TKO Group Holdings executive Mark Shapiro says the UFC turned down the chance to promote Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, leaving the high-profile matchup to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix.
Rousey returned for her first fight in a decade and defeated Carano by armbar submission in just 17 seconds, in a bout Netflix pursued as a major spectacle sports event. Shapiro said the fight was pitched to UFC and TKO but ultimately declined.
"It was pitched to us beforehand and we did turn it down," Shapiro said during the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference on Monday. "When we looked at this potential matchup, keep in mind there’s a real art and skill to matchmaking. When you ask Hunter Campbell and Dana White what they think about that matchup prior to the fight happening, the answers we got back — and I mean Ari Emanuel and myself — was that fight will be over in 20 seconds. They were off by a few seconds."
Shapiro emphasized that UFC’s decision was about the nature of the event. "We’re in the true MMA business in a meaningful, consistent basis," he said, later adding, "I guarantee incredible viewership numbers that Netflix will soon report. But for us, it was more of a stunt than a meaningful MMA event."
He also expressed concern about how the quick finish might shape perceptions of the sport on such a large platform. "For them to then go to that fight and think that’s what MMA is, I don’t believe is good for the sport longterm. We saw it that way and decided to pass on it."
