Cris ‘Cyborg’ roasted the UFC on social media earlier today after learning that Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie will be fighting at UFC 208 on February 11th to establish the promotion’s first ever woman’s featherweight champion, and now Dana White has had a chance to give his side of the story.
“We’re in the fight business,” White told ESPN. “That’s what we do for a living. We’re out to disrespect Cyborg? She said she couldn’t make 145 pounds in eight weeks. We offered her a second and a third fight. She turned them down. With everything I’ve got going on in my life, the last thing I’m thinking is, ‘Hey, let’s get together and disrespect Cyborg.’
“We offered three fights, and she turned them all down,” White continued. “This is a business. I had two girls who wanted to fight for the 145-pound title. This is the pros. If you play for the Patriots, you don’t sit around and say, ‘I don’t feel like playing this weekend.’
“We brought her in because she said she could make 135 pounds. When she couldn’t, the weight cut was too hard, we created the 145-pound division — and she still doesn’t want to fight.
“This is a business of opportunity. When opportunity arises, you jump up and take it. If you don’t, the bus is gone, and it passes you by. If Holly wins and becomes a champion, and that’s the scenario [Rousey regains the title]? I guarantee people will want to see it.”
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with ESPN, ‘Cyborg’ hinted that after all the issues she’s had with the UFC over the years, it has crossed her mind to just walk away from the promotion when her current deal ends.
“Sometimes, I want to fight in another organization outside the UFC, but I have two fights left on my contract. I have to do those two fights. It’s not just about the money or the belts. It’s really hard when you feel like the company doesn’t respect you.”
