was punished for failing to attend a press conference in April. John Locher
John Locher
“There’s so many different fighters that I have to deal with — different egos, personalities, whatever it might be,” he said. “You can’t miss a press conference. From the day that this fight was made, Ronda said ‘I’ll do press leading up to the event’ so she went and did the talk shows and all that stuff. This is the way she wanted to do it.”
White, who also confirmed that tomorrow night’s event will be the last to feature veteran commentator Mike Goldberg, insisted that Rousey won’t be allowed to skip her media obligations for any future events: “No. This is a one and done.”
Dana White defends Ronda Rousey's refusal to speak to the media
RONDA ROUSEY HAS earned the right to avoid the media spotlight ahead of her return to the octagon after a 13-month absence.
That’s according to UFC president Dana White, who believes that Rousey’s media blackout in the build-up to tomorrow night’s clash with bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes is understandable.
Rousey will be competing for the first time since November 2015, when she was dethroned as champion via a second-round knockout defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne.
As she bids to regain the title in tomorrow night’s UFC 207 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Rousey insisted that she didn’t want to speak to the MMA media. Therefore, the 29-year-old hasn’t been present at any of the traditional UFC pre-fight press events.
In order to fill the Rousey-shaped hole at yesterday’s press briefing, Dana White made himself available in a media scrum — something he has stopped doing in recent years — and took questions from reporters. Rousey’s media blackout was the main talking point.
“If you look at the amount of press that has been done by any fighter in UFC history, Ronda smokes everybody by a long shot. This is the way she wanted it. The only thing she cares about right now is focusing on winning,” White said.
“She’s done a lot of things for this company. I say it all the time about Conor [McGregor] too. Ronda has done a lot of things for us. This is what she wanted so I gave it to her.”
In an interview with FOX Sports back in August, White explained that Rousey resented the manner in which the media “turned on her” after the only loss of her professional career. Prior to her defeat to Holm, Rousey was undoubtedly the biggest star in mixed martial arts.
“It’s definitely not ideal. It’s what she asked for,” White admitted yesterday, with the build-up to Rousey’s comeback subsequently more muted than would otherwise have been anticipated. The Olympic judo bronze medallist’s recent media appearances have been confined to the talk-show circuit with the likes of Ellen Degeneres and Conan O’Brien.
“Back in the day, Ronda would literally do anything we asked her to do. Anything. If the guys wouldn’t do something, she would pick up the fall and do it herself. So for her to ask for something like this, how can I say no to that? She’s done a lot.”
White was asked about the apparent contradiction of affording Rousey such a luxury in the same year that Conor McGregor was pulled from a card for refusing to attend a press conference.
“There’s so many different fighters that I have to deal with — different egos, personalities, whatever it might be,” he said. “You can’t miss a press conference. From the day that this fight was made, Ronda said ‘I’ll do press leading up to the event’ so she went and did the talk shows and all that stuff. This is the way she wanted to do it.”
White, who also confirmed that tomorrow night’s event will be the last to feature veteran commentator Mike Goldberg, insisted that Rousey won’t be allowed to skip her media obligations for any future events: “No. This is a one and done.”
Her return is just 2 days away but Ronda Rousey is only conspicuous by her absence
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