The recent UFC White House broadcast secured a massive domestic television audience, averaging 7 million viewers in the United States and peaking at 17 million. Despite these metrics, rival figures Ronda Rousey and Jake Paul publicly celebrated the viewership of their recent MVP MMA card on Netflix, which averaged 9.3 million domestic viewers for a broadcast headlined by Rousey’s return against Gina Carano.
Rousey utilized the ratings comparison to continue an ongoing public dispute with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, while Paul proclaimed himself the largest promoter in mixed martial arts. However, UFC veteran Matt Brown questioned the significance of their celebration during the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, arguing that the Netflix event has already faded from public interest.
“I don’t know what they’re celebrating there,” Brown stated. “It’s already forgotten that card happened. The only reason we’re talking about it now is because they’re doing their victory lap or whatever. I don’t know what Ronda’s trying to get out of instigating with Hunter Campbell. Dude’s got a nice salary, he lives a good life I’m sure, he’s working on building big things, I don’t know what are you doing? What do you think you just accomplished?”
Brown further analyzed the structural differences between the two broadcasts, noting that generating 9 million viewers from a platform with Netflix’s massive global subscriber base represents a lower conversion percentage than the UFC drawing 7 million viewers on Paramount+. He expressed skepticism that anyone within the TKO Group executive structure is concerned by the numbers.
“If you’re building something meaningful, sustainable, long-lasting and actually threatening their business in some capacity, now things might be a little different,” Brown explained. “You were able to muster together an event, which even per capita and I don’t even know if they have those kinds of numbers in entertainment, but if you look at 9 million viewers versus 300 million subscribers or whatever the number is versus 7 million viewers and 50 million subscribers that percentage is way higher.”