While still reeling from the backlash over the announcement of the White House card, Dana White and the UFC now find themselves at the center of another storm. It follows a tweet, posted as part of Women’s History Month, in which the promotion celebrated the contributions of women fighters.

The effort backfired after it emerged that the post failed to feature one of the UFC’s most significant figures – Ronda Rousey – whose rise and championship status became a lasting inspiration. Fans quickly reacted, criticizing Dana White and his team for overlooking her.

“Breaking barriers, one round at a time 👊,” the UFC’s post read.

Clockwise, from top left, the images included Amanda Nunes, Valentina Shevchenko, Rose Namajunas, and Cris Cyborg. While other notable names, such as Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, were also missing, the absence of Rousey’s picture caused the most frustration among fans.

An Olympic bronze medalist in judo, the Riverside, California-born fighter had already made waves in the now-defunct promotion Strikeforce. After its acquisition by the UFC, she became the first female fighter signed by the promotion and made her debut at UFC 157.

She then went on a dominant run that lasted until Holm knocked her out in 2015. Rousey returned a year later, but Amanda Nunes stopped her. After that, Rousey left the UFC to pursue a successful career as a professional wrestler at WWE.

Ten years after she last stepped into the cage, Rousey plans to return with a fight against Gina Carano at an MVP-Netflix event on May 16. Some believe her recent criticism of UFC fighter pay may explain the photo omission.

Fans were quick to voice their opinions.

Fans criticize the UFC after Dana White overlooks Ronda Rousey in the women’s tribute

The omission was quickly flagged. “Notice how Ronda is not mentioned,” one fan wrote. Celebrate Women’s Day by all means, but omitting the promotion’s first-ever women’s signee, who also became the first women’s champion, altogether hints at a different narrative.

Echoing similar sentiments, another said, “Women wouldn’t be in (the) UFC without Ronda Rousey.” That’s quite true. For a sport long dominated by men, Rousey carving out her own place served as a motivating example for many young women pursuing careers in MMA.

Another jab targeted White directly. “HAHAHA! Uncle Dana really can’t take any criticism. @RondaRousey If she had come back, Dana would’ve been shouting at the top of his lungs, ‘Rousey can beat Mayweather!’ “That’s straight-up disrespect.” That outcome might have been different if Rousey and the UFC had settled negotiations before she went the Netflix event route.

One fan highlighted how White appeared to weaponize a past feud. “Dana posted the Cyborg picture himself to show how much he hates Ronda.” But it did not take long before others pointed out that both Cyborg and Rousey now fight for rival promotions. “Someone’s a little salty; Cyborg and Rousey are fighting for other promotions 💀,” they wrote. After leaving the UFC in 2019, Cyborg fought at Bellator, which later joined forces with PFL to form a single promotion.

Fans clearly vented their frustration.

Yet even if unintentional, omitting Rousey during Women’s History Month deserves scrutiny. While Rousey may have her reasons to criticize the UFC, she remains one of the key figures who helped women’s MMA rise to prominence in a fast-changing sport.