For Ronda Rousey, her Netflix-MVP headliner against Gina Carano this Saturday is about more than just a comeback. For her, it signals a much-needed revolution in MMA. At the recent presser for the event, things got heated when MMA journalist Ariel Helwani brought up the criticism from some about Rousey’s “placement on the card.”
“That was [Kayla Harrison], wasn’t it?” Rousey responded. “That’s okay. Well… I would say that this is a professional fight. And there’s no such thing as discount greatness in professional fighting. The biggest money fight is the biggest fight, period. And we obviously have very different definitions of greatness.
“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. So now me and Gina are smashing the record for the most women have ever been paid in combat sports.”
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed by the MVP how much the two are making for their fight, bet365 anticipates the total purse to be around $7 million, with $5 million going to Rousey and an estimated $2 million going to Carano.
Base pay alone wouldn’t make them the highest-paid female athletes in combat sports, since Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor were reportedly paid about $5 million for their trilogy boxing bout last year. However, there could be Netflix bonuses that could push the actual numbers way up.
But the former UFC bantamweight champion is hoping more than just a record-payday with her Netflix event.
Ronda Rousey responds to Kayla Harrison: I'm not chasing greatness? Motherfucker, I am greatness. These bitches are chasing me.
“And who’s to say we can’t parlay the success of this to me and her making a genre-shattering martial arts film on Netflix after this?” Rousey added. “Who says the success of this fight can’t create the rival that UFC needs and give fighters the bargaining power that they’ve never had?
“Hell, if we knock this out of the park, I could become the face of MMA, the face of MVP in MMA, and the most powerful figure in the sport since Dana. I’m not chasing greatness. Mother f—r, I am greatness. These b—s are chasing me.”
This suggests that Ronda Rousey is eyeing the event as an inaugural card for MVP MMA with many more events to follow after this. With the 39-year-old already reavling her wish to take on the role of a promoter a cordial relationsip with Jake Paul’s MVP, the promotion could be become a rival to UFC one day and even challenge its monopoly down the line.
Netflix and MVP’s alliance could genuinely create competition for the UFC. And it’s not only Ronda Rousey who has implied that. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who supported the former UFC bantamweight champion’s return, claimed that Netflix could actually disrupt the market with its ability to spend huge amounts of money on MMA cards.
Now, Rousey definitely has an ambitious goal ahead, but a former UFC champion believes that it could easily backfire if her next bout compromises on a major aspect.
Benson Henderson hopes Ronda Rousey takes the MVP product seriously
After all the hype surrounding Rousey’s return, the fight will eventually determine whether her comeback was a success or not. Well, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson feels the same way. The 42-year-old hopes that Rousey and Gina Carano are taking their training seriously, or the product might actually turn fans away from watching MVP fights again.
“I just hope Gina has been training the entire time. I hope that Gina, Ronda too, that they are actually training, like actually training the whole time,” the UFC veteran said in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, hey, here’s this opportunity to make $10 million.’ And they’re like, ‘Okay, I’ll start training now,’ and they’ve been training for the past six months. Like if that is the case, it won’t look very good. The product they bring to the table will not look good. And that’s the most important part.”
To be fair, Rousey and Carano have both been training for quite a while. So, it seems they are leaving no stone unturned in preparation. Also, Carano’s coach, John Wood, assured everyone that the fight is not a cash grab.
With the ex-champ eyeing much more than just a win this weekend, the event’s success could absolutely take another step forward toward her dream of competing with the UFC one day.
