During a UFC interactive panel at the SXSW festival Monday, Ronda Rousey was greeted with cheers and applause when she shot down rumors of her ever fighting against a man.
Ronda Rousey confirms she will never fight a man
Both the UFC women’s bantamweight champion and company president Dana White stressed that a much-rumored intergender fight will never happen.
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“There should never [be] a venue where we’re celebrating a man hitting a woman.”
UFC President Dana White followed up by not mincing words, either:
“With our organization, she’ll never fight a man.”
That should pretty much put to rest any further rumors of such a thing ever taking place in the UFC Octagon -- or anywhere else Rousey will ever fight. Now the only thing left to do is find her a suitable opponent at her weight class.
The SXSW panel contained a lot of choice quotes from Rousey and White, including White’s insistence that there will be no separate “WUFC” for women fighters.
“No, I would never do that. We’re all in, or we’re not doing it,” White said, and the crowd erupted in more applause.
Rousey stressed she doesn’t see herself as a role model, but at the same time delivered strong messages of empowerment:
“Every girl doesn’t have to become a fighter,” Rousey said, “but every girl can see that, even if something is perceived as a guy’s thing, it doesn’t mean it isn’t for them.”
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