Last month, we learned that Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are returning to MMA to headline Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Netflix's first mixed martial arts event on the streaming platform.
At a press conference hyping up the clash, the Baddest Woman on the Planet shared her unfiltered thoughts on the current state of UFC. The company recently moved from PPV platforms to Paramount+ in a seven-year deal worth a reported $7.7 billion.
However, despite profits being at an all-time high, Rousey doesn't believe that money is heading the way of those who compete in the octagon.
In fact, she made a point of singling out UFC Women's Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko, who is among many athletes selling subscriptions on the adult entertainment website, OnlyFans.
"I have much love and respect for Dana [White]. I wanted to bring this to him first," Rousey shared. "I said, 'I know I can do this on my own, but I’d rather do this for you than just for me'. We were going to do it on New Year's; it was going to be the last fight on the pay-per-view model, and I was so grateful.
"But Gina said she needed more time to get into the best shape possible and be the best version of herself, and that was fate and meant to be. Once the UFC moved into the streaming model, it’s not about putting on the best fights possible anymore," she continued. "Dana is legally beholden to the shareholders and to maximise shareholder value."
"Unfortunately, now they’ve taken the reins of the company away from him, it’s barely recognisable now. It used to be that the UFC was the best place that you could come in combat sports to make a living and be paid fairly. Now, it’s one of the worst places to go. It’s why so many of their top athletes are going to find pay elsewhere."
"It’s why their champions, like Valentina [Shevchenko], are selling pictures of their t***** on OnlyFans."
"These people, a lot of them at the ground level, they can’t even support their families and are living at poverty-level fighting full-time," Rousey added. "This company just got $7.7 billion! There is no reason why they can’t afford to pay their athletes at least a living wage. They are bleeding talent because of their short-term greed. They are thinking about the next quarter."
It's fighting talk from the former WWE Superstar, which hasn't been at all well-received by Shevchenko. Taking to social media, she took a shot right back at Rousey...