Dana White Says Ronda Rousey Will Not Fight At UFC 200, Explains How It Affected Holly Holm’s Next Fight

UFC President Dana White told Yahoo Sports that Ronda Rousey will be taking more time off from fighting, and will not fight at the upcoming UFC 200 pay-per-view event in July.

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White says filming of Rousey’s Road House remake has been pushed back, and she asked for more time off from fighting to accomodate the schedule. White told Yahoo Sports: 

“The filming of the movie got pushed back. 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 also said Rousey’s delay is the reason he agreed to allow the newly announced Holly Holm / Miesha Tate fight for UFC 197 on March 5th. Holm didn’t want to wait to face Rousey in a rematch, so once Rousey asked for more time away, White signed the Holm/Tate fight. White knows there’s a lot of risk involved if Tate beats Holm, but says no fighter has done more for UFC and he had no problem with her putting off her return: 

“The way I look at this one is, Ronda has worked her ass off for us for the last three years. 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.”