UFC CEO Dana White had a rare moment of anger towards his longtime friend Joe Rogan after asking Ronda Rousey a strange question after UFC 175.
Dana White and Joe Rogan are longtime friends and colleagues who help make the UFC what it is today. Despite their successful history, White lost his cool after Rogan asked Rousey a bizarre question following her UFC 175 title defense.
Rousey's UFC bantamweight title is one of the forgotten gems in the promotion's history. Some modern fans are unaware of how great Rousey was during her physical prime, dismantling contenders with ease.
After knocking out Alexis Davis in just 16 seconds, Rousey looked like she barely broke a sweat during her post-fight interview with Rogan. The lack of damage suffered against Davis led Rogan to ask Rousey about possibly booking on short notice for an upcoming pay-per-view card.
White, who was in the cage during the interview, shot a death glare in Rogan's direction when the question was asked.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Chael Sonnen shares the backstory of the heated Dana White/Joe Rogan exchange at UFC 175
In a September upload to his YouTube channel, UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen explained the heated moment after the fight.
“Someone went too far and said in Joe Rogan's ear, 'Ask Ronda now in front of the world if she'll come over at short notice.' And Joe did ask,” Sonnen claimed. “Ronda said, 'Yeah, sure. I think so.' She was a little overwhelmed, but it was cool, everyone did what they had to do.
“Dana White was angry. If you were there behind the scenes and saw who he went to and who he interacted with… After that he was more closed in, but he let you know that's not the way we do business.
“He made it clear that Ronda not only wouldn't do that fight, but he wouldn't even offer that fight because she should never have been put in that position.” (h/t talkSPORT)
Rogan and White have never had a heated altercation since the UFC 175 debacle, at least not publicly. Rousey didn't take the short throw and returned to the Octagon seven months later against Cat Zingano, finishing her in 14 seconds.
Ronda Rousey made several short-term upsets during the title reign
Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 after a decorated career in the Octagon. Until her last two fights, she remained impeccable in the cage, beating the likes of Miesha Tate, Liz Carmouche and Bethe Correia.
Rousey was the UFC's first female signee, competing in the first female fight in the promotion's history at UFC 157. Her first-round finish of Carmouche set in motion what women's MMA is today, leading the away to famous names such as Amanda Nunes, Kayla Harrison and Valentina Shevchenko.
Rousey went through several quick changes during her career, but the post-UFC 175 court didn't result in a fight coming to fruition. While White and Rogan remain close to this day, UFC 175 highlighted a rare moment of tension between them.
Related posts
Comments