TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro has downplayed the much-talked-about fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, even though the event later became a big attraction on Netflix. He also mentioned why TKO’s daughter company, UFC, didn’t promote the event.
Rousey previously said she originally pitched the idea directly to the UFC, and there were plans for it to headline the company’s final traditional PPV event before UFC moved toward Paramount+.
However, things changed, and talks eventually fell apart. Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions later stepped in and locked the event.
TKO’s Mark Shapiro calls the Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano fight a bad showcase for MMA
Speaking at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference, Shapiro revealed that the fight was first offered to UFC before Netflix and MVP picked it up.
“It was pitched to us beforehand, and we did turn it down. That’s to take nothing away from Netflix. First of all, they are a great partner, and clearly, they know what they’re doing,” Shapiro said.
According to Shapiro, Netflix viewed the fight as a huge spectacle that could attract mainstream attention. However, UFC looked at it from a different angle because the company wants to focus on serious MMA competition.
“They want big spectacle events, and they saw this as a big spectacle event. We’re in the true MMA business on a meaningful, consistent basis, and we looked at this potential match-up, keep in mind, that there is a real art and skill to matchmaking,” Shapiro explained.
Shapiro said UFC executives believed that the fight would end extremely quickly.
“When you ask Hunter Campbell and Dana White what they think about that match-up prior to the fight happening, the answer we got back was that the fight will be over in twenty seconds. They were off by a few seconds,” Shapiro said.
That prediction turned out to be accurate. Rousey defeated Carano in just 17 seconds with an armbar submission.
While the quick finish created some buzz, Shapiro said it also confirmed UFC’s concerns about the fight. He explained that showing such a short fight to a huge Netflix audience could give casual viewers the wrong impression about what MMA really is.
“I don’t believe a fight like that, just the way it played out, is really good for MMA, especially because it’s Netflix and such an incredible global audience that is going to sample, depending on what comes up on the front page, to go to that fight and think that’s what MMA is. I don’t believe that is good for the sport long-term. We saw it that way and decided to pass on it,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro also described the event as more of a “stunt” than a true competitive MMA fight. However, he made it clear that UFC was not trying to disrespect Rousey, Carano, or the attention the fight received.
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