Ronda Rousey is probably the most famous female personality to enter the octagon to date. But ‘The Arm Collector’ was already a noted name in women’s MMA even before joining the UFC. Still, a recent report revealed that the UFC had offered her pretty limited facilities and payouts in her initial contract. It also said that Rousey was severely unsatisfied with the terms. Instead of signing it, her legal team specified her demands with handwritten modifications on the contract.
The noted MMA-coverage house ‘Bloody Elbow’ revealed that Rousey wanted modifications in almost every clause of the contract. Her initial demand was a five-fight contract instead of an eight-fight one. Rousey’s team also detailed that she wanted a better initial payout with better hikes after each fight. She demanded a payout of $100k for her initial fight in place of the $35k that the UFC had offered. ‘The Arm Collector’ also wanted a $500k payout for her fifth and final fight of the contract.
The coveted Ronda Rousey vs Cris Cyborg matchup stands as another example of touted bouts, which the fans never got to witness. The UFC authorities were totally into the Rousey vs Cyborg scrap. However, the notes revealed that Rousey wanted special clauses in her contract for accepting a fight against Cyborg.
There were several other clauses in Rousey’s contract where she wanted major modifications. But a lot of fans may be wondering how exactly such confidential contract papers are getting exposed in the public domain.
The contract of Ronda Rousey got exposed due to the Antitrust lawsuit on the UFC
Most fans may know that numerous UFC fighters filed a lawsuit against the UFC in 2014. It accused the promotion of using illegal techniques to acquire dominance in the market. In August 2023, a federal court in the US also certified the lawsuit as a class act. This is why the court is currently examining several contracts of UFC fighters to conclude this lawsuit.
Previously, the noted combat sports regulatory lawyer has also come up with a lot of information about this case. Hence, it’s quite apparent that ‘Bloody Elbow’ may have caught hold of Rousey’s old contract as a result of this lawsuit. However, most fans may be startled after knowing that the UFC stands a chance to lose a whopping $4.8B if the guild of fighters can prove their accusations.
