The “UFC Freedom 250” event, held in 2025, drew 8.2 million average viewers on Paramount+, prompting a public ratings dispute with Most Valuable Promotions. While Ronda Rousey and Jake Paul celebrated higher viewership for their recent Netflix card, industry analysts question the long-term sustainability of these competing metrics against the UFC’s established media rights model.
Disputed Viewership Metrics and the Netflix vs. Paramount+ Divide
The debate over MMA ratings intensified following the success of a recent Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) card on Netflix, which featured the return of Ronda Rousey. According to MMA Fighting, the MVP event averaged 9.3 million viewers in the U.S., surpassing the 7 million U.S. average recorded for the “UFC Freedom 250” card on Paramount+.
However, comparing these figures requires context regarding the platforms involved. “UFC Freedom 250” reached 17 million unique viewers, a figure that includes anyone who tuned in for at least one minute, Variety reports. The event marked the most-watched live exclusive for Paramount+ to date, with an additional 1.2 million viewers tuning in from Latin America, bringing the total average to 8.2 million.
Despite the numbers, skepticism remains regarding the significance of the competition. As NBC Sports noted, initial claims comparing the UFC event’s reach to the Super Bowl were significantly overstated, as the NFL’s marquee game drew 125.6 million viewers. Critics argue that the “victory lap” taken by Rousey and Paul ignores the structural differences between a one-off special and a consistent, multi-year media strategy.
Rousey’s Public Campaign Against UFC Leadership
The ratings discussion has been punctuated by personal friction between former UFC star Ronda Rousey and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell. Following the MVP event’s performance, Rousey posted on social media, writing, “Lmao! Kiss my ass Hunter Campbell,” as reported by MMA Fighting. Jake Paul echoed this sentiment, stating, “as a boxing promoter it feels good waking up today being the biggest MMA promoter.”
UFC veteran Matt Brown dismissed the significance of these exchanges, suggesting that the UFC’s leadership is unlikely to be affected by the criticism. Brown argued that the executive team is focused on long-term growth rather than short-term viewer fluctuations.
For more on this story, see Ronda Rousey vows to ‘clean Holly Holm’s clock’ in rematch-despite retirement claim.
“I highly doubt Hunter Campbell is [sitting around saying] ‘oh shit, they got more viewers than us, what are we going to do?’ No, he’s eating dinner at a five-star Michelin restaurant and talking to his buddies and about the Conor McGregor-Max Holloway fight. I don’t know where these people think that this stuff actually matters that much.
The Sustainability of MVP MMA and the TKO Group Strategy
While Most Valuable Promotions has indicated interest in continuing to promote MMA events, no formal schedule for a second card has been established. Brown noted that the lack of a long-term plan is a primary reason why the UFC remains the dominant force in the industry.
“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 stated. The UFC’s current position is bolstered by a seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal signed in 2025, which solidified Paramount+ as the exclusive home for its content in the United States.
Internal data from the streamer suggests that 16 million subscriber households have consumed over 180 million hours of UFC programming since the beginning of the year. This volume of content, combined with the upcoming return of high-profile fighters like Conor McGregor, underscores the scale of the infrastructure that competitors must overcome to pose a credible threat to the TKO Group’s market share.
Controversy Surrounding the White House Event
Beyond ratings, “UFC Freedom 250” faced scrutiny due to the political nature of the broadcast, which featured UFC CEO Dana White and Donald Trump ringside. The event also sparked backlash when fighter Josh Hokit made a derogatory comment regarding Michelle Obama during his post-fight interview.
Although the broadcast did not address the remark in real-time, the incident drew sufficient attention that Dana White felt compelled to respond. According to Variety, White addressed the incident by saying, “I hate that kind of nonsense.” Despite the controversy, the event achieved a unique statistical milestone, with all seven bouts on the card ending in a knockout or technical knockout.
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