Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest stars the UFC has ever had. She was the first woman to hold a belt in the promotion and was undoubtedly the face of the UFC before Conor McGregor. ‘Rowdy’ is also one of the most dominant champions ever, having defended her belt multiple times.
It’s not just the accomplishments inside the octagon that make Rousey a Hall of Famer. It is the fact that she paved a way for female mixed martial artists in the UFC. Something UFC president Dana White had said would never happen. Since introducing the female divisions in 2013, it is safe to say that the female fighters have rivaled the male fighters in every aspect of the game.
Ronda Rousey gives her take on the UFC pay structure
Rousey recently appeared on a YouTube show called ‘Hot Ones,’ hosted by Sean Evans. In the show, the guest answers questions while feasting on chicken wings. The twist being the wings get hotter progressively and so do the questions.
While talking about pay in the UFC Rousey said, “With the UFC I always am very much about betting on myself. I care about the backend. Pay me whatever you think is fair. All I really care about is having some stake in how well this does. And I’ll make sure it does really f**king well.”
The UFC has drawn a lot of criticism lately from the fighters and outsiders alike for not paying their athletes well enough. Big names in the UFC such as Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier have all refused to fight as they thought they were not being paid well.
‘Gamebred’ also accused the UFC of paying fighters 12-18% of the revenue generated from events compared to other leagues that pay their athletes close to 50% of what they generate. These claims have been rubbished by Dana White.
The issue of fighters and the UFC disagreeing over pay has been around for a long time. It will probably continue to exist as long as the UFC is around. However, it was interesting to hear the perspective of one of the biggest stars regarding pay, and how she negotiated her contract.
