Ronda Rousey may no longer be an active Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter, but the former women’s bantamweight champion will still go down as one of the most influential fighters to ever grace the roster.
Rousey not only helped usher in women’s MMA when most doubted its future in a sport dominated by male bravado, but “Rowdy” created an aura of invincibility that allowed her to win her first six trips to the Octagon. That success included six title defenses, five first-round finishes, and some of the highest-ranking PPV events in UFC history.
Unlike many fighters who have great success inside of the Octagon and end up demanding lucrative contracts for their services, Rousey ended up betting on yourself in past negotiations with UFC. She was obviously paid well, but the former champion left it up to herself to promote a fight, make it there in one piece, dominate her opponent, and reap the “back-end” benefits.
“With the UFC I always am very much about betting on myself,” Rousey said during a recent episode of the First We Feast YouTube show Hot Wings (shown above). “I care about the back-end. 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*cking well.
“I’ve never really cared about money, so I’ve never really had a problem with anybody. Anybody that hires me is like, ‘F*ck yeah,’ I’m not really nickel or diming anybody. I have people that help me out with that stuff – just let me know when I can sign a thing and I’m gonna show up and I’m gonna do f*cking awesome and everyone’s gonna be happy. So far it’s been working out.”
While Rousey ended up losing her final two UFC appearances her overall work speaks for itself. Outside of Amanda Nunes, who defeated Rousey in her last trip to the cage, “Rowdy” is arguably the best female fighter of all time. If she was able to bet on herself and bank more money after her dominant wins then kudos to her.
During a year in which UFC stars like Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal ended up sitting out for more money it’s nice to see a former UFC standout map out an alternative route for future champions.
