UFC President Dana White confirmed no final decision has been made about Ronda Rousey's long-awaited return to the Octagon. Her last fight was a loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November.
On Tuesday, Damon Martin of Fox Sports passed along comments White made during an appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. He wouldn't provide details about her potential comeback fight but noted it wouldn't happen on the UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12, as previously speculated.
Martin reported sources told Fox Sports there are discussions about a possible Rousey return before the end of 2016, but they have been preliminary talks and nothing has been finalized yet. It still remains possible she doesn't return until next year.
The 29-year-old superstar emerged as a dominant force and top UFC draw before the loss to Holm, the first of her professional career.
She had already explained to Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone before the setback that she planned to take some time off to pursue other interests, including a budding acting career.
"I'm selling a product and I have to be out there; I don't have the option not to be," Rousey said. "But after this fight, I'm definitely going to let some people miss me, for sure. Believe me, there's nothing I would like to do more than disappear for a while."
Any thought the expected hiatus lessened the pain of losing was erased earlier this year. Nina Mandell of USA Today noted the former Olympic bronze medalist provided a candid glimpse at her mindset following Holm's upset while on The Ellen Show in February:
In the medical room, I was down in the corner, I was sitting in the corner and I was like 'what am I anymore if I'm not this?' And I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself in that exact second, I'm nothing. Like what do I do anymore? And no one gives an (expletive) about me anymore without this.
The question now is what type of drawing power Rousey will have after the loss and spending more than a year away from the sport. It's hard to know whether her comeback attempt will immediately draw mainstream attention or if she'll needed to establish herself all over again.
She's been sorely missed by UFC, which sold last month for $4 billion and is going to need marquee attractions like Rousey to shine in order to prove worth the investment. It sounds like her return may finally be on the horizon, but an exact date and location is still up in the air.
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