UFC CEO Dana White has made it clear that Ronda Rousey will always have a place in the sport she helped build, insisting she’s welcome at any UFC event despite her long absence from the spotlight.
Rousey, a UFC Hall of Famer and the promotion’s first women’s bantamweight champion, has not attended a UFC event since her retirement in 2016 following knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. In 2024, she admitted she stayed away because she felt “vilified” by MMA fans and media.
“I’m pretty sure if I walked into the arena I’d be booed,” Rousey said last year.
After UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, White was asked about her absence. “I love her. I have an incredible relationship with her,” he said. “Obviously, she’s welcome to any event. It’s her house. It will always be her house.”
White emphasized that Rousey’s decision to stay away was personal, not due to any issues with the UFC. “She came to a Power Slap event in Vegas, and she’s welcome to anything that we have,” he added.
Although Rousey retired at just 29, speculation about a comeback has persisted. Last year, she revealed that chronic concussion issues ended her fighting career prematurely but recently hinted that she might reconsider.
Inspired by Mike Tyson’s $20 million comeback, Rousey said she’s begun to see things differently. “It just kind of proves that I don’t think anyone’s ever really done,” she said. “With Mike Tyson, you can never say never now.”
