Khamzat Chimaev Blasts Ronda Rousey Over UFC Comments

Ronda Rousey has received a lot of criticism over her comments on the UFC.

Mar 10, 2026; Inglewood, California, United States; Ronda Rousey speaks at press conference for upcoming MMA featherweight bout at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has continued to speak out against the UFC after negotiations fell through for a return to the promotion over the last year or so. This opened the door for Most Valuable Promotions to book a fight between her and Gina Carano, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, Calif.

Rousey's war of words has gotten the MMA community talking, which includes current UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev makes his first defense of his title against Sean Strickland, which headlines UFC 328 Saturday, May 9, from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Although Chimaev's main focus centers around his fight with Strickland, Chimaev put Rousey on blast for her comments about the promotion in a new video on his YouTube channel.

Khamzat Chimaev Calls Out Ronda Rousey

Chimaev won the title at UFC 319. | (Zuffa LLC)

“There never would have been Ronda Rousey without the UFC,” Chimaev said. "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?”

According to an ESPN article from Aug. 2015, Rousey was not compensated directly but had to take care of herself in other ways while she was an Olympic athlete, whether that would be working outside of competition or in other means

It was not until she pursued MMA that her life began to change, reportedly making $16 million for her eight UFC bouts. Rousey went 6-2 in that span, losing to eventual champions Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.

Rousey was less upset at UFC CEO Dana White, and put the blame squarely on UFC CBO Hunter Campbell for her Octagon return not materializing.

Ronda Rousey Reveals Challenging UFC Business Reality Between Zuffa vs. TKO Era

Apr 15, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Ronda Rousey speaks at the press conference for the Most Valuable Promotions MMA card at Palladium Theater. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

“Now this guy, Hunter Campbell, is running things, and he was really trying to like sabotage the deal and get me to fight other people and misrepresenting Gina [Carano] saying she wasn’t serious and wasn’t going to make the weight," Rousey told CBS Mornings.

Rousey said they're doing business with the promotion that she gave so much to is simply not the same as it once was.

“I think largely, I wanted to rewrite my own ending in MMA," Rousey said. "It was just unfinished. I never formally retired. Dana said I had retired, and I hadn’t fought in like 10 years, but I needed everyone to give up on me coming back before I knew I was coming back just for me.

Now, nearly a decade later, Rousey gets her shot.