Ten years after retiring from the UFC, Ronda Rousey is set to headline MVP MMA 1 on May 16. It also marks Jake Paul’s promotion company making its first move into mixed martial arts.

At the Intuit Dome, the 12-2 will be locking horns against Gina Carano, who is also returning after 17 years away from competition. But before the event even began, Rousey opened up about why she chose MVP instead of making a UFC comeback.

"When I first sat down in that [UFC] office, and I was lactating [after giving birth to her second child], [they] didn't think I was to be taken seriously. I think they're regretting not making it happen now," Ronda Rousey said recently.

Things also became tense during the recent press conference when MMA journalist Ariel Helwani brought up criticism surrounding Rousey’s placement on the fight card.

“That was [Kayla Harrison], wasn’t it?” Rousey responded, before going on to explain the real reason behind her return.

“Mine is making history, having a cultural impact, and influencing the future of the sport. I’ve already won a record eight consecutive title fights. There’s nothing left for me to do there.”

MVP has not officially revealed how much Rousey and Carano will earn from the fight. However, bet365 reportedly expects the total purse to reach around $7 million, with Rousey earning about $5 million and Carano taking home an estimated $2 million.

That base pay alone would not make them the highest-paid women in combat sports history, since Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor reportedly earned around $5 million each for their trilogy boxing match last year. Still, possible Netflix bonuses could push the final numbers even higher.

But for Rousey, this event is about more than money. "If we knock this out of the park, I could become the face of MMA, the face of MVP in MMA... I’m not chasing greatness. M-----------, I am greatness. These b------ are chasing me.”

And with the 39-year-old already showing interest in becoming a promoter, her growing relationship with Jake Paul’s MVP could become something much bigger.

If things continue to grow, the promotion may eventually develop into a serious UFC rival and challenge its dominance in the future.

Why Ronda Rousey’s UFC Comeback Talks Eventually Broke Down

Back in February, Ronda Rousey revealed that she had been in negotiations with Dana White last year. According to Rousey, the UFC offered her a major increase in her pay-per-view points threshold.

However, that deal was tied to the UFC’s ESPN pay-per-view model. Once the UFC moved to a streaming setup with Paramount+ earlier this year, the original terms were no longer expected to be honored.

Rousey also explained why the UFC did not want to offer her a bigger guaranteed payment for a fight against Gina Carano. Even though the company could have created bonus structures based on streaming numbers or other metrics, that route was not taken.

According to Rousey, the decision came from TKO rather than Dana White himself. She said the company, being publicly traded and tied to multiple entities, did not want to set a precedent with her contract.

Having said that, like Ronda Rousey, do you also believe Netflix could eventually become a bigger platform for MMA than traditional pay-per-view?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Utsav Gupta