Ronda Rousey has continued her criticism of the modern UFC ahead of her return fight against Gina Carano, though she made it clear her frustrations are not directed at Dana White personally.
Rousey spoke during the MVP and Netflix press conference promoting the May 16 fight card, where she addressed the state of the promotion and White’s role within it.
When asked whether White might take issue with her recent comments about the UFC, Rousey suggested that the longtime UFC president likely shares some of the same frustrations.
“Oh he knows the White House card sucks.”
Rousey was referring to a recent UFC event that she believes failed to meet expectations despite being heavily promoted.
“He knows that they were pushing this for over a year and it fell extremely short of expectations.”
She added that White appeared frustrated about issues surrounding the card, including a fight falling apart shortly before the event.
“I can guarantee you he’s not happy with it either, and he’s the one that taught me by example to speak my mind.”
Despite her criticism of the UFC, Rousey emphasized that she still maintains a positive relationship with White. According to her, White even encouraged her to explore options outside the promotion for her comeback fight.
“He gave me his blessing to go out and do it on my own.”
Rousey explained that she personally informed White before announcing the Netflix event because she didn’t want him to feel blindsided.
“After, I let him know before anybody else that I had gone to Netflix, I didn’t want him to be upset with me.”
White’s response, she said, was supportive.
“I could never be upset with you. I love you so much. I want you to do great. I want this to be successful.”
Rousey believes the current issues within the UFC stem from changes in leadership structure following the company’s sale.
“He isn’t calling the shots and he isn’t running things the way that he wants.”
She also suggested that the promotion made a mistake by not allowing White to operate the company as he once did.
“Because he’s an employee of the company now. He’s not an owner and I think it was a big mistake of theirs to not let him just run things the way that he always has.”
Rousey will return to MMA on May 16 when she faces Gina Carano in a fight streamed live on Netflix.
