In the distant past of a few months ago, back when the UFC was still scrambling around for a headliner worthy of next weekend’s UFC 300, the ever-helpful public started suggesting names plucked from MMA lore.
One of those names was Ronda Rousey, the promotion’s first female champ, who’d left the UFC after back-to-back losses and then made a new career for herself in the WWE. The suggestion alone had UFC president Dana White shaking his head.
“Ronda’s not coming back,” White said. There was a finality to it that let you know he wasn’t just guessing.