UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest names associated with the sport. The six-time bantamweight champion and the first women’s champion in UFC had a stellar run before losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes ended her MMA career in 2016.
Now however, she no longer sees the UFC as an ideal landing spot for elite fighters, claiming that there was no reason for athletes to not be paid fairly.
Ronda Rousey just went on a rant about the UFC’s fighter pay 😳
“The UFC is one of the worst places to go. Their champions like Valentina are selling pictures of their t*tties on OnlyFans.
They just got $7.7 billion dollars. There’s no reason they can’t pay their athletes.” pic.twitter.com/TkaB6ljymb
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 10, 2026
“The UFC is one of the worst places to go. Their champions like Valentina are selling pictures of their t*tties on OnlyFans. They just got $7.7 billion dollars. There’s no reason they can’t pay their athletes,” she said per a post on X by Happy Punch.
She explained that while the UFC was once the best place in combat sports to “make a living and get paid fairly,” a lot of fighters were also battling poverty despite working fulltime.
The promotion recently secured a media rights agreement reportedly worth $7.7 billion. However, entry-level fighters on the roster often earn $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win, meaning a competitor who loses could take home just $10,000 before taxes, gym fees, coaching expenses, and management percentages.
“They’re bleeding talent because of their short-term greed. They’re thinking about the next quarter and shareholders instead of the future of the sport. Most of my criticism is because Dana isn’t the owner anymore. He’s not calling the shots the way he used to,” she concluded.
UFC fighters are estimated to receive roughly 15–20% of company revenue, far below the roughly 50% revenue share seen in major leagues such as the NFL and the NBA. Rousey, who is set to take on Gina Carano in a May 16 match, also claimed that she initially approached the UFC about staging the Carano fight there before the bout ultimately moved to a different promotional model.




















