Esther Lin./ MVP
Ronda Rousey had some harsh words for the UFC’s current pay structure.
In May, Rousey is set to fight Gina Carano in a fight that will air on Netflix. According to Rousey, the fight was offered to the UFC but was ultimately turned down after the Paramount deal.
“They didn’t want to set a precedent of giving me the guaranteed money I deserve… They just made a $7.7 billion deal at Paramount. It’s in their best interest not to put on the best fights possible, but to spend as little money as possible so they can keep it… Now that they sold the company, it’s out of Dana’s hands unfortunately, and it’s fallen onto Hunter Campbell and UFC corp. They don’t care about putting on the best fights possible; they care about putting on the most cost-effective fights possible.”
On Tuesday, during the Rousey-Carano kickoff press conference, Rousey blasted the UFC over fighter pay.
“It’s why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere,” Rousey said. “It’s why their champions like Valentina [Shevchenko] are selling pictures of their titties on OnlyFans. These people, a lot of them at the ground level, they can’t support their families. They’re living poverty-level fighting full-time.”
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
UFC women’s champion Valentina Shevchenko was not happy with Rousey’s comments.
It’s 2026. Fighters using OnlyFans is just a new way to connect with fans 💖
Looks like Ronda slept too long after her last fight in 2016 😴— Valentina The Bullet Shevchenko (@BulletValentina) March 11, 2026
It is worth noting that while Shevchenko does have an OnlyFans account, she doesn’t sell explicit photos.