Ronda Rousey may not fight again in UFC until 2017: Dana White

UFC fighter Ronda Rousey accepts the best female athlete award at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / AP / Photo by Chris Pizzello / Invision)

LOS ANGELES -- Ronda Rousey might not return to the octagon until 2017 after undergoing minor knee surgery, UFC President Dana White says.

White revealed the possibility on ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Thursday.

White says the former UFC bantamweight champion had surgery Wednesday to clean out her knee. He described the surgery as "nothing serious," but acknowledged that it could postpone Rousey's long-awaited return to fighting until next year.

Rousey (10-1) hasn't fought since Holly Holm took away her title belt with a second-round stoppage in November. Rousey took time away to focus on recovery and her thriving acting career.

Although White hopes that Rousey can fight in December, he says it's possible she won't return until the UFC's traditional New Year's Day show in Las Vegas.