2 weeks ago
When Ronda Rousey stepped into nan cage for nan first clip successful almost a decade connected Saturday nighttime to situation chap mixed martial arts trailblazer Gina Carano, nan conflict was complete earlier it ever really began. In a flash, Rousey had Carano locked successful her signature armbar, leaving her force small prime but to tap. The conflict lasted a specified 17 seconds.
“I didn’t really want to wounded her,” Rousey said aft her win. “It was beautiful martial arts, that’s what I deliberation that was. It was art.”
While nan conflict was jarringly anticlimactic, it headlined a much-hyped conflict paper that included erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who scored a lopsided first-round knockout to people his return to MMA after a stint successful boxing, and Nate Diaz, who was stopped astatine nan extremity of nan 2nd information by Mike Perry.
The arena marked MMA’s debut connected Netflix. It was besides nan first MMA arena promoted by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), nan institution co-founded by Jake Paul. The brand’s superior attraction is boxing, and it is champion known for co-promoting nan Amanda Serrano v Katie Taylor trilogy arsenic good arsenic for Paul’s fights against Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua.
Paul’s partner and advisor, Nakisa Bridarian, claimed nan Rousey v Carano arena was nan “most costly MMA paper ever put together.” This is, successful part, imaginable owed to nan backing of Netflix, which has precocious shown an appetite for combat sports events. The world’s biggest subscription work has hosted 5 boxing events successful nan past year, including Canelo Álvarez v Terence Crawford, and moreover became nan location of WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw.
However, Netflix’s liking successful combat sports does not needfully mean nan institution is prepared to put heavy successful MMA. Rousey admitted up of nan conflict that she hoped her bout pinch Carano would tie much than 9 cardinal viewers, which would break nan MMA ratings grounds held by Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez astatine UFC connected Fox successful 2011. Whether it is capable to execute that fig and person Netflix to put successful MMA much consistently remains to beryllium seen.
There is besides nan rumor of nan arena drafting crisp disapproval for a lopsided main arena featuring 2 fighters good past their prime, 1 of whom – Carano – had not competed successful 17 years. Rousey, who is 39, moreover admitted aft nan bout that “she didn’t really want to hurt” Carano, who is 44, further emphasizing nan absurdity of nan mismatch. Rousey besides made it clear that she has nary volition of fighting again, efficaciously ending MVP’s hopes of building early cards astir her. With nary Rousey return and nary clear communicative momentum to transportation forward, nan mobility remains: wherever does MVP’s MMA task spell from here?
In truth, this type of spectacle is emblematic of Paul’s MVP promotion, which cornered nan marketplace successful influencer boxing pinch ridiculous spectacles for illustration Paul’s bouts pinch Tyson and Joshua, nan second of which ended pinch Paul suffering a surgery jaw successful 2 places and placing doubts over nan early of his boxing career.
MVP’s foray into mixed martial arts was a gamble, 1 which banked connected nan thought that nan UFC had mislaid its imaginative spark and had near a void for others to fill. Since purchasing nan UFC successful 2016, Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor has approached nan promotion arsenic a scalable media spot alternatively than a fighting organization. Instead of cultivating nan can’t-miss spectacles that erstwhile defined nan company’s biggest nights, it has been reduced to a vapid contented mill delivering unrecorded fodder to prestigious broadcast partners.
Emanuel’s strategy reached its last shape successful August 2025, erstwhile nan UFC signed a seven-year broadcast deal pinch Paramount reportedly worthy $7.7bn. After spending decades building its business astir blockbuster events tin of convincing fans to walk upwards of $80 for a azygous nighttime of fights, nan UFC’s gross was now guaranteed upfront done authorities fees alternatively than limited connected what a peculiar paper could generate. This eliminated overmuch of nan UFC’s inducement to create cards that captured nan imagination. Instead, it prioritized a accordant watercourse of mediocrity.
That displacement created an unexpected opening successful combat sports. MVP recognized that fans still craved events that felt monumental; cards built connected personality, legacy, and imagination alternatively than specified marque maintenance. Rousey v Carano was a one-sided spectacle staged a decade excessively late, but it still captured nan imagination of fans and gave them thing nan UFC had grounded to supply for astir 10 years.
To make matters worse, nan UFC reportedly had a chance to big Rousey’s return to nan cage but squandered it aft nan move to Paramount+ and pay-per-view profit was nary longer an action to sweeten negotiations.
“[UFC] didn’t want to group a precedent of giving maine nan guaranteed money that I merit because erstwhile I raise that tide it lifts each nan boats,” Rousey told Jim Rome. “It’s successful their champion liking really not to put connected nan champion fights possible, but to walk arsenic small arsenic money arsenic imaginable truthful that he tin support it.”
Despite nan truth that Rousey was 1 of nan biggest stars successful UFC history, nan statement was unwilling to make her an connection worthy her while, which put an extremity to her hopes of returning to nan Octagon. Once it became clear that nan UFC was not consenting to salary them what they were worth, Rousey and Carano took their conflict to Paul and MVP, who were much than consenting to make a deal.
Having exposed a void successful nan MMA market, 1 which treats events not arsenic inventory but arsenic occasions, it remains to beryllium seen whether MVP tin connection a much lighthearted replacement to nan UFC’s tedious brand. In immoderate case, it seems arsenic though nan UFC is taking notice.
Just arsenic Ngannou was making his entranceway connected Saturday, nan UFC announced that Conor McGregor – nan erstwhile two-division champion – will return to nan Octagon successful July, marking his first conflict successful 5 years. It wasn’t nan first clip that nan UFC has attempted to bargain nan spotlight from 1 of its competitors. When asked astir it during nan post-fight property conference, Rousey responded successful typically blunt fashion.
“It’s benignant of catty,” she said.
