MMA icon Ronda Rousey has made it clear that she has no interest in participating in any UFC event at President Donald Trump’s White House.
Last month, UFC CEO and Trump ally Dana White announced there would be a cage fight held on the South Lawn next June as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.
During a recent interview on the Lapsed Fan podcast, Rousey, 38, who retired from wrestling in 2016, was asked if she had been invited to the event.
“I’m not fighting at the White House,” the UFC champion and former WWE Superstar stated plainly. “After Mike Tyson being the biggest fight of the year, you never say never, but I ain’t fighting at the f***ing White House.”
Questioned whether she would participate if given the chance, Rousey replied: “Even if offered? I got better s*** to do.”
The current lineup of competitors has yet to be worked out, though prominent Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor has expressed his desire to take part in the event.
Rousey’s pointed snub comes as no surprise, as she’s previously spoken out against Trump, stating in 2015 that she would not be voting for him.
“I just really wouldn’t trust the guy with running my country,” she said during an appearance on CNN. “I don’t want a reality TV star to be running my country.”
The Olympian instead threw her support behind Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders.
“I’m voting for Bernie Sanders, because he doesn’t take any corporate money,” she told Maxim at the time. “I don’t think politicians should be allowed to take money for their campaigns from outside interests.” She added that if Sanders didn’t win against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nominee, “then I’ll probably vote for a third party again.”
Earlier this year, Rousey revealed that she had once made a promise to White that she would never speak ill of Trump, a dedicated UFC fan.
“In 2016, Dana White specifically made me promise to not say anything bad about Donald Trump because back when they needed a venue and no one would give it to them, he did,” she said. “And because I feel like I owe Dana my life, I told him, ‘Alright.’”
Trump has attended numerous fights over the years and remains a crowd favorite, with many fighters dedicating their victories to him.
“I think it’s part of the history of the sport,” Rousey said of the president’s ties to the company.
