Ronda Rousey is back in the news. In addition to announcing her fight with Gina Carano on May 16, she's also starting a bigger conversation about fighter pay.

In a clip shared by Ariel Helwani on X, Ronda Rousey spoke during her NYC press conference and face-off, saying, “I think it’s really important that we raise the ceiling, but also that we raise the floor.”

She added, “And one thing that I’m really proud of in this fight is the absolute minimum that anybody will walk away with, even if they don’t have a big, long record, and even if they lose, is $40,000."

Rousey continued, “If you fight three times in a year, that is much more than a living wage. That is something that the UFC cannot say. And I hope that everybody sitting here today is getting the biggest payday of their career."

"And I hope that after this event, we can keep raising that ceiling higher and higher and higher until it is on par with the highest-level boxers because that is really where the Holy Grail, I think, for us is, and this is just the beginning,” Rousey added.

While her current pay isn’t known, Ronda Rousey once earned $3 million for her fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in 2016, excluding PPV revenues.

While Gina Carano reportedly made $125,000 in her loss to Cris Cyborg in 2009, according to ESPN.

Gina Carano revealed the UFC previously offered her $1 million to fight Rousey, though the bout never happened, and with Rousey now criticizing the UFC, she could be earning one of the biggest paychecks of her career for this fight.

Rousey initially attempted to set up a UFC fight with Carano, but the deal fell through. Later, MVP stepped in and made the fight happen. Since then, she has openly criticized the UFC, especially over fighter pay.

Ronda Rousey has a long history of addressing pay gaps in combat sports.

How Ronda Rousey Responded to Floyd Mayweather's Pay Debate

In an interview, Ronda Rousey said she avoids discussing her exact earnings compared to Floyd Mayweather, but is very comfortable and happy. She then explained why the pay gap existed.

“If I got to a point where I had almost 50 fights, I would probably be making close to the same amount of money that Floyd does. But at this point, I have eleven,” she said, pointing to Mayweather’s flawless 50–0 record.

And after winning Best Fighter at the ESPY Awards in 2015, she said, “I wonder how Floyd feels being beat by a woman for once. I’d like to see him pretend not to know who I am now.”

He responded, “I’ve yet to see any MMA fighter, or other boxer, make over $300 million in 36 minutes. When she can do that, then call me.”

Rousey then addressed his response, saying…

“I actually did the math, and given the numbers of my last fight, I’m actually the highest paid UFC fighter and I’m a woman … I actually make 2-3 times more than he does per second. When he learns to read and write, he can text me."

Do you think guaranteed minimum payouts will attract more talent to MMA, or will star power continue to dominate earnings?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Utsav Gupta