Dana White apologizes to UFC 182 winner Marion Reneau after 'TUF' snub

Marion Reneau

Marion Reneau made her promotional debut and picked up her first UFC victory this past weekend at UFC 182. She also received an apology from her boss.

Reneau (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) scored a decision victory over Alexis Dufresne (5-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC), who missed weight for the bantamweight bout and was forced to compete in a 138-pound catchweight matchup. The preliminary-card fight, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, was so throughly dominant that Reneau received winning scores of 30-26, 30-26, 30-25.

Although prelim winners rarely are invited to post-event press conferences, there was Reneau, whom White soon addressed.

“She looked awesome, and I have to publicly apologize to her,” White said after Saturday’s pay-per-view event. “She tried out for ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and I told her she was too old. So I was wrong again.”

The UFC recently hosted two seasons of “TUF” with female cast members. The first, with 135-pounders, competed on “TUF 18? in 2013 as part of the show’s first coed season. The second, “TUF 20,” was the first all-female season and concluded in December, when the UFC crowned its inaugural 115-pound champion, Carla Esparza.

Reneau never got a chance to compete on the show, but the 37-year-old suggested it didn’t feel like a real snub.

“Too old? Whatever. Basically, I was told, ‘Go out, win a couple of fights, and keep pressing on,'” she said. “That’s basically what I did. I had to show them that I earned my spot here.”

Prior to UFC 182, she won three straight fights, all via stoppage. That earned her a UFC contract, which she’s made the most of.

“I did what it took to get me to this point, and I don’t think age is a factor, especially with me,” she said. “I’ve been an athlete all my life. It’s never been a struggle for me. I’ve never stopped training.

“So it was very important for me to fight the way I wanted and finish how I wanted to finish – and that’s with my hand raised.”

For more on UFC 182, check out the UFC Events section of the site.