Tyron Woodley believes MVP MMA’s blockbuster debut event forced a visible reaction from the UFC.
MVP MMA 1, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, streamed live on Netflix and, according to MVP, peaked at almost 17 million viewers during the main event. Rousey submitted Carano in 17 seconds in the headlining bout.
During the Rousey vs. Carano event, Conor McGregor’s return fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329 was announced when Francis Ngannou walked out to the cage.
Woodley pointed to that timing as a sign the promotion felt the impact of MVP MMA 1. “When you're the top dog, you ain't got to speak to everybody that's got a fight going on. Clearly they must have gotten underneath their skin. I'm surprised they did it. If I'm the top dog, I'm not responding to somebody that's supposed to be beneath me.”
He added, “I'm not going to do that. So, you're showing that you feel some pressure. You're like, 'We've got a big one. We've got Conor and Max,' but you can't deny what just happened. Twenty-something million people watched Ronda come back. We saw Gina lose 100 pounds. You get Mike Perry that comes back and has his best MMA fight of his life. Francis looked good too.”
Woodley also summed up his stance on how a dominant organization should operate: “Real Gs move in silence,” while Rousey described the situation as “catty,” underscoring the tension around MVP MMA 1 being described by MVP as one of the most-watched MMA events of all time.
