Former champion Ronda Rousey helped build the popularity of women’s mixed martial arts during her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Her rise turned her into one of the biggest stars the promotion ever produced.
Now, as she prepares for a comeback fight against Gina Carano, Rousey is sharing strong opinions about how the sport operates today.
The bout will not take place inside the UFC. Instead, the event is being organized by Most Valuable Promotions and will stream on Netflix. That decision surprised many fans because Rousey has maintained a long friendship with UFC president Dana White.
Even though she respects White, Rousey believes the organization itself has changed.
Rousey Believes Fighter Pay Has Fallen Behind
During a press conference in Los Angeles, Rousey discussed the financial reality many fighters face today. She said the promotion once offered a reliable way for athletes to earn a living.
“It used to be that UFC was the best place that you could come in combat sports to make a living and be paid fairly and now it’s one of the worst places to go,” Rousey said. “It’s why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere. It’s why their champions like Valentina [Shevcheko] are selling pictures of their titties on OnlyFans. These people, a lot of them at the ground level, they can’t support their families. They’re living poverty-level fighting full-time. This company just got $7.7 billion dollars. There’s no reason that they can’t afford to pay their athletes at least a living wage and not even that, to at least be able to match what these athletes are making in other sports.
“Why would they expect to get the best athletes and the best inspiring kids that want to be something into MMA? Why not go into football? Why not go into boxing? Why not go into anything else? So they’re bleeding talent because of their short-term greed. They’re thinking about the next quarter. They’re thinking about the shareholders. They’re not thinking about their responsibility to be stewards of the future of the sport.”
Her comments suggest that the pay structure in the sport may push young athletes toward other career paths.
Ronda Rousey just went on a rant about the UFC’s fighter pay 😳
“The UFC is one of the worst places to go. Their champions like Valentina are selling pictures of their t*tties on OnlyFans.
They just got $7.7 billion dollars. There’s no reason they can’t pay their athletes.” pic.twitter.com/TkaB6ljymb
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 10, 2026
Ownership Changes Shaped the Promotion
The UFC experienced a major shift in 2016 when the company was sold to Endeavor Group Holdings, previously known as WME IMG. Later, the organization became part of TKO Group Holdings, which also operates WWE.
Rousey believes these corporate changes influenced how the promotion runs today. She explained that the focus on shareholders and quarterly profits has changed the environment for fighters.
Despite her criticism, she made it clear she does not place the blame on Dana White personally.
Plans for the Carano Fight Started With the UFC
Rousey said she first approached White about holding the fight with Gina Carano through the UFC. She wanted to work with the promotion because of her history there.
“I knew that we could promote this on our own and probably be the most lucrative way to go about it for us, but I have such love and respect for Dana that I wanted to bring this to him first,” Rousey said. “I said I know I can do this on my own, but I would rather fight for you than to fight for me, just make it make sense for me, and originally we were going to do it New Year’s and it was going to be the last fight under the pay-per-view model and he offered me the best pay-per-view structure ever and I was so grateful, but then Gina said she needed more time to get in the best shape possible and that she wanted me to fight the best version of herself and I think that was fate. It was meant to be. It was meant to push us onto the other side and once they moved into the streaming model, it’s just not about putting on the best fights possible anymore.
“Dana is legally beholden to the shareholders and to maximize shareholder value and unfortunately, now that they’ve taken the reins of the company away from him, it’s barely recognizable now and they need to be saved from themselves and luckily I’m here to be their hero.”
After plans changed, the fighters chose another path to make the match happen.
A Comeback That Became Bigger Than One Fight
Rousey explained that the project began as a simple idea between two athletes who wanted to compete again. Over time, the meaning of the event grew.
“We went from because of this I had to get her number and talk to her, because of this I had to meet up with her and find a way to make the contract work out and I thought it was just about me finding my love for the sport and just about her getting back to finding that fire and that light in her eyes that we fell in love with, but it’s become much more than that,” Rousey said. “Now it’s become about changing the entire landscape of the sport and challenging the monolith that the UFC has become.
“Of course, I just wanted to do something fun, and I ended up having to change the world, but that’s the way that we do it and I’m so happy that we’re here and I’m so grateful that Gina trusted me. When it wasn’t going to work out with the UFC, I told her we can do this on our own, we don’t need them, we don’t need anyone. And she said, ‘I’m going to follow your lead and I’m going to trust you,’ and that’s what led us to MVP and to Netflix and to us sitting here in front of the Intuit Dome about to put on most-viewed MMA fight of all time.”
The event is planned for the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, a venue expected to draw strong interest from fans around the world.
Even with strong criticism of the system, Rousey ended the conversation by praising Dana White’s loyalty.
“Dana White, if I could describe him in one word, I would say, I think he’s loyal to a fault. … Loyal. He’s very loyal.” via MMAFighting
Rousey remains a central figure in the history of women’s MMA. Her success helped open the door for athletes such as Valentina Shevchenko and many others who now compete at the highest level.
With her upcoming return against Gina Carano, the conversation has expanded beyond a single fight. It has also started a wider discussion about fighter pay, promotion control, and how mixed martial arts may develop in the years ahead.
