Ronda Rousey and Jake Paul took aim at the UFC following the release of viewership figures for its historic Freedom 250 event at the White House.
The card, held on the South Lawn as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, averaged 7 million viewers in the U.S. on Paramount+, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics data. Including Latin America, it reached 8.2 million on average with 17 million unique viewers.
This fell short of the numbers posted by Most Valuable Promotions’ debut MMA event in May, where Rousey submitted Gina Carano via armbar in just 17 seconds. That Netflix broadcast averaged 9.3 million U.S. viewers and peaked near 17 million globally.
Rousey responded pointedly to UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell: “Lmao! Kiss my (expletive) Hunter Campbell.”
Despite the viewership edge for MVP, the UFC Freedom 250 delivered a stronger overall card, highlighted by competitive bouts and Justin Gaethje’s upset lightweight title victory over Ilia Topuria. The Rousey-Carono main event, while drawing massive interest, ended quickly in a one-sided finish.
Both events underscored MMA’s growing mainstream appeal.
