Ronda Rousey may not return until 2017 because of knee surgery, according to UFC President Dana White.
On Thursday, White said on SportsCenter (via Yahoo Sports' Andreas Hale) that Rousey had the procedure done Wednesday, which could prevent her from fighting in the near future.
Rousey Will Still Fight Champion
Thursday, June 2
Whenever Rousey returns, she will still get a shot at the championship belt, White noted (via Hale):
If Miesha Tate's still the champion, she'll fight Miesha Tate. Whoever has the belt is whom Ronda Rousey will fight.
Injuries happen in this sport, somebody falls out and somebody else slides in, I'm not even saying Holly Holm couldn't be the champion by the time Ronda comes back. Whoever holds that belt when Ronda's ready.
The purpose of the surgery was to scope her knee, according to White, who added that it was not a serious procedure.
White had previously said Rousey would target a return in October or November, per Hale, but that is in jeopardy after Thursday's revelation.
Other than Holly Holm or Miesha Tate, another possible opponent could be Cris "Cyborg" Justino, who won her UFC debut over Leslie Smith on May 14.
According to Fox Sports' Damon Martin, the two have a long-standing feud, and Justino has publicly called out Rousey on numerous occasions.
"Ronda always runs from me," she said during an appearance on Power 106 in Los Angeles in May (via Martin). "Because before when she started training, I was already champion at 145 [pounds] and she started at 145 and she run to 135. She's always say she wants to fight me, but she never wants to make a catch weight so she can meet the challenge and fight."
Justino also challenged Rousey through social media:
.@criscyborg calls out Ronda Rousey using #RunningManChallenge (via @criscyborg)https://t.co/bWO0NiGuGc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 28, 2016
When Rousey will return is unknown, but she has multiple opportunities to make a splash. She could come back and avenge her loss to Holm, which would draw plenty of interest if Holm can retake the championship belt.
Rousey could also finally accept Justino's challenge, but this would be more difficult with the weight disparity.
Either way, Rousey's long absence will hurt the UFC. When she returns, though, it could be the most watched fight of the year.
