Watson reveals further details around his resignation

Burt Watson, the UFC’s “Babysitter to the Stars” retired unexpectedly during UFC 184. Rumors circulated that the cause involved a member of the Ronda Rousey’s camp, but that was credibly refuted by multiple sources. Then rumors circulated that it involved either Dana White or Lorenzo Fertitta, but that too was credibly refuted by multiple sources.

Watson appeared on Ariel Helwani‘s The MMA Hour on Monday and discussed the incident. He detailed that it had to do with a weight-making episode, obliquely acknowledged that the fighter making weight was Mark Munoz, and said emphatically and entirely convincingly that it was not a disagreement with Munoz himself, or a member of his camp.

“There was a situation where one of the fighters that didn’t make weight was sent back to the weigh-in areas, where I wait for the fighters,” said Watson as transcribed by Adam Guillen Jr. for MMAmania. “I waited for the fighter for about an hour. When I finally got the fighter and put him on the scale, I was satisfied because he made weight.

“Now, keep in mind that the arena is 10 minutes away from the hotel. As I normally do, I have my guys take the fighter and the camp back to the hotel. Well, somewhere between me making sure that the fighter made weight and getting back to the hotel, there was, somehow, and I really don’t know, that supposedly the fighter didn’t have a way back to the hotel. Which, still I can’t tell you because I don’t know.

“I would say that maybe an hour later, someone approached me to address that. And they approached me about it wrongly. Because number one, I knew that I had just seen the fighter and he had just made weight. And ultimately, we were close enough to make sure that everyone got back from the arena. So I was caught off guard with that. I was approached, and it was not in the proper manner. At least I didn’t think I was approached in the proper manner and I was questioned about my work and the way I handled things.

“That’s the way I felt and I didn’t appreciate it and I didn’t approve of it. And I knew that the fighter was safe, he was not in any kind of detriment and I knew that it was a done deal. And that’s what happened baby.”

“You respect the process. You respect the system. And sometimes before you make certain decisions, respect the creator of the system. There’s a reason why a mother would leave her cubs in the cave. She’s gotta go find some food, baby. But she comes back. If you go in there and see those cubs by themselves, she’s either out getting food, hunting for the kill or she’s dead. But she didn’t just leave them cubs just to be leaving them.”

Watson said the fighter who had difficulty making weight was Mark Munoz, but that it was not a member of his camp that approached him. Instead, it was a ZUFFA employee with sufficient authority to approach him in this circumstance, which would preclude for example Arianny Celeste or any other Octagon girl. Watson was firm in saying that he would not name the individual, as that person still has to work for the company. And he was firm in saying that it was not UFC president Dana White or UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta.

The list is of possible figures is thus shortening; emphatically, it does not include Joe Silva.