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Ronda Rousey wants to prove a point with her comeback fight against Gina Carano.
Melina Pizano via Getty Images
Few fighters in MMA history became as closely tied to the UFC as Ronda Rousey. But as she prepares for her long-awaited return against fellow pioneer Gina Carano on May 16, Rousey says the company she helped propel into the mainstream — and vice versa — no longer resembles the UFC she once knew.
Speaking at Tuesday's kickoff press conference ahead of the Netflix bout, the former UFC bantamweight champion explained how she initially tried to bring the fight to the UFC and its CEO, Dana White, before the deal ultimately fell apart.
"I knew that we could promote this on our own and that would probably be the most lucrative way to go about it for us," Rousey said. "But I have such love and respect for Dana that I wanted to bring this to him first. I said, 'I can do this on my own, but I'd rather fight for you than 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 [UFC's] 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. I think that was fate. It was meant to be, and [that] pushed us to the other side.
“Once [UFC] moved into the streaming model [with new broadcast partner Paramount], it’s just not about putting on the best fights possible anymore. Dana is legally beholden to the shareholders and to maximize shareholder value. Unfortunately, now that they’ve taken the reins of the company away from [White], it’s barely recognizable now.
"They need to be saved from themselves, and luckily I’m here to be their hero.”
Rousey’s comments reflect the ongoing debate around the UFC’s business structure in 2026 following its massive $7.7 billion Paramount rights deal, and its shift away from the traditional pay-per-view model that once defined the promotion’s biggest events.
Despite her criticisms, Rousey, 39, made clear her issues aren’t with longtime UFC frontman White himself, whom she still views as both a mentor and a friend.
"He was the one that — when they weren't able to offer me a respectable deal under the streaming model — was like, 'I want you to make as much money as possible. Don't stay here and take less from me,'" Rousey said. "He gave me his blessing to go out and do it on my own, and if anyone's been his apprentice on how to be a promoter, it's been me.
"After I let him know before anybody else that I had gone to Netflix, I didn't want him to be upset with me. He was like, 'I could never be upset with you. I love you so much. I want this to be successful.' He's always been my friend first before anything else. And I think most of my criticisms of the UFC now is because Dana isn't the owner, and he isn't calling the shots, and he isn't running things the way that he wants because he's an employee of the company now. He's not an owner. I think it was a big mistake of theirs to not let him run things the way that he always has."
Rousey even suggested White himself isn’t particularly pleased with some of the promotion’s recent marquee efforts, pointing specifically to the upcoming UFC White House card scheduled for June 14.
"He knows the White House card sucks," Rousey said. "He knows that they were pushing this for over a year, and it fell extremely short of expectations. He was so upset about it — he was talking about a fight falling out the day before, you know? I can guarantee you he's not happy with it either. He's the one that taught me through example to speak my mind."
More broadly, Rousey believes the UFC’s financial model has reached a breaking point — one that is now pushing some of the sport’s biggest names to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Former two-division champion Jon Jones became the latest to speak his mind after missing out on his long-coveted opportunity to compete on the White House card. The all-time great has since demanded his release from the UFC after negotiations ultimately came to nothing.
"It used to be that the UFC was the best place that you could come in combat sports to make a living and be paid fairly," Rousey said. "Now it's one of the worst places to go. It's why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere. It’s why their champions like Valentina [Shevchenko] are selling pictures of their t****** on OnlyFans.
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Ronda Rousey, Jake Paul and Gina Carano pose onstage during Netflix's kickoff press conference.
Melina Pizano via Getty Images
"These people, a lot of them at the ground level, can't even support their families. They're living poverty level, fighting full-time. This company just got $7.7 billion. There's no reason that they can't afford to pay their athletes at least a living wage. Not even that, at least be able to match what these athletes are making in other sports.
"Why would they expect to get the best athletes and aspiring 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 and not thinking about their responsibility to be stewards of the future of the sport."
For Rousey, Carano represents more than just a comeback fight — her first since December 2016. It’s also a statement about where MMA's biggest stars might choose to do business moving forward.
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