Ronda Rousey, a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and once the prominent face of the fight promotion, has expressed strong disapproval, stating she no longer recognizes the organization. She believes the UFC veered off course after securing a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount and adopting a streaming-centric business model, which she claims fundamentally altered its priorities.
According to Rousey, the UFC’s focus has shifted away from simply staging the best possible fights. She highlighted that UFC President Dana White is now an employee, legally bound to maximize shareholder value, rather than an owner calling the shots independently. Rousey sees this transition as a significant misstep, suggesting that White is no longer empowered to run the company as he once did.
Rousey also heavily criticized the UFC for its compensation practices, arguing that athlete pay is now unfairly low. She claimed that the UFC, once considered the premier combat sports organization for fighters to earn a respectable living, has deteriorated into one of the worst. This decline, she contends, is forcing many top athletes to seek income opportunities elsewhere. As a striking example, Rousey cited Valentina Shevchenko, a prominent champion, selling content on platforms like OnlyFans to support herself.
She emphasized the paradox of many fighters struggling financially and living near poverty levels, despite the UFC’s massive multi-billion dollar acquisition. Rousey asserted that there’s no valid reason why the company cannot afford to pay its athletes a living wage, one that is competitive with earnings in other major sports. She questioned why aspiring athletes would choose MMA over sports like football or boxing if the financial prospects are so bleak. Rousey concluded that the UFC is experiencing a significant loss of talent, driven by its short-term greed and its prioritization of quarterly profits and shareholder interests over its responsibility as a steward for the future and well-being of the sport.
Additionally, Rousey recounted her attempt to arrange a high-profile fight with Gina Carano through the UFC. However, she stated that they were unable to reach a “respectable deal” with the organization, ultimately leading them to partner with Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix instead.
