Ronda
Rousey believes the
Ultimate Fighting Championship missed out on a major
opportunity, singling out UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter
Campbell in her criticism.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion resumed her criticism
of Campbell after the success of the inaugural
Most Valuable Promotions MMA event, which featured Rousey and
Gina
Carano in the main event on Netflix.
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Ronda Rousey slams ‘arrogant, stupid and chauvinist’ Hunter
Campbell
Rousey, who previously criticized the UFC for not pursuing the
matchup between herself and Carano, accused Campbell of playing a
major role. According to Rousey, the issue extends beyond how the
UFC handles female fighters, arguing that Campbell has failed to
recognize the value of several athletes.
“It was extremely validating, especially after Hunter Campbell told
Gina he didn’t know how he was going to market a couple of
40-year-olds to her,” Rousey said while speaking to Fight Culture.
“It’s not that he doesn’t know how to market us, it’s that he
doesn’t know how to market anybody.”
The Rousey vs. Carano bout, which MVP ultimately promoted, marked
Rousey’s return after stepping away from MMA in 2016. It reportedly
drew over 17 million viewers and renewed discussions about the
marketability of veteran fighters and crossover events. “Rowdy”
also claimed that the UFC’s shortcomings allowed MVP MMA to create
a successful alternative, which could become a real challenge to
the UFC in the future.
“He basically allowed us to create the Lamborghini to his Ferrari
and created the biggest rival that the UFC is ever going to have,”
Rousey added. “Just because he’s so arrogant, stupid and
chauvinist.”
With MVP MMA’s first event drawing significant attention and new
promotional competition emerging, Rousey believes the combat sports
landscape could be entering a new era, one where fighters have more
options than ever before.