Ronda Rousey pronounces MMA comeback on Could 16, slams UFC for underpaying fighters and failing to help them
LOS ANGELES:
Ronda Rousey used the launch of her long-awaited comeback struggle to ship a sweeping broadside in opposition to the UFC on Tuesday, accusing the organisation of failing its fighters financially as she introduced her Could 16 return to MMA in opposition to her fellow pioneer within the sport Gina Carano on Netflix.
“It was once that UFC was the perfect place you could possibly are available in fight sports activities to make a residing and be paid pretty,” the 39-year-old Rousey mentioned at a kickoff press convention. “And now it is one of many worst locations to go.”
Rousey – who made historical past as the primary American lady to win an Olympic medal in judo when she claimed bronze on the 2008 Beijing Video games – emphasised her disillusionment with the UFC’s present state.
Her feedback comply with every week of public disputes, notably Jon Jones’ request to depart the UFC after being excluded from its White Home occasion scheduled for June 14 amid contract disagreements.
“Lots of them (fighters), on the floor stage, cannot even help their households. They’re residing at poverty stage combating full time.
“And this firm simply acquired 7.7 billion {dollars}. They’re excited about the subsequent quarter. They’re excited about the shareholders,” Rousey added.
She was referring to Paramount’s seven-year deal to turn out to be the unique U.S. broadcaster of all UFC occasions, ending the normal pay-per-view mannequin as of January.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, set to face Brazil’s Philipe Lins within the co-main occasion after a 19-month break from MMA, echoed Rousey’s sentiments.
“We aren’t an worker. We’re unbiased contractor(s), and we must always have the ability to get what we deserve,” he mentioned. “I am glad I am out of that.”
Most Priceless Promotions co-founder Jake Paul, who was additionally in attendance, was equally blunt, declaring the UFC to be in terminal decline.
“I imagine the UFC is dying, and MVP is right here to take over,” Paul mentioned. “I imagine we’ve an enormous alternative right here to disrupt the entire house and to place fighters first, get them the pay that they deserve.”
The UFC didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Paul and Ngannou in Fiery Trade
The press convention additionally produced a fiery change between Paul and Francis Ngannou, who has simply signed with MVP and mentioned he needed to struggle the YouTube-star-turned-boxer.
“I actually did not need to struggle you, however now I need to beat you,” Ngannou mentioned. Paul fired again, saying he was able to struggle. “I am down. I’ve at all times been down,” he declared.
The Rousey-Carano match-up will headline Netflix’s first-ever stay MMA broadcast, making it the primary ladies’s struggle to headline on a significant world streaming platform.
The 43-year-old Carano, who has not fought since a 2009 loss to Cris Cyborg, described the return as transformative.
“It is therapeutic, it is thrilling. It is every part I may have hoped for. I did not know I wanted this so unhealthy,” mentioned the American.
Rousey, who will struggle for the primary time in a decade, mentioned she by no means anticipated to compete once more after stepping away from the game and that motherhood had surprisingly reopened the door.
Rousey has two daughters together with her husband, former MMA fighter Travis Browne. They had been born in 2021 and 2024.
“I by no means thought I might come again. It did not cross my thoughts in any respect,” she mentioned. “As soon as I discovered that love once more, and I noticed Gina not doing properly, I used to be like we each have to reclaim our bodily identification collectively and rewrite our personal endings collectively.”
The occasion marks boxing promotion firm MVP’s debut in MMA after its record-breaking partnership with Netflix, which started with the 2024 Jake Paul v Mike Tyson struggle.
