For a while, it was no question that Ronda Rousey is the biggest star in the UFC, but then Conor McGregor came around. McGregor has proclaimed that he runs the UFC and makes the most money. Well, despite all that, White made it clear that there is nobody in the UFC that is as big as Rousey in an interview with Hot 97 when he spoke on the current state of the MMA promotion.
“By far. Not even close, by far the biggest star ever,” White said.
McGregor’s last three pay-per-views have eclipsed the million-buy mark & his next headliner against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 should do the same when the promotion finally debuts in New York. Rousey hit the million mark twice, one of which was a co-main event also headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman.
Aside from fighting, Rousey has appeared in several movies, wrote a book and participated in Wrestlemania. According to White, one of the telling signs in her star power was showcased when she faced Bethe Correia in Brazil.
“Ronda Rousey is such a big star that when you go down to Brazil – I don’t know if you guys have watched any of the fights we do from Brazil — they don’t care who you are. They want the Brazilian to whoop your ass,” White said. “When Ronda went down there, they cheered for Ronda over the Brazilian. Never seen that before in my life and will probably never see it again. That’s how big Ronda Rousey is.”
Rousey has received a lot of flack since it’s been almost a year since she’s fought. She lost her first fight in a K.O from Holly Holm in November and hasn’t gotten back in the Octagon since.
“The truth with Ronda is this: Ronda Rousey worked her ass off for four years,” White said. “She worked hard. All the time she fought, all the PR that she did for us, and more importantly the training. The training takes a lot out of you. And after the loss she said, ‘I need a break. I need time off.’ And the minute anybody says that in this business…you don’t do that in this sport. Your head has to be in this game 24-7 and you’ve got to be a killer. The minute you think you need a break, you definitely need a break.”
