Khamzat Chimaev has launched a scathing attack on Ronda Rousey amid her ongoing feud with the UFC, branding her 'ungrateful' for criticizing the promotion that made her a star.
Rousey is set to return to the Octagon next month under Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions banner, facing fellow MMA veteran Gina Carano in Los Angeles. The American pioneer, who was the first female champion in UFC history, left the organization after consecutive knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
Both Rousey and Carano will headline a Netflix showcase event that also features Francis Ngannou, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry. Ahead of her comeback, Rousey has been brutally critical of her former employers, particularly regarding fighter pay.
“It’s why their champions like Valentina (Shevchenko) are selling pictures of their ti**ies on OnlyFans,” she said. “It used to be that UFC was the best place that you could come in combat sports to make a living and be paid fairly, and now it’s one of the worst places to go. It’s why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere.”
The topic of fighter pay in the UFC has long been a contentious issue in MMA. While some have defended Rousey, not everyone supports her remarks. Middleweight champion Chimaev recently weighed in on her criticism of Dana White's promotion.
“There never would have been Ronda Rousey without [the] UFC,” he said on his official YouTube channel. He added: “I hate it, ungrateful. If they pay good or they don’t, who cares? When she was an Olympic champ, what did she make then? Zero.”
Like Rousey, Chimaev is also preparing for a fight next month. The undefeated champion will defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland on May 9 in the main event at UFC 329 in Newark. Tensions have been brewing between the pair since the fight was announced, leading UFC chief Dana White to state that the promotion intends to keep them separated until fight time.
In a recent blog uploaded by Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev responded to a social media comment asking if security would have to pull him off his opponent even after finishing him. “I don’t want to kill a man,” Chimaev said. “Haram. … No. They wouldn’t let me kill him there anyway. Out on the street, that’s different—if he dies, he dies. But in the cage, it’s sport.”
Chimaev does not care how he gets the job done, as long as he ultimately wins. “Honestly, I don’t think about that at all,” he stated. “I’m just training for now. Whatever happens, happens. … I always picture victory, but only the Almighty knows how it will happen. By any means.”
