As AC/DC once asked, who made who?
Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, and Conor McGregor are three of the biggest stars in the history of UFC and helped the promotion become the $7.7 billion organization it is today. At the same time, UFC helped Jones, Rousey, and McGregor become millionaires by giving them a mainstream platform to compete.
Could “Bones” reach the same heights under the Bellator MMA banner?
Despite their successful careers, all three combatants have expressed their dissatisfaction with the promotion
over the last few months, to the point where Jones asked for his release. In addition, Rousey has launched a personal vendetta against UFC for failing to meet her financial demands.
Former UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, weighs in.
“It’s crazy, you see all these top guys having issues with the UFC, and Ronda obviously is not in the UFC anymore, but talking sh*t about it,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “Conor, the biggest star of all time, having issues with the UFC. Jon Jones, the GOAT, having issues with the UFC. It’s crazy, all of these careers, who would Conor, Jones, and Ronda be without the UFC? Could they have been successful in other ventures? Yes. Could they have made as much money? Probably not. So it’s weird. I get where they’re coming from, too, if they think they’re being treated unfair, speak up. One way I see it, but then it’s like also you’ve got to be grateful for what you got from the UFC, from the business.”
Without UFC, O’Malley would probably be a porn star (his words). With UFC, he’s one of the top names attached to the upcoming “Freedom 250” card at the White House in June.
“I feel like in the last month or two since Paramount’s come on, I felt more vitriol and anti-UFC than ever before,” former UFC welterweight, Matt Brown, told MMA Fighting. “There is so much negativity and complaining about the UFC lately. It’s crazy. I think [Rousey’s] real intentions are a pity party thing and she does that a lot. She plays that victim mentality a lot. She’s not necessarily saying all this to try and change the sport or try to help the future of MMA or anything. But she wants the attention, and she wants to say something that gets people’s emotions going about her. She wants to feel valid and recognized and things like that. But she’s not wrong either.”
Regardless of whose side you’re on, UFC clearly has (another) morale problem in 2026.
