Dana White thinks losing made Ronda Rousey a bigger star

Ronda Rousey's loss to Holly Holm only increased her fame. At least, that's the yarn UFC president Dana White is spinning.

Once the face of not only women's MMA, but the entire sport, Rousey was violently deposed at UFC 194 in November, her aura of invincibility evaporated by a Holly Holm head kick.

It stands as one of the most shocking upsets in UFC history, and according to White, the sheer mainstream interest drummed up by Rousey's improbable loss has likely made her a bigger star than she was before she fell to "The Preacher's Daughter."

"It's crazy because you win and lose in the fight game; it happens," White said Thursday on ESPN's "First Take," according to MMAjunkie.com's Mike Bohn. "It's funny, because we were comparing her to (former boxing champion Mike) Tyson, who had this invincibility. She was a Tyson. And it was never more true than when she lost - because when she lost, everybody was shocked. One hundred million people were talking about it on social media. And I actually think Ronda Rousey is bigger now after the loss than she was before the fight."

White has already said Rousey will get an immediate rematch with Holm, but there is no solid timetable for her return.

"You have to give Ronda some time," White said. "When Ronda's ready to come back - there's literally no pressure on her whatsoever to think about anything as far as fighting goes. And she's on a medical 45-day suspension after the fight. She can't have any contact or have anything for 45 days."