Ronda Rousey Slams TKO Leadership, Says “The UFC Is One Of The Worst Places To Go”

Ronda Rousey Slams TKO Leadership, Says “The UFC Is One Of The Worst Places To Go”

Ronda Rousey has revealed that her upcoming MMA fight with Gina Carano, set to stream on Netflix on May 16, was originally pitched to the UFC with a potential “New Year’s” timeframe attached.

Speaking during Tuesday’s press conference in Los Angeles, Rousey explained she first approached Dana White out of “love and respect for him.” The bout had initially been discussed as the final fight under the UFC’s pay per view model before the promotion moved to Paramount in January 2026. According to Rousey, the deal offered to her featured “the best PPV structure ever.”

The plan ultimately fell through because Carano was not ready at the time, something Rousey said “was meant to be.” She added that White was the first person she told about moving the fight to Netflix and noted that “he’s always been my friend first.”

Rousey was critical of the UFC’s current direction, claiming White “isn’t calling the shots” anymore and that the company is prioritizing shareholders over the sport.

“They are bleeding talent because of short term greed. They’re thinking about the next quarter. They’re thinking about the shareholders. They’re not thinking about their responsibility to be stewards of the future of the sport,” she said.

She also added, “He knows the White House card sucks. I guarantee he’s not happy with it either.”

When asked to describe White, Rousey called him “loyal to a fault.”

Rousey further claimed that “the UFC is one of the worst places to go,” arguing that many athletes are leaving for better pay opportunities elsewhere.

Looking ahead, Rousey said future fights will depend on how the Carano bout goes, though she noted that this matchup feels like a final chapter.

“When are you going to be impressed enough with yourself to spend more time with your family?” she said, describing the fight as a chance to “rewrite her ending.”

Also appearing at the press conference were Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins. When asked about a potential bout with MVP promoter Jake Paul, Ngannou said he was not interested in fighting him but rather “beating his ass,” while Paul later responded that he would be open to the matchup in boxing.

Kevin Nash On CM Punk’s WWE Raw Line: ‘If Death Is Funny, May It Be On Your Doorstep’

Arguably the most heated rivalry going into WrestleMania today is the feud between Roman Reigns and CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. So far, both men have been able to draw from their real-life animosity in the past and use it to further their storyline, but things reached a boiling point last week on “WWE Raw” when Punk said to Reigns, “I’m going to bury you next to your father,” as he referred to the “OTC’s” dad, Sika Anoaʻi, who passed away almost two years ago. The line instantly went viral following the segment, but not everybody was pleased that the death of a legend was used for entertainment, as WWE Hall Of Famer Kevin Nash aired his frustrations over the promo during a recent edition of “Kliq This.”

“I don’t like that,” Nash said. “I mean, I’m not even going to f*****g make reference to it because whosoever idea it was on any level, if death is funny, may it be on your doorstep the next f*****g day.”

Last night on “Raw,” The Usos confronted Punk and demanded an apology for his comments about their uncle the previous week, but were adamant that they weren’t sent on Reigns’ behalf. Although it initially seemed like Punk was going to make amends, he instead apologized that Reigns never took responsibility for manipulating them in The Bloodline for years, which caused Jimmy Uso to deliver a stiff right hand to the “Best In The World” to close the show.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Kliq This” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE’s AJ Styles Says He’s Been Training His Son To Become A Pro Wrestler

It’s now been a few weeks since AJ Styles officially called it quits on his wrestling career, taking the gloves off on “WWE Raw” and accepting an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame just a few minutes later. And while Styles is set to continue on with WWE in a talent scout role, one would expect that job to carry significantly less of a workload, allowing Styles to enjoy some free time in retirement.

But according to Styles, it’s actually helped make him even busier than ever. On the first episode of “The Phenomenally Retro Podcast,” Styles recounted a recent day that saw him doing a school activity with one of his kids, going to doctors appointments and getting his car worked on, as proof that he still has no free time. But another thing is also preventing Styles from settling down: his nightly training sessions with his second oldest son.

“I was going to train my son tonight for pro wrestling,” Style said. “He’s going to be a professional wrestler, so I’m training him.”

The revelation will not come as a huge surprise to anyone, as Styles revealed in an interview with Stephanie McMahon last month that he had begun training his son to wrestle, and that Styles’ daughter had also expressed interest in pursuing a wrestling career, though Styles had not begun training her. Not only does training his son keep Styles in the ring but may open the door for more, as Styles admitted to McMahon he was would be willing to wrestle again if he was able to team with his son or his other kids, should they choose to become wrestlers as well.

If you use any quotes in this article, please credit “The Phenomenally Retro Podcast” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription

WWE Officials Reportedly Felt WrestleMania 42 Card Was ‘Too Predictable’

In the last two weeks, there’s been four title changes on WWE’s main roster, with Cody Rhodes defeating Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship this past Friday on “WWE SmackDown” being the biggest surprise. Since it was reported that ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 were down in comparison to last year’s event, plans for the show were said to be “up in the air,” causing multiple storylines to be re-written in the last few weeks. However, according to Dave Meltzer during the latest edition of the “Wrestling Observer Radio,” the reasoning behind the recent changes in the lead up to WrestleMania, specifically the decision to make Rhodes champion again, is due to the company believing the card was too predictable. 

“They thought it was too predictable and then they kept changing their mind,” he explained. “When you have very reactive, changing booking and you’re listening to too many people, your stuff is not going to make sense in the long run … by listening and worrying about too much stuff and wanting to fool people, what you do is you take the most logical thing and you throw it out the window because people will figure out the most logical thing and that’s one of the big problems right now is it’s too predictable.”

Meltzer also mentioned that fans should have an idea of eight or more matches on the card by now, but WWE chose to alter plans for WrestleMania to intentionally keep its audience uncertain about the match lineup. “They had the whole card, but guess what? Too many people figured it out so they figured they gotta change it. That’s the problem. You want the problem? That’s the problem.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE NXT Reportedly Signs Three New International Talents

So far, 2026 has brought with it a number of brand new pro wrestling contracts to start the year. AEW has arguably been making the biggest splashes, signing names like David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, The Rascalz, Andrade El Idolo, Lena Kross, Alec Price, Jordan Oliver, and Jake Doyle, as well as luchadors Hechicero, Mascara Dorada, and Persephone to dual AEW/CMLL contracts.

That doesn’t mean WWE hasn’t been active in acquiring talent, however, with the promotion making some signings geared towards the future. PWInsider Elite reports that WWE made three international signings over the past week, specifically for “WWE NXT.” The signings are Egyptian Ahmed Essam, German Delia Schweitzer, and Swede Ellen B. Akesson. It’s unclear if Essam, Schweitzer, and Akesson have already reported to the WWE Performance Center, or if they will do so at a later date.

All three talents are new to the wrestling business, though they come from athletic backgrounds. Of the three, Essam has the closest to a wrestling background, having competed as a powerlifter and amateur wrestler. His Instagram page describes Essam’s amateur wrestling career as highly successful, having become a two time African Champion, two time Arab Wrestling Champion, and a former World Wrestling Champion and Egyptian Champion. 

Less is known about Schweizer, who is described as a crossfit athlete. Meanwhile, Akesson’s Instagram states she is World Champion Arm Wrestler, and a national champion in powerlifting, streetlifting, and strongwoman competitions. She is also known for streaming on Twitch under the name EllenViking. Both Essam and Schweizer participated in WWE’s SummerSlam tryouts this past summer; it is unclear if Akesson did the same.