NEW YORK — The odd scene with Ronda Rousey storming off stage Friday after UFC 205 ceremonial weigh-ins was a misunderstanding, according to Dana White.
White said Saturday night at the UFC 205 post-fight press conference that Rousey was never supposed to actually speak after her face-off with Amanda Nunes to promote UFC 207. Nunes also was not supposed to be interviewed, he said.
"My production guy screwed that thing up," White said. "It made Ronda look bad again, like she just stormed off. They were not supposed to do an interview. They were supposed to go out there, square off, and they were both supposed to walk away."
That didn't happen, though. White wanted them both to square off, then face the crowd. He said he grabbed a hold of Rousey's arm, not to keep her on stage, but to turn them both to face the crowd. White said he wanted to keep Rousey in place while waiting for someone to give Nunes her belt for the photo op.
"We're not perfect all the time," White said. "Our team coming into this big event, we made a lot of mistakes coming into this event that I'm not happy about. Not stuff that you would notice. I try to be perfect, but it didn't work out."
Rousey has tried to stay out of the public eye over the last year, with the exception of some key appearances and Hollywood obligations. She has not fought since getting knocked out in the second round to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. But she'll return at UFC 207 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas to challenge for the title she lost against Nunes.
When asked whether Rousey will actually do some talking before that fight, White said he already has.
"She was on Ellen," White said. "She's doing Kimmel. She's doing all the talk shows. Is she gonna talk to you guys (the MMA media)? I don't know."
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