UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko unleashed a forceful rebuttal to former bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey’s recent remarks concerning OnlyFans and fighter compensation.
Rousey’s contentious statements emerged during the Most Valuable Promotion’s “Rousey vs. Carano” Kickoff Press Conference. There, Rousey criticized the UFC’s compensation practices for athletes, using Shevchenko as a prime example to underscore her point.
“The UFC once stood as the premier platform in combat sports for fighters to earn a fair living. That is no longer the case; it has become one of the least favorable environments. This is why numerous top athletes are departing to seek better pay elsewhere. It’s why even their champions, like Valentina Shevchenko, are resorting to selling explicit content on OnlyFans,” Rousey asserted.
“Bullet” Shevchenko’s response mirrored her fighting style: direct, aggressive, and with clear intent. She quickly took to social media to address Rousey’s comments.
“It’s 2026. Fighters utilizing OnlyFans is merely a contemporary method to connect with their fanbase,” Shevchenko posted. “It appears Ronda has been in a deep sleep ever since her last fight in 2016.”
The article notes that Rousey, 39, is scheduled to make her return to mixed martial arts against Gina Carano, 43, on May 16, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Rousey’s last professional bout was in December 2016, while Carano has not competed since August 2009.