Ronda Rousey is coming back! And no, it is not under the UFC banner. To that end, she’s holding some grudges against the leading MMA promotion. But what could be the reason behind such a stance? As it seems, it has something to do with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell.

“My success is their success, as well,” said Rousey during the press conference of her upcoming fight, “Should I be worried? The last thing you want is for me to be pissed off with something to prove, as [UFC executive] Hunter Campbell is about to learn with this fight eclipsing anything he’s ever done. We both know that we’re much better allies than enemies.”

Dana White and Hunter Campbell are two pillars of the leading MMA promotion. Their partnership with Ronda Rousey started in 2012 when White took over the UFC as the president. Over the years, Ronda has shared a strong camaraderie with the UFC executives.

As such, ‘Rowdy’ is making her return to MMA, and Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix are set to be promoters. Despite that, White is seemingly content with the idea of Rousey fighting outside of the UFC and looking to make money. So, this shows the bond the former champion shares with the CEO.

That said, keeping her upcoming bout in mind, Rousey is seemingly eyeing a statement win. In front of her, across the Octagon, will be another women’s MMA legend, Gina Carano. But why throw verbal shots at UFC while ‘Rowdy’ pursues a lucrative fight opportunity? The reason behind this is to prove her worth to Dana White & Co., and potentially join the UFC again.

This might lead one to speculate if the UFC has ever tried to deal with Rousey without a big-money offer. As it seems, the answer is yes.

Ronda Rousey explains why her UFC return failed

Ronda Rousey was reportedly in talks with Dana White for her return at the last UFC PPV under the ESPN deal in 2025. But the bout never came into fruition. The reason behind that is the promotion’s new broadcasting rights deal with Paramount starting from 2026. And Rousey herself explained that this was the reason.

“How do I put it?” Ronda Rousey said during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show. “They didn’t want to set a precedent of giving me the guaranteed money that I deserve because once I raise that tide, it lifts all the boats. They just made a $7.7 billion deal at Paramount, so it’s in their best interest actually not to put on the best fights possible but to spend as little money as possible so they can keep it. Dana’s now legally obligated to maximize shareholder revenue.

It’s not just about proving the concept of fighting. And putting on the best fights possible, and proving that this is a sport to be taken seriously. So it no longer made sense for me to go over there because they didn’t want to pay us the money that we deserve, because then for the rest of the time of the deal, they’re going to have to pay everybody else more. And so, then I decided to look elsewhere.”

The crux of the story is that White was interested in making Rousey’s UFC comeback and even offered the deal. However, under the new broadcast rights deal, the CEO got tangled with certain obligations to fulfill. And for that, the payout to ‘Rowdy’ would have been decreased. Hence, she ultimately decided to move ahead and get aligned with Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix.

Now, Rousey’s fight against Gina Carano will go down on May 16, at the Intuit Dome, in Los Angeles, California. That said, do you think ‘Rowdy’ will return to UFC after this fight? That said, do you think ‘Rowdy’ will return to UFC after this fight, given how she notes that they are better as allies than enemies?