Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey recently spoke about the long career of Dana White and the changes that have happened inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship over the years.
White helped grow the UFC from a small organization into the biggest promotion in mixed martial arts. Even with that success, some fans have wondered whether his passion for the sport has changed as the company continues to expand.
Rousey believes the situation is complicated. She explained that the organization has become much larger, and many decisions are now handled by different groups within the company.
“I think it’s kind of both, that it’s out of his hands,” Rousey said while speaking with reporters. “It’s kind of like George Lucas sold his baby, and now they’re doing other things with it that he can’t – I think you almost have to emotionally separate yourself so you don’t get upset because everything used to be bottleneck with him. Every little bit of what you saw on T.V. had a touch of his passion and his eye.”
Growth of the company changed the structure
In the early years of the UFC, White had direct involvement in almost every part of the product. As the promotion expanded worldwide, more people and departments became part of the process.
Rousey suggested that this shift has changed the way the company feels today.
“Now everything is being shipped out to a whole bunch of people that just have no real passion or love for the sport and are just clocking into a job, and you can see that.”
She also pointed out that White has already achieved something rare in sports by helping create the modern era of MMA.
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
Rousey explains why staying motivated could be difficult
After decades of building the UFC into a global brand, Rousey believes it would naturally be challenging to keep chasing the same goal year after year.
“He also won MMA. What else is he going to do? Now he’s going to probably try and win something else and create a sport out of nothing like (Power) Slap or take over boxing. I think it would be really, really hard to stay super motivated to pursue just, hit that same note over and over. I mean, I switched careers three times. I’m surprised he’s still doing it.”
White has recently been involved with projects such as Power Slap and discussions around boxing through Zuffa Boxing, which has added to the discussion about where his attention is focused.
While sharing her perspective on the UFC, Rousey is also preparing for a major moment in her own career. She is scheduled to face Gina Carano in an MMA bout promoted by Most Valuable Promotions.
The event will stream on Netflix and take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Rousey was once one of the biggest stars in the UFC and helped bring attention to women’s MMA. Even though she now competes outside the promotion, her views on the sport and the people who helped build it still attract attention from fans.
