Khamzat Chimaev fires back at Ronda Rousey. A fresh wave of controversy has hit the MMA world after Khamzat Chimaev publicly responded to recent criticism from former UFC star Ronda Rousey.
A fresh war of words has erupted in the MMA world as Khamzat Chimaev fired back at former UFC superstar Ronda Rousey following her recent criticism of the promotion that helped launch her career. Rousey, one of the most influential figures in women’s MMA history, recently voiced her frustrations with the UFC. In her comments, she pointed to issues surrounding fighter pay and how athletes are treated, suggesting that the promotion does not always reward fighters fairly despite the risks they take.
Chimaev wasted no time in firing back. In a blunt and direct reaction, he dismissed Rousey’s criticism and argued that her rise to global fame was largely built on the platform the UFC provided. According to him, the organization played a major role in turning her into a superstar. “There never would have been Ronda Rousey without the UFC,” Chimaev said in a new video blog posted to his YouTube channel. “I hate this. If they pay good or they don’t pay good, who cares? When she was Olympic champ, what did she make then?”
Ronda Rousey has previously shared that she was once living out of her car while pursuing her Olympic dream. She later went on to win a bronze medal in judo before fully committing to a career in MMA.. At the height of her career, Rousey became one of the highest-paid fighters on the UFC roster and a major star for the promotion. After suffering back-to-back losses that led to her departure from the sport, she made the move into professional wrestling, where she competed in WWE. It seemed like Rousey had stepped away from fighting for good, particularly after revealing a serious history of concussions. However, she later worked with doctors to identify the root cause of those issues, which eventually allowed her to return to MMA.
Rousey then approached White about booking the Carano fight in the UFC but she said after signing a seven year, $7.7 billion deal with Paramount that the organization didn’t want to pay her the guaranteed money she wanted and the deal fell apart. Ever since then, Rousey has continuously bashed the UFC at every turn while touting the good work Most Valuable Promotions has done building the upcoming card that airs on Netflix.
There’s no denying of Rousey’s impact on the sport. As the UFC’s first female champion, she helped bring women’s MMA into the mainstream and became one of the biggest stars the organization has ever seen.
At the same time, the UFC provided the stage that amplified her success and that was a point Chimaev strongly emphasized in his response.
