In a new interview, Ronda Rousey revealed key details on why her surprising return fight will not happen in the company that made her a household name, the UFC.
Earlier this week, Rousey stunned the fight world when she announced plans for a totally unexpected return fight against fellow women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano. However, what was more unexpected than a return to the cage after a decade away was that it would not happen inside the UFC’s Octagon.
Rousey showed so much potential as a box office star during his run in Strikeforce that it made White go back on his proclamation not to have women’s fights in the UFC. It was the right move because the Olympic silver medalist would emerge as one of his biggest stars during her three years in the company.
Furthermore, White and Rousey developed a legitimate friendship based on her success and being easy to negotiate with. So why didn’t she end up making her return to the fight game inside the Octagon?
TKO’s cost-effective strategy stopped Rousey from return fight in UFC
In a new interview with Jim Rome, Rousey spoke about her friendship with White and mentioned that she actually came to him first last year about the idea of a fight with Carano. According to the former UFC bantamweight champion, the promotion boss was so excited about the idea that he was stuttering during their call.
After White had a conversation with Carano, Rousey claims she requested that he give her a pay-per-view points increase for the fight. The CEO didn’t have a problem doing that. However, when it became clear that a bout would need to happen in 2026, it clashed with their new media rights deal with Paramount+, where the company was no longer doing PPV.
“They didn’t want to set the precedent of giving me the guaranteed money that I deserve, because once I raise that tide if lifts all the boats,” Rousey said. “They just made a $7.7 billion deal at Paramount, so it’s in their best interest not to put on the best fights possible and spend as little money as possible so they can keep [that standard]. Dana’s now legally obligated to maximize shareholder value. “
So, it looks like Dana White wanted to have Ronda Rousey’s return fight. But TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s parent company, wants to use a more cost-effective approach, especially after the Paramount+ deal. Giving her the money she wanted would have hurt those plans.
