Mark Shapiro Doesn’t Think Rousey vs. Carano Was Good For MMA Long-Term, ‘It Was More Of A Stunt’

Billed as the biggest women’s fight in MMA history, Ronda Rousey made short work of Gina Carano at MVP MMA 1, submitting her in 17 seconds.

Rousey and Carano are the two biggest women’s names in MMA history, but neither had fought in nearly a decade. When the fight was announced, Rousey revealed that she pitched the fight to the UFC, but it was turned down, leading to the event falling under the MVP banner and airing on Netflix.

Speaking at the JP Morgan Global Technology and Media Conference, TKO President Mark Shapiro was asked about the fight and why they turned it down.

“It was pitched to us and we did turn it down. That’s to take nothing away from Netflix. They are a great partner and clearly they know what they are doing across the board. They’re in the big event business. They want big spectacle events, and they saw that this is a big spectacle event. We’re in the true MMA business on a meaningful and consistent basis. When we looked at this potential match-up, keep in mind there is a real art and skill to match-making. When you ask Hunter Campbell and Dana White what they think of that matchup prior to it happening, the answer was, ‘That fight will be over in 20 seconds.’ They were off by a few seconds. I don’t think a fight like that, just the way it played out, is really good for MMA. Especially because it’s Netflix and they have an incredible global audience. For them to go to that fight and think that’s what MMA is, I don’t think is good for the sport long-term. We saw it that way and decided to pass on it. Taking nothing away from the legend of Ronda Rousey and the win she got. I guarantee incredible viewship numbers. For us, it was more of a stunt than a meaningful MMA event,” he said.

Fans can find results from the event, which also featured Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou by clicking here. 

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