5 Burning Questions for Rousey-Carano
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The combat sports world is headed toward one of the strangest and most fascinating crossover events in recent memory.
Headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano under the MVP banner on Netflix, the card has sparked nonstop debate across MMA media and fans alike. From comparisons to the UFC’s White House super card to questions about fighter pay, there’s no shortage of opinions.
We break it down by answering 5 Burning Questions ahead of Rousey-Carano:
#1. Ronda Rousey has been very combative towards the UFC in the build up to this fight. Do you agree with her claims that this card is better than the White House event?
Lee: This card is nowhere near close to the quality of the UFC White House card. First off this MVP card is full of former UFC stars. Secondly, this card is full of revenge fights or fights that should have happened in the UFC years back.
Lastly, I don’t see any title fights on this card, why is that? Is it because MVP is not serious about MMA? Now Ronda Rousey bad mouthing the UFC is nothing new. She did the same thing to WWE when her time had run the course.
Just in case some fans were not around, if it wasn’t for the UFC, Rousey wouldn’t be the star she is today. This is a classic case of biting the hand that used to feed you.
Evan: Ronda Rousey’s back must hurt given how she’s carried the promotion for this card. She’s been a spitfire in the build up to this fight with Gina Carano, and is the nucleus for the entire event.
Much of the criticism Ronda’s thrown at the UFC has largely been justified too. Whether it’s her scathing remarks towards fighter pay or the promotion’s watered down product, nothing she has said has been untrue.
However, as Lee stated it’s not even debatable that the White House card is the superior of the two. Every single fight on the MVP event pales in comparison to Ilia Topuria-Justin Gaethje or Alex Pereira-Ciryl Gane. Frankly there’s nothing on the card that’s even better than Diego Lopes-Steve Garcia.
Rousey-Carano will undoubtedly be the more watched event, that’s not really an argument either. But no matter how much Ronda, Jake Paul, Nakisha Bidarian or Ariel Helwani want to gaslight people into thinking otherwise, the White House card is levels above this MVP one.
#2. Do you think this event can surpass Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson as the most-streamed sporting event ever, or Taylor vs. Serrano II as the most-watched women’s pro sports event in U.S. history?
Lee: This event will draw views because of the names attached to it. But, becoming the most-watched ever feels unlikely because there are no real stakes.
Paul-Tyson may have broken records, but it was also tough watching an aging Mike Tyson, wearing a knee brace, get carried through the fight by Jake Paul. Meanwhile, Taylor-Serrano featured two of the best female boxers in the world in what was likely the final chapter of their trilogy.
Most major fight cards are built around titles or legacy-defining dream matchups. This card has neither, though people will still tune in.
Evan: I don’t believe it will come anywhere close to the 108 million live global viewers and 65 million concurrent live streams Paul-Tyson did. It probably will also have a hard time replicating the 74 million viewers the Taylor-Serrano rematch pulled in.
With that being said, I’m much more bullish on the kind of audience this fight can garner than Lee is suggesting. The reality of the matter is, the casual fan or viewer doesn’t care about the stakes of a fight. They’re just looking for something to watch on Saturday night that will keep them entertained.
Rousey-Carano is the kind of spectacle and ideal fit for what that audience is looking for. This is junk food MMA, which is OK and perfectly fine. Even though this matchup is happening 10-15 years later than it should have, a majority of people aren’t going to care.
I see it being in the ballpark of 25-50 million viewers, doing similar numbers to what Canelo-Crawford and Paul-Joshua did. The combination of Rousey’s individual star power and mainly the massive platform Netflix provides, will easily make it the most watched MMA fight of all-time by a fairly wide margin.
#3. What does the future hold for the winner of this matchup?
Lee: There’s not much future upside for most of the winners here outside of Mike Perry, Nate Diaz, and Francis Ngannou. Perry is the face of BKFC, so a win only brings more attention to the promotion. Diaz is still chasing future UFC fights, including a possible trilogy with Conor McGregor, though a loss could seriously hurt his chances of returning to the Octagon.
Ngannou is the most interesting case, especially with Jake Paul publicly saying he wants to box the former UFC heavyweight champion. A win could help set that up.
As for Rousey and Carano, both are retired and will probably look it in the cage. There also aren’t many meaningful fights left for either woman — unless the winner ends up facing Holly Holm.
Evan: I don’t care what’s next for any of the winners. The potential big matchups MVP could make with Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones or a trilogy between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, flat out aren’t happening under their banner.
Although, I do think Lee’s being a bit harsh by saying there isn’t any future or meaningful fights for Rousey or Carano. That probably applies more to Gina because this does feel like a one and done for her. Whereas Ronda has plenty of options, especially if she wins as expected.
The Holm rematch would be easy to make as Holly’s already signed with MVP, and an enormous event especially on Netflix. Since Cris Cyborg’s contract with PFL is set to finish soon, that’s a potential grudge match that could materialize. It’s long overdue and outdated, but also would do huge numbers.
Miesha Tate has one fight left on her UFC deal, maybe a trilogy with Rousey is something that would entice both. That might even be the biggest draw of any of the matchups I’ve mentioned too, given how big their rivalry was during the 2010s.
Additionally, the rematch with Cat Zingano, a bout with former PFL champion, free agent Larissa Pacheco, or a cross promotion fight versus Dakota Ditcheva, feel like ideas MVP and Ronda could entertain going forward, as long as she doesn’t retire again after this fight.
#4. Can MVP become a viable alternative and even competitor to the UFC?
Lee: Maybe not a viable alternative to the UFC, but maybe to PFL and ONE Championship. I have to give it up to MVP. They know how to put on an event, get butts in seats and get eyes to view their product. They truly believe in the entertainment aspect of their events. And that keeps those in attendance and the fans watching from home locked into their fights.
The UFC doesn’t do exhibition fights and more importantly, they have real championship titles. MVP can compete with PFL and ONE because they don’t put on frequent events. Also, most MMA fans are not familiar with the top names that fight under the umbrellas of these two companies.
All MVP has to do is keep making fun matchups between known fighters and put the hype machine to work and they could possibly jump PFL and ONE.
Evan: With all due respect to my cohort here, ONE Championship doesn’t belong in this discussion at all. Between them canceling events and having a ton of financial issues, they’re on death’s door as a promotion.
To the question itself though, MVP definitely can become a viable alternative to the UFC. Primarily due to the resources and platform they’ve got access to with Netflix. But they can’t become a legitimate competitor to the UFC, with the current structure of the business side of MMA.
As long as the UFC maintains their stranglehold on the industry, and monopolistic status, nobody will ever be able to actually compete with them.
#5. What other matchups or fights on the card are you most excited for and deserve more attention?
Lee: The only other matchup that caught my eye is Mike Perry facing off with Nate Diaz. Diaz will be making his first MMA appearance in nearly four years. Perry left the UFC in 2021 and has built his profile in bare-knuckle boxing.
This matchup should be action packed and both will be talking trash to the other while exchanging punches. During a recent presser face-off Diaz and Perry brought some much-needed intensity. These two will look to beat the hell out of the other guy if only for bragging rights.
Evan: I’m personally not all that intrigued with much on this card, including Perry-Diaz. It will for sure be an entertaining scrap though as Lee’s predicting. However, the best fight on this event for my money without question is Salahdine Parnasse-Kenny Cross.
Parnasse is a former two division KSW Champion. At only 28 years old, he’s one of the more exciting talents currently in the lightweight division. Cross on the other hand is an all-action fighter, with well rounded skills and is 11-1 in his last 12 outings.
The fact both of these guys aren’t in the UFC, is somewhat of a travesty. Former ONE champion, Adriano Moraes taking on undefeated Serra-Longo fight team product Phumi Nkuta, should also be an absolute banger.
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