Ronda Rousey Calls Out 'Barely Recognizable' UFC, Says They Don't Prioritize 'Best Fights'

Ahead of her MMA return against Gina Carano on Netflix on May 16, former UFC star Ronda Rousey had some choice words for her old company.

Rousey revealed during Tuesday's kickoff press conference that she originally proposed her fight against Carano to UFC president Dana White, but the company's deal with Paramount+ destroyed any chance of her returning to the Octagon. She went on to assert that the UFC's focus has shifted away from what made it so popular in the first place.

"Once they moved into the streaming model, it's just not about putting on the best fights possible anymore," Rousey said. "Dana is legally beholden to the shareholders 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."

Rousey went on to slam the announced card for the UFC's Freedom 250 event at the White House on June 14, declaring that White "knows it sucks" and is "not happy about it either."

The former UFC bantamweight champion went on to criticize the company for its lack of improvements in fighter pay despite its $7.7 billion media rights deal.

Rousey's MMA return against Carano will come just a month before the UFC White House card, and she declared that her fight on Netflix's first-ever MMA event will be the biggest of the year.

On a lighter note, Rousey revealed that she first felt the itch to return to MMA while she was pregnant with her second child. She knew that Carano was the only opponent she wanted to face in her first fight since 2016.

Carano also discussed her reasons for returning to fighting for the first time since 2009 and confirmed Rousey's assertion that White had the opportunity to promote their fight under the UFC banner.

It sounds like the UFC will have a hard time topping the clash between Rousey and Carano as the biggest MMA event of the year. The card also will feature former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in his first MMA fight since 2024 in a bout against former PFL heavyweight champion Philipe Lins.