Dana White revealed that he’s had many conversations with Ronda Rousey since her Dec. 30 loss to Amanda Nunes, but he has no idea if she plans on fighting again or not. During a media scrum this past weekend at UFC 210, White said that he speaks to Rousey “maybe once a week, once every two weeks,” but that “she has not said anything to me about a comeback.”
Rousey disappeared from the public eye for the second time in as many fights after her 48-second loss to Nunes at UFC 207. The fight was Rousey’s first since a November 2015 loss to Holly Holm, the first of her career.
The Holm loss saw Rousey go into seclusion for many months. She resurfaced for a January 2016 appearance on Saturday Night Live, but largely stayed out of the spotlight much of the year. She made a November appearance on “Ellen” and did no media in the days leading up to the Nunes fight.
White said in the weeks following UFC 207 that he expected Rousey to ride off into the sunset and not fight again. He maintained that stance this past weekend. “If I had to guess, I would guess that she will not come back,” he said.
One guess that’s probably safe to make is that if she does come back, she’s going to take her time.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: It’s notable that White and Rousey have been in close contact since the Nunes fight. It’s also worth noting that Dana White deliberately tries to mislead media all the time. He may not know if or when Rousey is planning to return, but he’s definitely not going to give that information up during a press scrum. There isn’t an obvious return bout waiting for Rousey right now, so if she does come back, it won’t be for some time.
WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-The prelims to Saturday’s UFC 210 averaged 723,000 viewers, the lowest for a pay-per-view prelim card so far this year.
-Nate Diaz’s penalty for his part in the UFC 202 bottle throwing incident was reduced to $15,000 and 15 hours of community service by the Nevada Athletic Commission.
-Anderson Silva told media at the UFC 212 press conference that he would like to fight Nick Diaz as a replacement for the provisionally suspended Kelvin Gastelum.
-Demetrious Johnson said that he’d be open to a fight with Cody Garbrandt at flyweight if Garbrandt can make the weight or he’d be willing to move up to 135 to challenge Garbrandt “if the negotiations go well.” (LINK)
-The New York State Athletic Commission issued a statement obtained by MMA Fighting clarifying that instant replay is allowed to be used in New York. Referee Dan Miragliotta had originally ruled knees by Gegard Mousasi against Chris Weidman at UFC 210 as illegal, but told both fighters that they were, in fact, legal knees after consulting the replay and other officials at cage side.
-Charles Oliveira has been given a 60-day suspension by the NYSAC after jumping out of the cage following his submission win over Will Brooks on Saturday. (SOURCE)
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ROUNDUP
-Jessica Aguilar vs. Cortney Casey at UFC 211 on May 13 from Dallas.
-Nico Musoke vs. Bojan Velickovic at UFC Fight Night Stockholm on May 28.
–MMA Fighting is reporting Holly Holm vs. Bethe Correia is being targeted as the main event for UFC Fight Night Singapore on June 17.
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S REPORT: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 4/11: Dominic Mazzotta talks to MMATorch about next Bellator fight, Cormier controversy, Rockhold vs. Silva (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)
(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)
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