Ronda Rousey, Jake Paul react to UFC's timing of Conor McGregor announcement

Francis Ngannou walked to the cage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles while UFC CEO Dana White went live to announce Conor McGregor would return to face Max Holloway in the UFC 329 headliner. The timing was viewed as an attempt to take attention away from Most Valuable Promotions’ “Rousey vs. Carano” card. Ronda Rousey called the move “catty” but said it also showed the UFC saw MVP MMA as a real threat and a rival, elevating MVP’s story. MVP’s debut drew interest, aided by Netflix as its broadcast platform, while the UFC’s own Fight Night card drew less attention. Despite uncertainty about MVP’s MMA future, Jake Paul was not concerned about the UFC’s counterprogramming.

"“I mean, it's kind of catty,” Rousey said. “But it also shows that they see MVP MMA as a threat, that they would, you know, do it in that moment and do it at that time. So I feel like it's also a compliment because it elevates MVP MMA - they're declaring that they see us as a real rival. And I think that's such a compelling story. And now they're helping us tell it.”"

"As Francis Ngannou was making his walk to the cage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night, UFC CEO Dana White went live to announce that Conor McGregor would return to face Max Holloway in the UFC 329 headliner. The timing wasn't surprising to those in the MMA community, many of whom predicted that the UFC would do something along those lines to take away from the Most Valuable Promotions “Rousey vs. Carano” card."

"By most accounts, MVP's MMA debut was a success in terms of drawing interest, and it certainly didn't hurt that the organization was backed by Netflix as its broadcast platform. The UFC's own offering on Saturday, a Fight Night card headlined by Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa, didn't draw nearly that level of attention. And the UFC typically saves its major announcements for numbered events."

"While the future of the promotion when it comes to MMA remains uncertain, co-founder Jake Paul wasn't fazed by UFC's attempt at counterprogramming. “Oh, the cokehead is back,” Paul said. “That's cool, bro."

Read at Sherdog