A prominent TKO figurehead recently made some curious comments regarding the Netflix broadcasted fight between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano with one of MMA\u2019s most tenured reporters responding to those quips in question.<\/p>\n
Dave Meltzer is the referenced media member here and while predominantly known for The Wrestling Observer, under that by-line he also became one of the earlier individuals to cover mixed martial arts as a regular beat. Also Meltzer has the distinction of being a former UFC judge with those prior duties served at UFC 18.<\/p>\n
Mark Shapiro was the TKO figurehead in question and he recently articulated some of his Rousey versus Carano assessments in relation to how the UFC fit into all of it. This was reported on by a contributor to Meltzer\u2019s Wrestling Observer newsletter and when addressing this subject matter on his personal X account, Josh Nason said,<\/p>\n
\u201cAt today\u2019s JP Morgan global tech, media and communications conference, TKO\u2019s Mark Shapiro said the reason UFC passed on Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano was it \u201cmore of a stunt than a meaningful MMA event\u201d and one he thought wasn\u2019t good for the sport after how it played out. \u201c[Netflix] wants big spectacle events and they saw this as a big spectacle event. We\u2019re in the true MMA business on a meaningful, consistent basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we looked at this potential matchup, keep in mind there\u2019s a real art and skill to matchmaking\u2026 The answers [he & Ari Emanuel] got back [from Dana White & Hunter Campbell] were that fight will be over in 20 seconds. \u201cI don\u2019t believe a fight like that, just the way it played out, is really good for MMA especially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s Netflix and such an incredible global audience\u2026 that is going to sample, depending on what comes up on the front page, to go to that fight and think that\u2019s what MMA is, I don\u2019t believe is good for the sport long term. \u201cWe saw it that way and decided to pass on it,\u201d taking nothing away from Rousey, her win or the viewers the broadcast got.\u201d<\/p>\n
TKO\u2019s Shapiro gets blasted by Meltzer post-MVP MMA 1<\/p>\n
In a re-tweet<\/a> from Josh Nason\u2019s reporting on Mark Shapiro\u2019s expressed sentiments touching on the Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano clash, Dave Meltzer responded,<\/p>\n \u201cImagine the disingenuous bulls**t I\u2019ve heard over the years. This is near the all-time top. The UFC wanted this fight, Dana [White]<\/a> himself said you would never believe the fight that fell into our lap when it was proposed to him in late 2024. They were on board, would have promoted it like crazy, had a PPV date but Carano needed more time and they got out of PPV.\u201d<\/p>\n