Valentina Shevchenko, the reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion, delivered a scathing rebuttal to former bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey’s controversial remarks regarding OnlyFans on Wednesday.
Rousey made these contentious statements during the Most Valuable Promotion’s Rousey vs. Carano Kickoff Press Conference on Tuesday. Her criticism specifically targeted the UFC’s fighter compensation policies, where she cited Shevchenko as an example to underscore her argument.
During the conference, Rousey asserted, “It used to be that UFC was the best place you could come in combat sports to make a living and be paid fairly. And now it’s no longer. It’s one of the worst places to go. It’s why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere. It’s why their champions like Valentina [Shevchenko] are selling pictures of their titties on OnlyFans.”
“The Bullet” Shevchenko swiftly countered Rousey’s comments with characteristic ferocity and directness, mirroring her fighting style inside the octagon.
Shevchenko posted on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “It’s 2026. Fighters using OnlyFans is just a new way to connect with fans 💖 Looks like Ronda slept too long after her last fight in 2016 😴”
In related news, Rousey is slated to make her return to mixed martial arts on May 16, where she will face Gina Carano at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Rousey, currently 39 years old, last competed in MMA in December 2016, while Carano, aged 43, has not fought professionally since August 2009.
