As UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was being interviewed following her 16-second title defense to Alexis Davis Saturday at UFC 175, commentator Joe Rogan asked her if she’d be willing to serve as the headliner for UFC 176 on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles. According to Rogan, he introduced the question after being prompted by a producer in the production vehicle, via his earpiece. The question and Rousey’s subsequent response have been edited out of replays of the interview.
“They’re talking to me in the ear right now and they’re saying the main event for Aug. 2 fell out,” Rogan said. “It was supposed to be a contest between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. The truck just asked me to ask you if you want to fight again on Aug. 2.”
“I’m totally down,” replied Rousey. “You know I always say I make everything a little harder for each fight. I’m scheduled for knee surgery already, but it’s a quick recovery so I’m going to talk to my coaches. Whatever they say. If they say it’s cool with them, it’s cool with me. I’ll do it.”
UFC president Dana White immediately walked up to Rousey to insist the Aug. 2 fight was off the table. As Rogan stood within earshot, White turned to him visibly upset for putting Rousey on the spot. White later insisted he didn’t take exception with Rogan, but with the production staffer who prompted the question.
“I wasn’t upset with Joe Rogan,” White said during the post-fight press conference. “I was upset with the truck telling him to tell Ronda that she’s going to fight again. That wasn’t true. That was some shit that somebody made up back there. It was the biggest idiotic move in the history of our production team. I told them right up there that’s not true. I don’t know where that came from. Nobody told anybody to say that.”
On Sunday, Rogan took to The Underground to further clarify the situation.
“Just for the record Dana wasn’t pissed at me at all,” Rogan posted. “I thought it was actually Dana’s idea when the producers interrupted me to get me to ask that question when I was trying to wrap up the interview. It’s incredibly rare that the guys in the truck ever ask me to ask a specific question.
“He was upset that someone overstepped their bounds and decided it would be a good idea to ask Ronda to fight again in a month. Decisions like that always come from Dana and Lorenzo, so when a producer thought it would be a good idea to ask Ronda that before consulting them he was really pissed off.”
According to Rogan, he was the last to know the question didn’t originate with White.
“I actually didn’t get blamed for anything. When I asked the question I specifically stated that the producers in the truck wanted me to ask. When Dana was pissed he asked me who said that and that’s when I realized it wasn’t his idea.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
Aftermath. Dave Doyle looks back on the UFC’s big weekend.
Tears. Applause. Reverence. Emotion. Chuck Mindenhall remembers B.J. Penn for the good times and why this was such a massive weekend for its belt holders.
Big fine. Chael Sonnen could be facing a possible $250,000 fine in the wake of failed drug tests.
Bank. Four different fighters earned six figures at UFC 175.
Medical suspensions. Chris Weidman, Ronda Rousey and Urijah Faber are among nine fighters potentially out until 2015.
MEDIA STEW
The UFC made PRIDE throwback promos for Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson in Japan.
Dan Gable talks MMA vs. pro wrestling.
John Hackleman doesn’t understand B.J. Penn’s new striking style either.
Arianny Celeste blowing up Urijah Faber’s spot.
10 second KO from Favela Kombat 11.
Long watches.
Knuckle Up #410: UFC 175, WEIDMAN, RONDA’S “limited” options
…
TWEETS
Struve update.
What happened had nothing to do with my heart. But everything that has happened left mental scare that I really underestimated.
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) July 7, 2014
My team and I are already figuring out what happened and we have the pieces but just need to do the puzzle. Confident we will sort this out
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) July 7, 2014
Need to figure some stuff out to make sure it won’t happen again.. “@GodofPurp: @StefanStruve when are we going to see you back big homie?”
— Stefan Struve (@StefanStruve) July 8, 2014
and then this…
@StefanStruve @lorenzofertitta I would kick your ass
— Mike kyle DJ MAK (@Mak4afight) July 7, 2014
Surgery booked.
@Fight_Ghost I knew she needed surgery on that knee 3 fights ago. Planned to hog tie her & take her to the dr if she didn’t do it this time
— DrAnnMaria (@DrAnnMaria) July 7, 2014
@Fight_Ghost definitely not. Knee surgery next week
— DrAnnMaria (@DrAnnMaria) July 8, 2014
This went on forever.
@JohnyHendricks I’ll be Ali you be Frazier, play your cards right and I’ll make you a lot of money someday.
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) July 7, 2014
@Benaskren @MMARoasted @JohnyHendricks You talk to much ben.
— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) July 7, 2014
@Benaskren @MMARoasted @JohnyHendricks that won’t get you to the big show.
— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) July 7, 2014
@Benaskren I’m not doubting your talent, though I disagree with you. It’s your fighting style.
— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) July 7, 2014
@Benaskren I though you chose the organization you in?
— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) July 7, 2014
@Benaskren @JohnyHendricks I’m going to guess he was with the family as I was on a plane headed home so I had plenty of time to give lessons
— Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) July 8, 2014
Get well soon.
Eye getting better. pic.twitter.com/utulbZiIKz
— Jon Fitch (@jonfitchdotnet) July 7, 2014
They did something.
“@shootmediatv: TheSHOOT! they did it @MieshaTate @VenezuelanVixen @VooDooZipLine @ufc #ufc pic.twitter.com/ZEDLqCXY8w“
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) July 7, 2014
We got another one.
NFL star Marcedes Lewis — MMA BEAST-IN-TRAINING … Check Out My Arm-Bar Skills! http://t.co/g9yUx09knY
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) July 7, 2014
Not everyone was happy.
So happy my fellow #expendables came to #ufc175 to support 🙂 #EX3 @kellanlutz itsvortiz dolph_lundgren http://t.co/qqdmSaFIyb
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) July 7, 2014
I wanna put a big FU out there to the UFC expo security staff for not letting me live my childhood dream of fighting Dolf Lundren/Ivan drago
— Forrest Griffin (@ForrestGriffin) July 8, 2014
Damn that man.
Someone had to keep the ufc ring card girls hydrated this weekend. http://t.co/R4fnRhO6Xq
— Luke Rockhold (@LukeRockhold) July 8, 2014
but then…
Some great things happened ufc 175 but my favorite is @urijahfaber telling me that myself… http://t.co/LOYId4OpoG
— Gian Villante (@GPVillante) July 8, 2014
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Jul. 7 2014)
NA
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Davis8185.
Did the Weidman-Machida fight lose some of it’s luster with the extra Sunday card?
After the UFC 175 card on Saturday, we had so much to talk about from what happened to Stefan Struve, Ronda Rousey’s quick finish, and the fantastic fight between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida. We could even talk about the undercard main event between Urijah Faber and Alex Caceres. We weren’t done with the UFC because they held another event the next day.
Sunday, we had the TUF finale headlined by B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar. By the end of the fight and during the press conference, it felt like a depressing moment in MMA with the unfortunate end of B.J. Penn. Even though this moment is a big moment in MMA, it over shadows the great fight between Weidman and Machida.
Before UFC 175, it felt like the Chael Sonnen story had overshadowed Chris Weidman during fight week. Chris Weidman is obviously one of the P4P best fighters in MMA but no one would disagree that B.J. Penn retiting is the bigger story.
…
Check out the rest of the post here.
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