Ronda Rousey Slams UFC White House Card, Praises Netflix MMA Event with Ngannou & Carano

Ronda Rousey vs UFC: “White House Card Sucks” as Netflix Stacks With Francis Ngannou

Ronda Rousey, in her highly anticipated return to mixed martial arts, has taken a direct swipe at her former employer, the UFC. She has been actively promoting Netflix's inaugural live MMA event while simultaneously dismissing the promotion's upcoming "White House" show as significantly less appealing in comparison.

On X, the former UFC women's bantamweight champion reacted to the announcement that Francis Ngannou versus Philipe Lins had been added to the May 16 Netflix event, which also features Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano. She enthusiastically described the lineup as "a bamf laden double headliner," highlighting that it resulted from prioritizing "fighters and fans ahead of shareholders." Rousey also tagged Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) before concluding with a stark postscript: "@ufc’s White House card sucks." Her pointed remarks quickly gained traction across MMA news outlets, seen as a clear jab at her former organization and its June event scheduled in Washington, D.C.

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The Netflix event itself has rapidly taken shape as one of the year's most anticipated attractions. Rousey, 39, returns from a significant hiatus to face fellow pioneer Gina Carano, 43, in a featherweight bout that will headline MVP’s inaugural MMA show and the first mixed martial arts card to stream live on Netflix. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and will be globally accessible to subscribers at no additional charge, marking Netflix’s formal entry into live MMA after previous combat sports projects. Rousey has already built considerable interest by sharing training footage and updates regarding the matchup, a fight that has been discussed in fantasy scenarios for over a decade.

Adding to the card's appeal is Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA. MVP and Netflix have confirmed that the former UFC heavyweight champion will face Brazil’s Philipe Lins in a five-round heavyweight contest under unified rules, joining Rousey vs. Carano as another key attraction on the same bill. Ngannou, with an 18-3 MMA record including 13 knockouts, steps back into the cage following a successful run in boxing and a 2024 PFL championship victory. Lins, 18-5, is a former PFL tournament winner who departed the UFC after a four-fight win streak without securing a new deal.

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Netflix executives are pitching this 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.

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Rousey’s jab at the UFC is directly tied to this contrast in event 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 and Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight belt. While the lineup technically includes two championship fights, some fans and fighters have voiced criticism after an extended buildup that fueled hopes of appearances by bigger names like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, neither of whom made the final announcement.

Ronda Rousey has previously stated that she attempted to return to MMA with the UFC but could not reach terms with Dana White. Her decision to champion MVP’s Netflix show thus appears to be a public extension of a strained relationship that now plays out openly.