Dana White on Ronda Rousey: She’s the biggest star we’ve ever had in the history of the sport

Los Angeles – UFC TONIGHT hosts Kenny Florian and Daniel Cormier interview UFC President Dana White and recap UFC 204. Plus, Rashad Evans talks to Florian about his upcoming fight. Karyn Bryant adds reports.

UFC President Dana White on Ronda Rousey’s return: “It’s good to have her back. She’s a megastar. She’s the biggest star we’ve ever had in the history of the sport. With the way she went out and now the way Amanda went in to the title, against Miesha Tate, this is a good fight.”

White on if Rousey will fight Cyborg next if she wins the title: “I said she would fight Cyborg. First, Ronda’s got to win. Then, I don’t know what she’d going to want to do. She’s told me she wants to fight Cyborg. As long as I’ve known her, she’s always wanted to fight Cyborg. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll fight her. I don’t know if she’s going to defend the title several times before that.”

White on who will main event UFC 206: [To Cormier] “You’re the main event. There shouldn’t be a TBD above you on this.”

White on if Georges St-Pierre will return: “You guys know. When you’re someone who wants to fight, as an example, Cormier called me. Cormier was chomping on the bit while I was working over whether Johnson and Jones would fight. I was trying to build a bigger fight. Cormier said ‘I don’t love it.’ He’s calling me asking me for the fight. That’s the mentality of the fighter. If Ronda says she wants to take the time off, I say take as much as you need. You’ve got to have it here. GSP hasn’t had it here for a long time. I know guys that want to fight. He’s not one of them.”

White on if he’s happy with UFC 205: “Yeah it’s the greatest card ever assembled in UFC history, maybe combat sports history. Then, we’re fighting in New York for the first time and in the incredible Madison Square Garden. It couldn’t be better.”

White on if Conor McGregor will hold two belts: “He’ll fight. If he wins, he’ll hold two belts, and then he’ll decide which one he wants to give back to me. You can’t tie up two divisions.”

White on Jose Aldo’s recent comments: “I can’t make anybody fight anybody. I try the best I can to put together fights. Jose Aldo and I will probably get together next week and talk about it. I’ll get him a fight all day long. Holloway is ready. Pettis is in that division now. I can’t make Conor fight anybody. Everyone wants to fight him. When Aldo was doing it, he never aspired to be those things. I’ve stood in front of everybody in this sport and when fights pull out, nobody asks the way Conor does. Nobody wants to take a risk. He goes all in. It’s part of the appeal and allure of Conor. When he steps up and puts all his chips on the table.”

White on who’s the main event at Sacramento on FOX: “Paige VanZant vs. The Karate Hottie.”

White on Lorenzo Fertitta’s involvement now: “He loves this sport. He’s just sitting around. I don’t know, whatever Ari and I do here, I don’t know if there are bigger contributors to this sport than the Fertitta brothers. All you guys who have good relationships with him, call him. He’s not dead.”

VIDEO: Interview: White talks Rousey’s return, whether or not she’ll ever fight Cyborg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q33CPtWmqNw

UFC TONIGHT host Daniel Cormier on Bisping vs. Henderson 2: “Michael Bisping had to fight for every second of that fight from the hole he dug himself in during the first round. His activity and championship meddle that carried him to victory. That guy put on a performance Saturday night that a champion Henderson went out like a legend. He didn’t go out on his back. He went out with his hand held high in a competitive fight against the champion in the division.”

UFC TONIGHT host Kenny Florian on Bisping winning the title fight: “He double downed on his performance against Anderson Silva. He has heart for days. You have to be careful when you through that jab against someone like Dan Henderson or you get hit. The fact that Bisping survived and pulled it off was impressive. To me it wasn’t too controversial decision. Dan won the first round, but Bisping won the fight. It was a classic.”

Florian on Rousey getting the title shot: “I like fighters taking a warm-up fight after a long layoff. But she’s a former champion. She’s very high level with submissions. Does she have the same striking skills as Nunes? No, but it’s the right fight for her. When Ronda fights, everyone pays attention. She’s huge.”

Cormier on Rousey fighting at UFC 207: “I think it’s the only fight for her. It’s too dangerous taking warm-up fights. You want everything surrounding Ronda to be bigger. What’s bigger than a championship fight? They need her back and they need somebody to bring stability to the division.”

Florian on McGregor’s fine: “I think this is the Nevada State Athletic Commission is making it all about them.”

Cormier on the fine: “I got fined nine-grand because I was making the bum money. He did need to receive the fine, but that’s too much. I think the other guys who are still on the hearing list are going to face some bigger fines.”

Rashad Evans on moving to middleweight: “Dropping down to middleweight gives me a new challenge.”

Evans on fighting in his home state of New York: “It’s huge for me. My whole career, I wanted to fight in New York. To be part of something historic, is great for me. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazer fought there.”

Evans on fighting Tim Kennedy: “He makes the fight chaotic, and out of the chaos, he finds a place. We trained together at Jacksons. I’m looking forward to see how we match up now. If we were keeping score, I got the better of him at training back then.”

Evans on where he’s been training for the fight: “I’ve been training at Belfort’s Training Center. At the Blackzilians, I lost focus on what I needed. I still go there and I’ve got ties to the team. I want to make sure I have hands-on focus and I’m getting what Rashad needs, not what the team needs.”

VIDEO: INTERVIEW: SPEAK FOR YOURSELF: Jason Whitlock 1-on-1: White on Greg Hardy fighting in the UFC
http://www.foxsports.com/ufc/video?vid=784558147865

VIDEO: INTERVIEW: Dana White in THE HERD studio to talk Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor and more

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UFC TONIGHT
UFC TONIGHT is the official weekly news and information show of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on FS1. Veteran UFC fighter and multiple title contender Kenny Florian, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and veteran combat sports journalist Karyn Bryant bring you all the news and analysis.