Ronda Rousey Looking to Break 8.8 Million MMA Viewership Record for Netflix Fight Against Gina Carano

Ronda Rousey wants to break the record for the most-viewed MMA card by having over 9 million viewers tune in on Netflix.

Ronda Rousey Looking to Break 8.8 Million MMA Viewership Record for Netflix Fight Against Gina Carano

Ronda Rousey (via X)

In Short
  • Ronda Rousey aims to break the 9 million viewership record for her fight against Gina Carano on Netflix.
  • Both fighters are returning from long breaks, with Rousey last fighting in 2016 and Carano in 2009.
  • Rousey's fight is part of the inaugural Most Valuable Promotions' MMA card, featuring several former UFC fighters.

Ronda Rousey has lofty ambitions for her upcoming fight against Gina Carano. They are set to take on each other at the inaugural Most Valuable Promotions’ MMA card as the main event. They will be joined by several former UFC fighters like Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, and Nate Diaz on this card.

The women’s MMA pioneers are both returning to the cage after long hiatuses. Rousey has not fought since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in 2016. Meanwhile, Gina Carano has been out even longer, having last competed in 2009 in a knockout loss against Cris Cyborg.

Despite their extended absences from the sport, Rousey believes her upcoming fight against Carano can break the US viewership record for an MMA fight. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion thinks this superfight, which will be broadcast on Netflix, has the potential to eclipse every other card that came before it in terms of viewership.

In numbers, I just want to be able to beat the numbers for the most beauty I’m in my fight of all time. So beating 9 million will be a success to me. Blowing it out of the park will make me very happy. But that’s all that I really want to get out of this. I just want to be able to convince MVP and Netflix that there is something here and it is worth the investment.

Ronda Rousey via MMA Junkie

The highest-selling MMA pay-per-view ever was UFC 229 featuring Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov as the headliners. That card irrefutably sits at the top with an estimated 2.4 million buys, despite McGregor himself discrediting its stature.

On the other hand, UFC 324 peaked at a whopping 5.93 million viewers on Paramount+, per SportsPro. However, it did not break the record set by the first-ever UFC card on FOX back in 2011. Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos headlined the UFC on FOX 1 event and drew around 8.8 million views. This is the record that Rousey is trying to break with Netflix.

With such a lofty goal, Rousey will easily beat out any viewership record of the past should she actually reach it, considering the large subscriber base of Netflix. Moreover, it will go a long way in ensuring that her dream of MVP being a legitimate competitor of the UFC is realized.

Rousey remains very confident in her ability to do so. Behind this confidence is an epiphany that “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey recently had.

RELATED
“We Are Not Justin Gaethje” – Ilia Topuria Gets Pleaded by Sparring Partners to Go Easy

Ronda Rousey has a new long-term approach to chasing success

Ronda Rousey recently did a tell-all interview with Netflix where she discussed everything that came with returning to the cage after a decade’s hiatus. She revealed that it wasn’t as easy to train at full intensity as it used to be. But soon, she pivoted to discussing how her mindset has changed more in the last decade than her body.

Ronda Rousey returns to training
Ronda Rousey returns to training (via MMA Fighting)

The former WWE women’s champion spoke about the pressure she used to feel earlier. She revealed that she used to think suffering was what made her good at what she does. But now, Rousey has moved away from that mindset, and she told Tudum by Netflix about the approach she has adopted instead.

I felt like I had to suffer in order to be the best. Now I’m realizing that it’s quite the opposite. I need to find my place of joy in order to be the best….I felt like I kind of needed that pressure before…But I think I’m starting to realize that I do really well under pressure in the short term, and in the long term, it taxes me and breaks me down.

Ronda Rousey via Tudum by Netflix

The former sports entertainer emphatically declared that she knew exactly how good she was. Now, heading into the first MMA card of MVP, Rousey has an opportunity to prove it against a fellow pioneer of the sport in Gina Carano. But Carano, who is looking to knock out Ronda Rousey, certainly won’t make it easy for her.

Also Read: