Ronda Rousey wants more time off, will not fight at UFC 200 in July
Ronda Rousey, the former UFC women's bantamweight champion who fought three times in just under nine months in 2015, won't be quite as active in the Octagon this year.
UFC president Dana White told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that Rousey has asked for more time off and that she won't fight, as planned, at UFC 200 in July. Rousey is set to star in the remake of "Roadhouse," and the start of filming has been pushed back, White said.
As a result, she asked him for more time off before returning to the Octagon for the first time since she lost her title and perfect record to Holly Holm on Nov. 14.
"The filming of the movie got pushed back," White said. "She could do both, but the question is, should she do both? She could do both, but why should she? The filming is in a time frame where she'd finish before 200, but it would be cutting it too close."
White said that was the reason that he agreed to allow Holm to make a title defense, scheduled for March 5 at UFC 197 against Miesha Tate, instead of making her wait until Rousey was ready. Holm and manager Lenny Fresquez had been pushing for an interim fight from the time it became apparent White was targeting the rematch for UFC 200.
She didn't want to wait that long in order to fight. When Rousey said she was in need of more time to fulfill her other obligations, White said he never hesitated.
The only risk is if Tate beats Holm, because then the Rousey-Holm rematch will be worth far less. But White said it was a risk he was willing to take.
No fighter, White said, has done more for the UFC than Rousey and so he has no problem with her taking all the time she needs. He said he's not sure when she will fight again.
"The way I look at this one is, Ronda has worked her ass off for us for the last three years," White said. "She's been fighting, promoting and building the sport. If anyone deserves the time off, it's her. The night [of UFC 193] Holly said she'd do the rematch and that Ronda deserved it and everything else. So we were holding it for her if she wanted to do it.
"What that woman has done is above and beyond what anyone has done. I mean, it's just unbelievable what she's done in the last three years. Anything we needed, she didn't say no to anything; said no to nothing. She even took over responsibilities somebody else was supposed to have. So when she tells me she wants more time, you know what? She's got it."
