The Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano MMA event is off to a lousy start, at least according to fans. The MVP promoted event on Netflix held its final press conference on Thursday before the action begins on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. All the fighters sat down to field questions, as journalist Ariel Helwani mediated the presser.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
However, instead of their trash talk and promises of intense violence over the weekend, something else intrigued fans about the presser. Soon after the presser ended, a fan took to social media with a clip from the event, which appears to show the crowd gathered for the Rousey vs. Carano press conference. And spoiler alert: There was barely anyone there.
“Massive crowd at the @MostVpromotions Press Conference today in Inglewood,” the fan wrote on X sarcastically. “Like 25 people.”
In the attached clip, the camera pans across the crowd gathered for the press conference. Unfortunately, aside from the production crew and staff involved in organizing the event, public attendance appeared sparse. A small group sat scattered across the stands, while a handful of people stood near the barricade. But beyond that, the venue looked noticeably empty.
Massive crowd at the @MostVpromotions Press Conference today in Inglewood. Like 25 people.
Considering the star power attached to the card, you would expect the venue to be jam-packed. Ronda Rousey is returning to combat sports after more than a decade away, while Gina Carano is stepping back into the spotlight after more than 20 years. The co-main event also features Francis Ngannou, with fan favorite Nate Diaz set to face Mike Perry.
On paper, it sounds like a blockbuster lineup. So why did the press conference atmosphere feel so underwhelming?
According to MVP co-founder Jake Paul, nothing. In a recent interview, Paul claimed that people are saying their MVP MMA card was better than the UFC Freedom 250 card, headlining Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje. He claimed that MVP MMA will change the landscape of MMA promotion by paying the fighters on the card better.
However, the ground reality appears to be different. And the problem could be that Rousey and Carano are old and haven’t fought in decades. There’s no hype behind that fight. Francis Ngannou is fighting, but he is fighting someone fans didn’t even know. Nate Diaz’s prime is far in the past, and Mike Perry is barely the most exciting name out there.
The reason this event is expected to perform well is that it’s airing on Netflix. That will give it access to an enormous built-in subscriber base that may tune in simply because it’s included in their monthly subscription. If this were a traditional pay-per-view, no one knows how badly it may have crashed and burned.
Without Netflix’s backing the event financially, it’s hard to imagine a card of this scale even coming together in the first place. The streaming giant is essentially footing the bill, allowing MVP to stack the card. In any case, though, from the live presser aired on YouTube, there appears to be a decent number of people seated right in front of the stage.
Regardless, when the clip from the presser made its way on X, people quickly started roasting the event.
Fan was surprised anyone showed up for Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano presser
One fan appeared shocked by seeing people at the event at all. “Between Mike’s haircut, Nate the burnout, Francis Matumbo, and Rhoda the shrill, I’m surprised ANYONE is there,” the user posted. Interestingly, Nate Diaz recently even refused to put on an act to sell the fight by starting a fake beef with Mike Perry while criticizing Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev for their manufactured drama.
Someone else branded the presser silly. “Ain’t nobody driving to Inglewood during peak rush hour for a silly press conference,” the user commented. The event was also held on a weekday, which may have contributed to the sparse audience.
The next user had an even more bleak assessment of the MMA event overall. “This whole fight card feels like a desperate dude trying to rekindle a relationship from 10 years ago. He’s stuck in the past, while everyone else has already moved way on,” the user wrote. However, as far as Ronda Rousey is concerned, MVP MMA is a fresh new place for MMA fighters.
Another user chimed in, claiming the presser’s audience numbers don’t matter. “Doesn’t really matter, if they can keep Netflix as a partner, MVP/Jake Paul is going to be extremely successful. They’re overpaying tf out of all these fighters. 1bag to 1 guy is enough to have paid for all these fighters, and they would’ve said yes,” the user claimed. Interestingly, Rousey claimed she and Carano are about to create a new purse record for women. She made $3 million in her last fight. Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor were reportedly paid $5 million.
One fan took a dig at Netflix itself. “Numbers on Netflix will crush, literally nothing good on Netflix lol,” the user commented. Jake Paul’s fights against Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua did well. Why not this one as well, with multiple big names?
From the looks of things, Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano is relying heavily on Netflix rather than their own selling power. If people actually want this event, the Intuit Dome will be overcrowded on Saturday night since Netflix can’t really help with that.
