It appears Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made a lucrative push to entice Ronda Rousey to return to the Octagon, but the former women’s bantamweight champion decided to leave the offer on the table.
This is according to Rousey’s ex-boyfriend, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who is now a full-time podcaster. Schaub is prone to discussing topics that he may not have complete knowledge on, but he has it on “good authority” that UFC tried to throw an insane amount of money at Rousey to get her to return.
It should be noted that rumors started to swirl last month that a UFC-Rousey reunion could be in store for UFC 300 sometime in 2024. UFC president Dana White ultimately dispelled those rumors, but he would keep it a secret even if a deal was imminent. On the flip side, oddsmakers have already released betting lines for a Rousey vs. Julianna Pena title fight.
Despite White’s claim that nothing has been offered to Rousey, Schaub has a source that says the promotion offered “more money than God” to get “Rowdy” back in the mix.
“I’ll say this, I have it on good authority they offered Ronda Rousey more money than you can imagine to come back, and she said no,” Schaub said on his podcast (h/t BJPenn.com).
“It’s like the guy that can’t get the hot girl like, ‘Dude, she’s ugly.’ That’s Dana’s like, ‘No dude, we never offered, she’s not fighting,’” Schaub continued. “Maybe Dana didn’t do the deal, I’m not saying Dana offered it. From what I know, they offered her more money than God, and she was like, ‘I’m good.’ Ronda’s very smart, has other businesses, her farms, her houses. She doesn’t need to do any of it. She said no.”
Fact or fiction?
Rousey, 36, last competed at UFC 207 back in 2016 when she lost to then UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes via 48-second knockout. That was nearly seven years ago. It’s unclear how good Rousey would look if she did in fact return to professional MMA in 2024 or beyond, but never say never when “God-like” money is being offered.