Ronda Rousey hits back at Khamzat Chimaev over criticism of fighter pay

Ronda Rousey has hit back at Khamzat Chimaev, after the former UFC champion criticised her take on fighter pay.

On Saturday, Rousey will emerge from retirement to fight fellow icon Gina Carano, one week after Chimaev lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland.

Chimaev’s decision loss to his bitter rival and former training partner was a major surprise, as the Russian was beaten for the first time. The result followed numerous vulgar insults between Chimaev and Strickland, but also a pre-fight comment that saw Chimaev play down Rousey’s criticism of UFC fighter pay.

Ronda Rousey with promoter Nakisa Bidarian (right) (Getty)

“There never would have been Ronda Rousey without the UFC,” Chimaev said on his YouTube channel in April. “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?”

Chimaev, 32, was referring to Rousey’s silver-medal result at the 2008 Olympics, a moment that gave way to an MMA career in which she became UFC bantamweight champion.

Now 39, Rousey hasn’t competed since 2016, while Strikeforce legend Carano, 44, last fought in 2009. The American pair will square off in California on Saturday, headlining a Netflix show organised by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, with undercard support from Francis Ngannou and Nate Diaz.

And at the final pre-fight press conference for the event, Rousey responded to Chimaev, saying: “I would want to make something abundantly clear, and that is: I owe Dana and the Fertittas immensely.

“I would be caught dead before you ever heard me say a bad thing about any of them. But my loyalty is to them and not the company that they sold. I do not owe TKO’s UFC a damn thing.” Rousey was referring to UFC president and CEO Dana White, and former UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.

“F***ing [Chimaev] is just hating because, at his press conference for his fight, people [were] asking about me and my fight,” Rousey continued. “No one gives a s*** about his ineffectual wrestle-f*** fests.

Khamzat Chimaev (right) and Sean Strickland put their differences aside after the latter beat the Russian (Reuters)

“People actually can’t stop talking about this fight, because it’s so stacked, and they’re actually excited to see me fight because – unlike kumquat – I have a 100 per cent finish rate.”

Rousey returns to MMA with a 12-2 record (3 KO wins, 9 submissions), while Carano retired with a 7-1 record (3 KO wins, 1 submission, 3 decisions). Both women exited the sport on the back of defeats: Rousey after successive KOs by Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, and Carano after a KO by Cris Cyborg. In the decade since her last fight, Rousey has acted and performed as a professional wrestler, while Carano has also acted.

Meanwhile, Chimaev’s loss to Strickland is the only blemish on his MMA career, with his record reading 15-1 (6 KO wins, 6 submissions, 3 decisions). The Russian has largely appeared dominant when in the cage, securing nine first-round victories, though he has struggled with health and travel issues over the years.