Khamzat Chimaev has pushed back against Ronda Rousey’s recent criticism of UFC fighter pay, taking issue with her comments during the buildup to her return fight with Gina Carano.
Rousey is scheduled to face Carano on May 16, 2026, at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California, in a bout set to stream on Netflix. In the lead-up, she has been critical of UFC and its leadership over how fighters are compensated.
Chimaev responded on his YouTube channel, saying, "There would never have been Ronda Rousey without UFC," and adding, "I hate this. [One of his team calls her ungrateful, and Chimaev agrees]. If they pay good or don’t pay good, who cares. When she was Olympic champ, what did she make then?"
Rousey is a former UFC bantamweight champion and WWE performer, while Carano is described as a pioneer of women’s mixed martial arts. Chimaev, who has previously expressed frustrations about fighter pay himself, is set to make his first UFC middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026.
