Dana White: Ronda Rousey Was Never Supposed to Speak After UFC 205 Weigh-Ins

According to UFC President Dana White, Ronda Rousey shouldn’t be criticized for storming off the stage after her face off with Amanda Nunes last week.

Shortly after the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 205 concluded inside Madison Square Garden on Friday, Rousey and Nunes were called to the stage to promote their upcoming bantamweight title bout. Moments later, Nunes conducted a brief interview with UFC analyst Joe Rogan. Rousey, however, pulled free from White and quickly walked off stage.

“She was never supposed to speak and neither was Amanda. My production guys screwed that thing up," White said. "They made Ronda look bad, like she just stormed off. They were both supposed to go up, square off and they were supposed to walk away.”

As for why it appeared that Rousey pulled away from White, the UFC boss claims he was simply trying to set up one more photo-op.

“I was trying to get them stand forward and somebody to give Amanda the belt,” he said.

Nunes will defend her 135-pound belt against Rousey at UFC 207 in Las Vegas on Dec. 30. It will be Rousey’s first promotional appearance since losing the title in a knockout loss against Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015.

Rousey has flown largely under the radar since then, making only the occasional public appearance. White didn’t offer any guarantees regarding her availability as UFC 207 draws near.

"She was on Ellen. She’s doing Kimmel,” he said. “She's doing all the talk shows. Is she gonna talk to you guys? I don't know."