Former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey hasn’t been seen in public much since being on the receiving end of a 48 second thrashing by current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.
While UFC President Dana White would prefer Rousey to be back in the Octagon down the line, he’s adamant that she’s not the promotion's “Golden Goose.”
“I care about her as a human being more than the fighter side,” White said to Sports Illustrated. “You read the bulls---, ‘Oh man, UFC’s in trouble, their golden goose….' She’s not a f---king golden goose. She’s a human being. And she’s a very good f--king friend of mine. She knows what she wants and doesn't want. If she calls me today and says, ‘I’m done. I’m gonna wrap it and call it a career’ I’m gonna be like, ‘Awesome. That’s amazing. We’ll plan something.’ And if she calls me and says, ‘I want three more fights,’ she’s got it. She’ll make that decision on her own.”
Rousey is currently in the midst of a two fight losing streak. Besides the loss to Nunes, Rousey also lost her bantamweight title to Holly Holm at UFC 193.
No matter what the future holds for the former champion, White says that very few have done for the sports compared to what Rousey did.
“Everything she told me she would do, she did,” White said. “She worked her ass off for this sport, for this company, for women. She worked herself to the bone. I’ve never had a fighter work [with publicity] the way she has. She’s made a lot of money. I know for her that doesn't matter—her legacy means more to her than anything else. But you know what, sometimes we can’t have it all. But let’s be clear: she built this house. She really did.”
White will be seen next at UFC 208, which takes place this Saturday Night, with Holly Holm battling Germaine De Randamie for the UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion.
