UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey delivered a blunt assessment of how the UFC compensates its athletes during a recent press event, highlighting ongoing concerns about pay fairness in the promotion. The first-ever female champion in UFC history, Rousey made her comments roughly two months before her highly anticipated boxing match against MMA icon Gina Carano on May 16, a bout that has stirred significant interest in combat sports circles.
Rousey gained widespread recognition after successfully defending the UFC women’s bantamweight title six times before experiencing a sudden knockout loss to Holly Holm. After a break of more than a year and a brief return fight loss to Amanda Nunes in under a minute, she transitioned to a prolific wrestling career with WWE.
Financial Disputes Reflect Broader Frustrations Among Fighters
Addressing reports that Jon Jones declined to participate in a UFC White House event this summer due to pay disagreements, Rousey criticized the current state of fighter compensation.
“It used to be that [the] UFC was the best place you could come in combat sports to make a living and be paid fairly, and now it’s no longer – it’s one of the worst places to go,”
she 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 [Shevchenko] are selling pictures of their ti****s on OnlyFans. These people are – a lot of them at the ground level, they can’t even support their families. They’re living poverty-level, fighting full time.”
Valentina Shevchenko, currently in her second run as UFC women’s flyweight champion and among the promotion’s biggest stars, was specifically mentioned by Rousey in this critique, although Shevchenko has yet to publicly respond. Rousey remains one of the UFC’s most recognized names and significant pay-per-view draws during her bantamweight championship reign, and she revealed there were talks with UFC President Dana White concerning her upcoming fight with Carano before the Netflix deal was finalized.
Rousey Warns UFC’s Short-Sighted Approach Risks Losing Top Talent
The subject of fighter pay resonates deeply within MMA, and Rousey took aim at the UFC’s financial priorities, especially in light of its recent $7.7 billion deal with Paramount.
“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…Why would they expect to get the best athletes and the best, aspiring kids that want to be something, into MMA? Why not go into football, why not go into boxing? Why not going into anything else?…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,”
Rousey stated.
Many UFC fighters have backgrounds in other sports before turning to mixed martial arts, like Gable Steveson, the sport’s rising heavyweight star who made attempts in professional football and WWE prior to joining MMA last year. This trend underscores the high competition for athletic talent across sports industries, intensifying the significance of adequate pay structures in MMA.
Implications of Rousey’s Remarks for the Upcoming Fight and UFC’s Future
The Rousey vs. Carano boxing match, set to take place in California, will attract scrutiny not only for the combat itself but also for the disclosed fight purses, as the state publicly reports fight earnings. With Rousey’s pointed remarks on the UFC’s payment practices gaining attention, questions about fighter compensation will likely put additional pressure on UFC CEO Dana White and the organization to address growing discontent among fighters and fans.
As one of the most influential figures in mixed martial arts history, Rousey’s outspoken stance could spark renewed debates over how fighters are valued and compensated, potentially influencing future negotiations, athlete retention, and the evolution of the sport’s business model.
https://twitter.com/ChampRDS/status/2031457344765219007
Interesting thought regarding this Rousey vs. Carano card is that, because it is taking place in California, purses will be made public.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 10, 2026
