Ronda Rouseyhas used her return to MMA to take direct aim at the UFC, hyping Netflix’s first live MMA card while dismissing the promotion’s upcoming White House show as a weak offering by comparison.
On X, the former UFC women’s bantamweightchampionreacted to the announcement that Francis Ngannou vs Philipe Lins had been added to the May 16 Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano event on Netflix, writing that Ngannou vs Lins “joins #RouseyVsCarano on @Netflix May 16th” and calling it a “bamf laden double headliner.” She framed the lineup as the result of “put[ting] fighters and fans ahead of shareholders,” tagging Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) while closing with a blunt postscript: “@ufc’s White House card sucks.” The message quickly circulated across MMA media as a pointed shot at her former employer and its June showcase in Washington, D.C.
#NgannouVsLinsjoins#RouseyVsCaranoon@NetflixMay 16th!How’s THAT for a bamf laden double headliner?That’s what happens when you put fighters and fans ahead of [email protected].@ufc’s White House card sucks 🖕🏼😎🖕🏼pic.twitter.com/FAFrLFMTfg
Adding to the card’s appeal is Ngannou’s MMA return. MVP and Netflix confirmed that the former UFC heavyweight champion will face Brazil’s Philipe Lins in a five‑round heavyweight bout under unified rules, joining Rousey vs Carano as a key attraction on the same bill. Ngannou, 18–3 in MMA with 13 knockouts, comes back to the cage after a run in boxing and a 2024 PFL championship victory, while Lins, 18–5, is a former PFL tournament winner who left the UFC following a four‑fight win streak without a new deal.
Netflix executives have pitched the lineup as a milestone moment, with the platform’s VP of Sports describing Rousey, Carano and Ngannou as “generational icons” headlining the service’s first MMA broadcast.
Rousey’s jab at the UFCis tieddirectly to that contrast in presentation. The promotion’s Freedom 250 event, scheduled for June 14 at the White House to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, is set to feature Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title andAlex Pereiravs Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight belt. While the lineup carries two championship fights on paper, some fans and fighters have criticized the card after an extended buildup that fueled hopes of appearances by bigger names like Conor McGregor andJon Jones, neither of whom made the final announcement.
Rousey has said she previously tried to return to MMA with the UFC but could not reach terms withDana White, making her decision to push MVP’s Netflix show an extension of a strained relationship that now plays out in public.
Source: LowKickMMA.com
