Ronda Rousey Once Again Slams UFC with Criticism

Ronda Rousey wants to remind everyone of the missed opportunity for the UFC.

This past May, Rousey and fellow women's MMA pioneer Gina Carano headlined the inaugural MVP MMA event on Netflix, helping the main event draw an audience of over 17 million viewers.

Rousey has previously stated that her former promoters at the UFC were unwilling to commit to organizing a match between Carano and the organization's former bantamweight champion. At the time, she called UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell a "chauvinistic ass."

Now, Rousey believes she wasn't critical enough. Speaking to Fight Culture, she asserted that Campbell's inability to maximize talent isn't limited to female fighters.

"It was extremely satisfying, especially after Hunter Campbell had told Gina that he didn't know how he would promote two 40-year-old women. That's exactly what he told her," Rousey stated.

"So, it was very gratifying to take that comment and rub it in his face."

"The problem isn't that he doesn't know how to promote us. He doesn't know how to promote anyone, period. He missed a huge opportunity by letting us leave, because with his own arrogance, he practically allowed us to create a 'Lamborghini' against his 'Ferrari.' He created the biggest competitor the UFC will ever have, simply because he is so arrogant, stupid, and chauvinistic."

The MVP MMA event also featured several other former UFC fighters, including BKFC star Mike Perry, Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou, and Junior dos Santos.

It remains unclear whether the gala was a one-off event or the beginning of a series of events from Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix. Undeniably, however, it made a strong impression on combat sports fans, and likely on the UFC as well.

Subsequently, the UFC signed several fighters who participated in the May 16 program, including Salahdine Parnasse and Robelis Despaigne. Namo Fazil was also called up to compete in the upcoming season of Dana White's Contender Series.

Rousey was also asked about the potential return of former Strikeforce executive Scott Coker to combat sports promotion. She expressed a positive outlook on such a possibility.

"I believe the more competition there is, the better," Rousey said. "The more promoters who enter the sport and approach it seriously, the better."

"I don't think it's possible for a publicly traded company to simultaneously prioritize fighter interests. You cannot be legally obligated to maximize shareholder value and at the same time primarily consider the fighters' interests. It's impossible."

"Therefore, there must be other opportunities for athletes. I'm not saying such a model cannot exist, but it cannot be the only option."

Regarding the future of MVP MMA, Rousey has not committed to fighting again, let alone on Netflix. However, she hopes Most Valuable Promotions will organize more events and that Nate Diaz will continue to be a part of them.

"We'll see," Rousey said. "We need to get together again and assess what the future looks like from here. I think right now everyone is just unwinding and getting back to life after such a big event."

"I hope going forward, whether with me or without me, they continue to make every one of their fights a huge event. Every single match should be a big event, because that's exactly what's missing in MMA."

"Everything started happening every week and becoming background noise. It needs to be an event again. So whatever they do next, whether I'm involved or not, I hope it's something massive."

"And for it to be an event of that magnitude again, I think Nate also needs to be involved. In my opinion, he should become a permanent part of the project."