We’re not really covering the upcoming Ronda Rousey/Gina Carrano mixed martial arts bout, despite Rousey’s prominent place in WWE history. Ronda played a much bigger role in the rise of the UFC, which is owned by the same outfit that now owns WWE. So when she went scorched earth on the UFC under TKO’s ownership during a presser for the Netflix’s May Rousey/Carrano event yesterday (March 10), that was enough to pique this pro wrestling blogger’s interest.
Ronda’s return to the fight game comes with
Jake Paul and Netflix rather than UFC. She’s explained that she offered the Carrano bout to UFC first, and even would have preferred to do it with her friend, UFC president Dana White. But White’s new bosses — Rousey didn’t name them, but it would be TKO’s Mark Shapiro, or people who report to him — wouldn’t work with them to make it happen. And once that was the case, the 4 ounce gloves were off for Rowdy.
What she said won’t make TKO happy. Especially when they’re already dealing with public relations issues with both their brands that Rousey worked for. In the UFC, it’s because their big, much-hyped White House event, “UFC Freedom 250”, seems to just be an average UFC card with no big names; with WWE, it’s lack of hype for WrestleMania and slow ticket sales for this year’s event.
For us though, we were mostly impressed with Ronda’s mic work. She got more comfortable with it over the course of her runs with WWE, especially when she was working heel. But Rousey in rival promoter mode took it another level.
There’s also a pro wrestling-like storyline here, in that some MMA insiders don’t think Ronda would have said many of the things she said without White’s blessing. Was she just mouthing her friend’s frustration with his bosses? How would a possible Dana White exit shake up things in House TKO?
Another noteworthy thing about Rousey’s mic work yesterday is how she got a lot of attention for a fight between women who haven’t fought in years, and whose best days as fighters were a year or two before their last fights. She may not be an in-ring competitor or performer these days, but she may have found her future niche in the combat sports world.
Do you have any thoughts on Ronda Rousey going after UFC on fighter pay, and the brand being booked for TKO shareholders instead of fans now?
