Ronda Rousey’s return to MMA has quickly turned into something bigger than just a comeback fight. It’s somehow become a lightning rod for her to take shots at the UFC. And now, Jorge Masvidal has stepped in, questioning why one of the sport’s biggest stars is taking such sharp shots at the very promotion that built her.

Speaking on his Death Row MMA podcast, ‘Gamebred’ didn’t hold back when reacting to Rousey’s recent comments about fighter pay, the White House card, and Dana White’s role in the company. While the UFC veteran acknowledged her achievements, his main issue was the direction of her criticism.

“This is spooky, man. I know Ronda was a hell of a fighter at one point, but she looks spooky. I seen that interview, and I was spooked out. I don’t know what’s going on with Ronda, but Ronda’s never been the best on the mic to tell you the truth,” Masvidal said. “She says like things that are the weird, you know, taking the shots at Dana. I mean, Dana made you, you know, literally Dana hand walked you into the league and opened doors for you and opened a lot of doors for you.”

That’s really the core of his argument. ‘Rowdy’ was the UFC’s first women’s bantamweight champion in 2012 and went on an eight-fight finish streak that helped push the sport into the mainstream. Pay-per-view numbers surged during her run, and she became one of the few fighters to cross into Hollywood. From Masvidal’s perspective, that kind of backing matters.

At the same time, he didn’t dismiss her entirely. He made it clear she earned everything inside the cage, saying she “kept what she killed.” But he questioned why, now in 2026, the criticism feels so direct and personal.

“And then for her to say things like that, you know, ‘the UFC is not making the fights that they want to make, but her fight is the fight that people want to see.’ I mean, I guess she’ll prove us all wrong though when we see the numbers come back from Netflix. But I think to me, tooting the horn a little bit too much is, you know. This is like 10 years later, and people don’t really care for that. But we’re going to see if I’m right or wrong. I’m not trying to hate on that fight at all.”

Instead of returning under the UFC banner, Ronda Rousey headlines a Netflix card for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions on May 16, facing Gina Carano. The event also features names like Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and Francis Ngannou, making it one of the most stacked non-UFC cards in recent memory, despite the long layoffs for some of the names involved.

Still, Jorge Masvidal stopped short of dismissing the fight entirely. He praised Carano as “the first superstar” of women’s MMA and credited Rousey for taking the sport “to another stratosphere.” That respect is there. The skepticism is about whether that same pull still exists in 2026. However, according to Joe Rogan, Rousey’s comments may have lit the spark on something bigger.

Joe Rogan backs Ronda Rousey’s “good points” amidst her barrage of shots at the UFC

Joe Rogan isn’t fully picking sides, but he’s also not dismissing Ronda Rousey’s argument either. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience with Dustin Poirier, the longtime UFC commentator admitted that while the delivery may be aggressive, the message has some weight.

Rogan pointed directly to the numbers fueling this debate. The UFC’s $7.7 billion Paramount deal has become the centerpiece of Rousey’s criticism, especially when compared to what fighters reportedly earn across the roster. And on that front, Rogan didn’t completely disagree.

“She had this big, long speech about the UFC (partnering with Paramount) for $7 billion, and these fighters aren’t making enough money – look, she made some good points,” Rogan confessed. “The most important thing is she gets the conversation out there, and it puts pressure on the UFC to pay people more.”

Rogan pointed out that Netflix has the money to “throw around ridiculous” offers, but sustainability is the real test. If it becomes consistent, that’s when things change.

According to him, the model could start to resemble boxing, where the promotion matters less than the fighters themselves. If Netflix can attract even a handful of top names when contracts expire, it could create real competition. The UFC commentator even floated a scenario where a champion-level fighter like Islam Makhachev makes that jump, which could trigger others to follow. Still, he kept expectations grounded. It’s a “big ask,” and the UFC has spent decades building its dominance.

So while Jorge Masvidal questions Ronda Rousey’s draw and her remarks about the UFC, Joe Rogan is looking at the ripple effect. And depending on what happens after May 16, that ripple could either fade quickly or grow into something much bigger.