Ronda Rousey blasts UFC executive for not knowing ‘how to market f*cking anybody’

Ronda Rousey has expanded her criticism of UFC leadership beyond gender issues, now arguing that Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell simply does not know how to market fighters—of any kind. Rousey and fellow MMA pioneer Gina Carano headlined the inaugural MVP MMA event on Netflix in May, which drew over 17 million viewers for the main event. Campbell had previously dismissed the prospect of promoting a Rousey-Carano matchup, reportedly telling Carano he didn't know how to market "a couple of 40-year-olds."

Rousey told Fight Culture that Campbell's failure goes deeper than age or gender bias. "It's not that he doesn't know how to market us, it's he doesn't know how to market f*cking anybody," she said. She described the UFC's decision to let her and Carano leave as a massive miscalculation, arguing that Campbell's arrogance allowed them to create a competitive alternative that may become the UFC's biggest rival.

The MVP MMA card featured multiple former UFC and notable fighters including Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, and Mike Perry. The event's success has already influenced the UFC's recruitment, with several MVP MMA participants subsequently signed by the UFC. Rousey expressed optimism about increased competition in MMA promotion, noting that publicly traded companies cannot legally prioritize fighter welfare over shareholder returns. While she has not committed to future MVP MMA events, she hopes the promotion continues to host significant spectacles and that Diaz remains involved, as she believes MMA needs fewer weekly cards and more rare, event-status fights.