Rousey asks for more time off, won’t return at UFC 200
Holly Holm, left, watches Ronda Rousey, right, being tended after knocking her out during their UFC 193 bantamweight title fight in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. Holm pulled off a stunning upset victory over Rousey in the fight, knocking out the women’s bantamweight champion in the second round with a powerful kick to the head Sunday. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Ronda Rousey has begged off from her slated July return to the Octagon to fulfill her other duties outside of the sport.
UFC President Dana White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports that Rousey has asked for more time out and she won’t fight in UFC 200, a rematch against bantamweight champion Holly Holm.
READ: Holm-Rousey rematch set—report
Rousey will star in the remake of “Roadhouse” which would prevent her from fighting in the pay-per-view ever, her first since getting knocked out by Holm in November.
“She could do both, but why would she? The filming is in a time frame where she’d finish before 200, but it would be cutting it too close.”
Holm, while waiting for the rematch with Rousey, will headline UFC 197 along with fewllow champion Conor McGregor on March 5. She will face Miesha Tate.
READ: UFC: Holly Holm will get another fight before Rousey rematch
The UFC top honcho has no problem giving Rousey a longer vacation, owing to her contributions to the sport and the promotions in the last three years.
“The way I look at this one, Ronda has worked her ass off for us for the last three years,” White said in the report. “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. When she tells me she wants more time, you know what? She’s got it.”
