Burt Watson Denies Rousey, White Confrontation Rumors

Many in the MMA world were shocked when longtime UFC site coordinator Burt Watson abruptly announced his resignation from the promotion after 14 years of service following a rumored incident at last weekend’s UFC 184 in Los Angeles.

There was talk flying that Watson got into a conflict with Mark Munoz, and then an even bigger rumor arose that had Watson getting into it with a member of Ronda Rousey’s team. In that story, he supposedly stormed out of the Staples Center when UFC President Dana White sided with Team Rousey instead of him.

But today (Fri., March 6, 2015) Watson appeared on MMA Junkie Radio (quotes transcribed by Bloody Elbow) to clear the air about all of the allegations. He had nothing but the utmost respect for Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, Rousey, and Munoz:

“I’ll start by saying that Dana White, the Fertittas…always respected me. I’ve never had a problem with being mistreated, pushed aside, or them disrespecting me. And I’ve respected working with the fighters and their camps like you would not believe, baby. Those are like my children. But there was an incident that happened in LA, I can’t go into specifics, but it happened.

“I’ve heard fighters names, and things being mentioned about what happened in LA. And at that point I needed to say something about that. I’ve never had a problem with Ronda Rousey, she’s probably one of the sweetest and gentlest people (until she steps in the octagon) that I know. I’ve never had a problem with Mark Munoz.

“When I heard these things about these fighters and these camps, I felt I needed to say something about these rumors, that they’re not true.

“Ronda Rousey and Mark Munoz, those people have bigger fish to fry than me. Nor was it anything with Dana White or Lorenzo Fertitta.”

Watson moved to elaborate on the situation, of which details still remain limited, saying that he got into an argument that escalated and caused him to leave Los Angeles:

“Did someone say something to me that I didn’t like? Yes. Did it escalate to a certain level? Yes. It’s hard for me to adjust to someone telling me that something I’m doing is being done wrong.

“If somebody says something some times, I may not think it through to address it, but I’m going to address it quickly. The decision to leave LA was mine.

“Someone said something to me that should not have been said to me in my opinion, and I said some things afterword that maybe I shouldn’t, out of hurt… And it went from one level to the next.”

Amidst an outpouring of support and sadness from many UFC fighters, Watson said he must stick to his guns and stay retired, even if he believes that things could have played out differently had he remained calm at UFC 184:

“When you step in the snow, you cannot back track those steps. You can try to, but it’s not gonna fit.” I knew I was stepping in the snow when I did that.

“No, I’m too old to regret decisions. I’m not in a point in my life for regretting what I do. But, do I ever re-think situations, and think cooler heads may have prevailed, sure. But when you get to a certain point in life, you can’t regret because you can’t back up.”