UFC PRESIDENT Dana White says he believes a potential mega-fight between No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound women’s fighter Ronda Rousey and No. 2 ranked Cris “Cyborg” Justino wouldn’t just break UFC pay-per-view records – it would shatter them.
Speaking about the possibility of a Rousey-Justino fight after Rousey knocked out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds, White said that he has increased his original prediction of 2 million pay-per-view buys to 2.5m, a number which would shatter the previous record of 1.6m set by the Frank Mir-Brock Lesnar fight in 2009:
“The day that [Justino] makes the weight and does what she’s supposed to do, that fight is on. She wants that fight — everybody — you think I don’t’ want that fight to happen? That fight — now I’m changing my mind on that fight — I think that fight does two-and-a-half million buys. That fight is massive.”
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White’s prediction is bold. While Rousey has become a household name, and is “the most dominant athlete alive,” her recent UFC main event pay-per-view numbers never broke 1 million buys, let alone come close to White’s predicted 2.5 million, according to MMA Payout:
Even with Rousey’s latest main event, UFC 190, rumored to have surpassed 800,000 buys, that’s still no where near the realm of 2.5m. While White’s prediction would appear almost far-fetched, Justino, herself, when speaking on ESPN’s SportsCenter, described the fight as something “that has to happen,” and one that would generate a large audience:
“This fight has to happen. Because if UFC thinks I don’t deserve this fight, don’t just do it for media, do it for all the fans that want to watch this fight. You don’t have to do it for me. If I don’t deserve this fight, my fans and the fans of women’s MMA want to see this fight, and they deserve this fight.”
While Rousey and Justino have had talks of a potential fight in the past, negotiations have always fallen apart when it came to decide what weight the fight should be held at. Rousey is signed with UFC, and fights in the bantamweight division at 135 pounds. Justino, however, is signed with Invicta, and fights in the featherweight division at 145 pounds.
Cris Justino. youtube
youtube
Since there is no women’s featherweight division in UFC, Justino would either have to convince Rousey to agree to a catch weight of 140 pounds — which Rousey has repeatedly denied — or be forced to drop 10 pounds, and fight at 135. While Justino admitted this would be difficult, she recently said she will attempt to do so — leading to the current re-energized discussions over a possible record-breaking main event starring the two fighters.
Until then, Rousey recently confirmed her next fight will be against Miesha Tate. Rousey previously defeated Tate in both of their two prior fights, and opened as an 11-to-1 favourite.
Ronda Rousey's rumoured upcoming fight could shatter UFC pay-per-view records
UFC PRESIDENT Dana White says he believes a potential mega-fight between No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound women’s fighter Ronda Rousey and No. 2 ranked Cris “Cyborg” Justino wouldn’t just break UFC pay-per-view records – it would shatter them.
Speaking about the possibility of a Rousey-Justino fight after Rousey knocked out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds, White said that he has increased his original prediction of 2 million pay-per-view buys to 2.5m, a number which would shatter the previous record of 1.6m set by the Frank Mir-Brock Lesnar fight in 2009:
White’s prediction is bold. While Rousey has become a household name, and is “the most dominant athlete alive,” her recent UFC main event pay-per-view numbers never broke 1 million buys, let alone come close to White’s predicted 2.5 million, according to MMA Payout:
Even with Rousey’s latest main event, UFC 190, rumored to have surpassed 800,000 buys, that’s still no where near the realm of 2.5m. While White’s prediction would appear almost far-fetched, Justino, herself, when speaking on ESPN’s SportsCenter, described the fight as something “that has to happen,” and one that would generate a large audience:
While Rousey and Justino have had talks of a potential fight in the past, negotiations have always fallen apart when it came to decide what weight the fight should be held at. Rousey is signed with UFC, and fights in the bantamweight division at 135 pounds. Justino, however, is signed with Invicta, and fights in the featherweight division at 145 pounds.
Since there is no women’s featherweight division in UFC, Justino would either have to convince Rousey to agree to a catch weight of 140 pounds — which Rousey has repeatedly denied — or be forced to drop 10 pounds, and fight at 135. While Justino admitted this would be difficult, she recently said she will attempt to do so — leading to the current re-energized discussions over a possible record-breaking main event starring the two fighters.
Until then, Rousey recently confirmed her next fight will be against Miesha Tate. Rousey previously defeated Tate in both of their two prior fights, and opened as an 11-to-1 favourite.
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Cris "Cyborg" Justino Dana White MMA Ronda Rousey UFC