White on WMMA: Thinking about seeing how this thing goes

At the UFC 153 post-fight press conference UFC President Dana White answered an Amazon river of questions about Anderson Silva, Alistair Overeem, Glover Teixeira, superfights, returning to Brazil, etc. As the session closed, things turned to Women’s Mixed Martial Arts, specifically Ronda Rousey and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

White was positive, about the fighters, and about WMMA.

“As far as women’s MMA goes, I’m warming up to it,” said White. “(I’m) thinking about sticking my toe in it and seeing how this thing goes. I agree with you, obviously, Cyborg is one of the best in the world and Ronda Rousey is another one. So we’ll see what happens.”

The remarks parallel those he made earlier this month at UFC on FX 5, when asked if Rousey vs. Cyborg is coming closer to reality?

“I think we are,” White said. “You’ve been seeing me hang around Ronda a lot, right? I’ve been working on it.”

It is not yet clear if the fight would be in Strikeforce, which has seen its last two events cancelled, and may be about to tap.

For the fight take place anywhere, Cyborg has to come off suspension and get relicensed, something that is expected in December. Further, a weight has to be agreed upon – Rousey wants 135, Cyrborg says she can’t make it. Given the obstacles to making fights generally, the weight difference is surmountable.

Until everything gets sorted out, White is keeping Rousey in the public eye, with a cameo appearance on TUF: Live, regular appearances at UFC cards, and

For her part, Ronda Rousey has stated that she would only take the bout at the 135-pound bantamweight limit, calling Cyborg a “cheater” following the former featherweight champion’s positive test for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

Most notably, the UFC president has taken it upon himself to keep Rousey in the spotlight, including a cameo spot on The Ultimate Fighter: Live, and appearances at various UFC cards and celebrity events like this season’s premiere of FX’s Sons of Anarchy (below).