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Ronda Rousey Dana White

Ronda Rousey revealed the contents of a text message she received from UFC president Dana White ahead of MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano.

Rousey submitted Gina Carano in just 17 seconds in the main event of the first-ever MMA card on Netflix on Saturday night in Inglewood, California. It was Rousey’s first fight in nearly 10 years, while for Carano, it was her first bout in 17 years. Just 17 seconds later, and it was all over.

Ronda Rousey Reveals Dana White Texted Her

In the lead-up to this bout, Rousey went hard in the paint after the UFC, especially toward UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, whom she clearly despises. But White, who was one of Rousey’s biggest believers and supporters from the beginning of time, was spared from Rousey’s vitriol. Although she has problems with the way the UFC conducts its business, Rousey clearly still has respect for White, her longtime promoter, and someone she considers a friend.

Speaking to the media following MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano, the UFC Hall of Famer said she received a text message from White the morning of her fight on Netflix, and she revealed what he told her.

“He did send me a text this morning. He sent me a text and said, ‘good luck,’ and said that he hopes me and Gina kill it. I just told him how much that meant to hear that from him. He’s been an incredible friend to me, and I’m here because of him, and I’m eternally grateful, and I really appreciate him giving me his blessing to go out and do this on my own,” Rousey said.

Dana White Counterprogrammed MVP MMA Card with UFC 329 Announcement

Although White was kind to Rousey in a text message, this is still business, and White did what he could to try to take eyeballs off the big Netflix card when he announced the complete UFC 329 card during MVP MMA.

It’s not surprising at all that White did this, as he has been known to counterprogram other MMA promotions in the past during their big events, such as Affliction in the late 2000s. Although White and Rousey are good friends, White still has a business to run, and for him, it’s all about the UFC. So, if he could take some eyeballs away from Netflix, even for a few minutes, he did just that with the mega announcement of Conor McGregor’s return at UFC 329 against Max Holloway.

Still, the MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano card was a grand success for Netflix, as it was likely the most-watched mixed martial arts card of all time due to its platform, though the official numbers have not been revealed yet. So while White did his best to take some of the luster off the card with his special announcement, it likely wasn’t as effective as he hoped it would be, since it seemed clear based on social media reaction and trending topics on Google that the MVP MMA card was a massive success.