UFC fans still revere Ronda Rousey’s emphatic response to equal pay question

Ronda Rousey left fans in no doubt over her view on the equal pay battle facing many female athletes with an emphatic response that is still revered by many in the UFC community to this day.

The 36-year-old American stormed her way to the top of the sport during her glittering career to become the highest paid athlete on UFC's roster. She was eventually inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 but had already turned her back on the sport by then after two successive losses to join WWE.

It was in the build-up to the first of those losses – against Holly Holm in November 2015 – that Rousey was asked her view on the equal pay battle facing female athletes. The reporter raised the issue of the Australian Women's Soccer Team, who at the time received less money than their male counterparts – though Rousey gave a frank reply.

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"I think how much you get paid should have something to do with how much you bring in," she said. "I'm the highest paid fighter not because Dana [White] and Lorenzo [Fertitta] wanted to 'do something nice for the ladies'. They do it because I bring in the highest numbers. They do it because I bring in the most money. And I think the money that they [female athletes] make should be proportionate to the money they bring in."

While few could argue with Rousey's logic, the debate surrounding equal pay is complex and her response may not have struck the same chord with some of her fellow female athletes who have been vocal on the subject. Paige VanZant feels that while high earners such as Rousey deserved their rewards as leading names in the sport, she still felt there was more that could be done to help female athletes.

Speaking in 2019, she said: "If I’m going to keep breaking my arms, if I’m going to keep bleeding and sacrificing for this sport, I think that all fighters – and all female fighters – need to be recognised. All of us should be paid more in general, especially women and especially based on your star power."

VanZant also claimed she earned more from social media than fighting and "would be at a loss financially" if she gave up her other endeavours to focus solely on fighting.

UFC president White accepted that while the UFC was "an even playing field" for its athletes, he acknowledged that other sports are not as forward thinking, though appeared to agree in some respects to Rousey's sentiments.

“It makes sense. I hear that all the time with soccer and basketball and tennis and golf,” White said in 2019. “Obviously whatever sport it is and the women are bringing in the money, yeah they should get paid.”

Australia's Football Federation agreed in 2019 to pay their men's and women's players the same for representing their country in a landmark moment – a notion which has since been followed by a number of other countries including England and USA.

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